November 8, 2009

Zuppa Toscana

Though a popular soup at Olive Garden, this isn’t meant to be a “copycat” recipe. It might taste pretty close, but I can’t even remember the last time I had this soup, let alone ate at OG. (Not my favorite place. Carino’s stole my heart.) I ran across a couple of recipes lately and combined them according to my liking and this is what I ended up with.

This soup is rich, creamy and the flavors just pop, for lack of a better word. The type of sausage and chicken broth you use are important as the majority of the flavor in the soup come from those two. So get good quality broth and sausage that you like.

This soup also has kale in it. If you’ve never had kale, here’s a (slightly wilted. . . the kale, not the photo) shot of this good-for-you green:

Never used kale? It’s easy to prep, just take a hold of the stem like so:

rip off the leaves from the stem, then chop them up however you want. Easy. One of the things I like about kale is that it’s a tough green. Tougher than spinach and won’t turn slimy when you add it to soup — even after 20 minutes of simmering. And don’t be afraid to use a lot. Like just about all greens, the mountain you have sitting on your cutting board won’t take up that much space once it’s cooked.

Zuppa Toscana (Tuscan Soup)

Ingredients:

1 lb uncooked Italian sausage (sweet or spicy)
3 slices uncooked bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (see note)
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups fresh chopped kale, about 1/2 bunch
4 cups chicken broth (or 3 1/2 cups chicken broth + 1/2 c white wine)
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add bacon to the pot and cook for about 4-5 minutes until it starts to render off its fat. Remove sausage from casings and crumble into pot. Cook until the sausage is well-browned and the bacon is crisp, about 5-6 more minutes. Remove sausage and bacon from the pot with a spider or slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside.

Add onion to the pot and saute until tender, about 6-7 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for another minute. Add 1/2 c of the chicken broth (or wine, if using) to the pan and stir, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining broth, potatoes, kale, water to the pot. Return the sausage and bacon to the pot as well. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Stir in heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crusty French bread if you like.

Serves 6.

Nat's Notes:
1. If you use spicy sausage, take that into consideration when you add the red pepper flakes, holding back if necessary.

compiled from multiple sources

30 Minutes and Under, Gluten-Free, Soups and Stews

10 comments »

10 Responses to “Zuppa Toscana”

1

Kathryn — November 8, 2009 @ 7:12 am

I love this soup at Olive Garden! Jon surprisingly loves OG, being Mr. Italian-man. But it's because he doesn't consider OG Italian food. LOL! It's all about perspective.

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2

ElegantSnobbery — November 8, 2009 @ 4:06 pm

OMG, do you know that I was just telling my husband last night, that I wanted a recipe for this kind of soup??!!

Of course you didn't know…. but now you do. I'm definitely making this one. Looks really delicious, and I love the sausage with the kale, with that cream broth… drooooool…..

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3

Stacy — January 16, 2010 @ 6:48 pm

My mom made this for me and some guests while she was visiting this week, and it was delicious! They thought it was better than Olive Garden's.

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4

Natalie — January 16, 2010 @ 9:15 pm

Stacy – thanks for letting me know! I'm glad you liked it :)

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5

Rabbittrick — October 26, 2010 @ 2:15 am

This is absolutely yummy. I love sausages and all manner of soups. Just not sure about kale though. I've not seen it around but I'm thoroughly intrigued. There seems to be an abundance of recipes. I'd still love to try this, but perhaps with other types of vegetables. Am assuming kale doesnt impart a very strong distinction to the dish?

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6

Jessica — October 26, 2012 @ 7:00 am
I made this for my fiancé one night and he absolutely loved it. So a couple days later his family was visiting and I made a big batch of this (doubled the recipe-which is a little hard when trying to brown all that meat in one pot). They love Olive Garden’s “Zuppa Toscana”. I didn’t tell them what it was, I wanted to see if they knew… And they immediately did… And they, too, LOVED it… So I passed on your recipe… This is a big hit!!!

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- Natalie Perry replied: — October 26th, 2012 @ 10:13 pm
  
  Hi Jessica! Thanks so much for reporting back! I love to hear stories like this, and I’m thrilled that it was a hit with everyone.
  p.s. I just noticed that the comment right before yours was written exactly two years to the day that yours was. funny. :)
7

Pat LeClair — February 23, 2013 @ 9:57 am

Love this at Og, my husband tried it there 2 days ago. He loved it and asked if I would make it. I am checking to see if I have everything I need and will be making it today. Will give you results later in the day. It sounds great. Pat LeClair.

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8

Becca — March 8, 2013 @ 4:51 pm
I love this soup! It was one of