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    Home » Recipes » Lunch » One-Pot "Zuppa Toscana" Tuscan Soup

    Modified: May 12, 2025 · Published: Jan 11, 2022 by Angela G. · This post may contain affiliate links.

    One-Pot "Zuppa Toscana" Tuscan Soup

    602 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    This delicious soup, made popular by Olive Garden, features bacon, kale, beans, rustic potatoes, and flavorful sausage in a rich and lightly creamy chicken broth. This copycat soup recipe is easy. Everything is made in one pot!

    Zuppa Toscana - One-pot recipe using a Dutch Oven
    Easy Recipe for Zuppa Soup
    Easy Recipe for Zuppa Toscana - Made in one pot
    Zuppa Toscana - One-pot recipe using a Dutch Oven
    Easy Recipe for Zuppa Soup
    Easy Recipe for Zuppa Toscana - Made in one pot

    Try this delicious Tuscan soup paired with fluffy dinner rolls, an Italian Panzanella salad and a refreshing Lemoncello-Prosecco spritz.

    Skim by Section
    • ★ Why You’ll Love this Recipe ★
    • ★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
    • ★ How to Make this Recipe★
    • ★ Variations ★
    • ★ Tips & FAQs ★
    • ★ More Italian Recipes ★
    • Zuppa Toscana "Tuscan Soup"

    ★ Why You’ll Love this Recipe ★

    There's a lot to love about this Tuscan soup, well known as "Zuppa Toscana" thanks to the popular restaurant chain, Olive Garden. You'll love this easy recipe. All you need is one pot.

    This is a super easy, one-pot recipe.

    I'm hoping you'll find that this is THE EASIEST recipe for "Zuppa Toscana" Tuscan Soup out there.

    There are a lot of copycat recipes inspired by Olive Garden's tasty soup. But some have lots of steps and lots of pots and pans involved. So, I set out to simplify the cooking process as much as possible without sacrificing awesome flavor.

    Dutch Oven Zuppa Toscana Tuscan Soup

    To make this all in one pot, you'll ideally want to use a large dutch oven. A 6 qt or larger pot works best. If you don't have a dutch oven, you can still make this working using a large pot, you just may need to stir more to prevent sticking.

    Want to invest in a dutch oven? Shop dutch ovens on amazon

    ★ Ingredients You'll Need ★

    Surprisingly, it's a short shopping list.

    You don't need a super long or complicated list of ingredients to make this soup. A few key ingredients bring a lot of flavor to this rich and tasty soup.

    Zuppa Toscana Ingredients

    There are several star players.

    • Bacon. I mean, who doesn't love bacon? You can cook your own bacon or save time by using real bacon bits.
    • Kale. Kale adds a hearty dose of healthy vitamins but since we're starting with bacon, it actually tastes good.
    • Sausage. Flavor is the ultimate goal here so the richness of Italian sausage pairs up with the bacon for a meat match-made-in-heaven.

    Plus some important supporting ingredients for maximum flavor.

    • Onion and garlic. The basics in any great Italian dish.
    • Chicken broth with a bit of extra bullion for the most delicious broth. I like to use Better than Bullion but any bullion will do.
    • Half and half to add a creamy component to the broth. I prefer to keep it light, but you can add more or less cream to taste. You can also use milk or heavy cream if you prefer. Experiment and see what you like best or go with what works with your diet.
    • Navy beans. These creamy soft bean are something I added to the recipe, different from Olive garden's recipe. Beans are optional but do add some nice texture and extra protein. Leave them out if you want! You can use any white bean like cannellini beans, but I really like navy beans because they have a melt-in-your-mouth quality and a slight rustic flavor that's perfect for this soup.
    • Potatoes. We're keeping them rustic, just like Olive Garden does, with the skin on. Just be sure to scrub the skin well to remove any grit before chopping. Last but not least, you can't forget th

    Optional Ingredients

    There are a few extra ingredients you could throw in, if you want, that I feel would be a great compliment to the flavors happening in this soup:

    • corn
    • zucchini
    • bell peppers
    • spinach
    • mushrooms

    ★ How to Make this Recipe★

    This recipe is made using just one pot when you use a dutch oven. Hurray for easy clean up!

    The full recipe is outlined below but here's a quick preview of the steps involved from start to finish:

    How to Make Zuppa Toscana Tuscan Soup
    1. Wash potatoes and poke skin to vent.
    2. Microwave potatoes then chop.
    3. Fry bacon. Drain excess grease.
    4. Add sausage, cayenne pepper.
    5. Add onion and garlic.
    6. Add chicken broth.
    7. Add chicken bullion.
    8. Add kale, beans and potatoes.
    9. Add half and half, stir then serve.

    That's it! This recipe for Zuppa Toscana is very simplified but does not lack in flavor. I think you'll love it.

    ★ Variations ★

    Make this soup mild or spicy.

    You can leave out the cayenne pepper or reduce it or if you want to live on the wild side, add more!

    You can start with spicy Italian sauce but I recommend starting with regular sausage so you can add cayenne pepper to your liking to the choose your level of spiciness.

    If you know you like a little heat, and want to keep things simple, you can just cut out the cayenne pepper and use hot sausage instead.

    Lower the Calories

    This soup is rich and delicious but that's partially because it's high in fat. If you're ok with sacrificing a little flavor in order to lighten this up, here are a few tricks:

    • In addition to draining the bacon grease, pat bacon to absorb extra grease
    • Try turkey sausage or plant based "sausage"
    • Half the amount of potatoes and cut them into smaller chunks
    • Use milk instead of half and half to cream the soup

    ★ Tips & FAQs ★

    What kind of potatoes are best to use in Zuppa?

    I like russet potatoes. They have a rustic flavor and an airy texture that goes well with this soup. You could, however, use any potato you prefer.

    What does "Zuppa Toscana" mean in Italian?

    In Italian, Zuppa Toscana simply means "Tuscan Soup."

    What's in authentic Zuppa Toscana from Italy?

    According to Wikipedia, the original ingredients for this Tuscan soup, made famous by Olive Garden, are: carrot, celery, onion, bacon or sausage, chili powder for spice, potatoes, kale, cannellini beans, olive oil and/or cream.

    Can I use bacon bits in Zuppa Toscana?

    Even "real bacon bits" are not as tasty as cooking your own bacon. Since bacon is a main ingredient, I recommend starting with a good quality, raw bacon and cooking it yourself either the quick microwave method, frying it or cooking it on a sheet pan in the oven at 400ºF for 15-20 minute or until crispy.

    ★ More Italian Recipes ★

    • Easy Tuscan Chicken Recipe
      Tuscan Chicken
    • 5-Ingredient Tuscan Pasta Salad
      Easy Tuscan Pasta Salad (5 ingredients)
    • Easy Creamy Crockpot Tuscan Ravioli
      Creamy Ravioli with Sausage and Spinach
    • Crockpot Italian Chicken with Crispy Onions
      Crockpot Crispy Creamy Italian Chicken

    Love soups?

    Browse all my easy soup recipes! Be sure to Pin your favorites for later.

    Zuppa Toscana "Tuscan Soup"

    Author: Angela G.
    This delicious soup, made popular by Olive Garden, features bacon, kale, beans, rustic potatoes, and flavorful sausage in a rich and lightly creamy chicken broth. This copycat soup recipe is easy. Everything is made in one pot!
    5 from 2 reviews
    Reviews
    Course: Dinner, Lunch
    Cuisine: Italian
    Skill Level: Easy
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Yield: 16 cups

    Equipment

    • dutch oven

    Ingredients 

    • 8 oz bacon (about 8 slices), chopped
    • 8 oz breakfast sausage
    • ½ tsp teaspoon cayenne pepper more or less to adjust spice level
    • 1 onion diced
    • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
    • 4 russet potatoes
    • 6 cups cups chicken broth
    • 1-2 tablespoon chicken bullion to tastes
    • 1 bunch kale, chopped w/ stems removed
    • 15.5 oz can navy beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
    • ½ cup half and half more or less to taste

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    Instructions

    • Rinse but don't peel potatoes. Poke with a fork several times each and place in the microwave. Cook for 9-12 minutes or until potatoes are softened on all sides. (I use a clean dish towel to lightly squeeze and check them since they are hot). Chop cooked potatoes into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
    • While potatoes are in the microwave, chop and cook bacon in a large dutch oven over high heat for 10 minutes or until edges are crispy. When done, scoop out cooked bacon pieces and set aside on a plate or in a bowl. Drain excess bacon fat and return unwashed pot to stove. Keep heat on high.
    • Add sausage to dutch oven along with cayenne pepper and diced onion. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so. Add minced garlic then cook for an additional minute or until sausage is browned.
    • Add cooked bacon to pot along with potatoes, chicken broth, chicken bullion, kale and drained navy beans. Bring to a boil.
    • Once boiling, stir in half and half. Then remove from heat and serve.

    Video

    Notes

    For the kale, just remove large portions of stem. The small pieces are fine to leave in tact with the leaves.
    Olive Garden's "Zuppa Toscana" does not have beans. However, I like adding them in. Up to you. You can leave them out if you want a version closer to Olive Garden's original recipe.

    Nutrition Facts

    Serving: 2cups | Calories: 406kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 1181mg | Potassium: 1039mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1766IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 3mg
    Follow Mighty Mrs. for more easy recipes!Find @MightyMrs on Pinterest

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    602 shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Estera Mezera says

      March 06, 2023 at 11:08 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you, Angela! And Yes, I did make the recipe twice now and it is wonderful! It is easy to make so hearty! Thank you!

      Reply
    2. Estera Mezera says

      January 31, 2023 at 10:01 am

      Hi! I really like to try this! It looks easy and delicious! However, in the recipe you forgot to tell us when we add the potatoes. I kind of assumed it would be with the beans and everything else, but it is left out of the written recipe although it is included in the video. Just wanted to mention this to correct the written recipe. Thank you for a wonderful soup made easy!

      Reply
      • Angela G. says

        January 31, 2023 at 12:15 pm

        Thank you Estera, I updated the recipe to note when to add the cooked potatoes back in. Thanks very much for the feedback. Hope you love the soup!

        Reply
    3. Sherrie says

      May 06, 2022 at 9:57 pm

      Zuppa toscana does not have any beans!

      Reply
      • Angela G. says

        May 06, 2022 at 10:21 pm

        Hi Sherrie, You're right! The original Olive Garden recipe does not have beans. That's something I like to add for extra texture and protein. You can leave them out if you want!

        Reply
    5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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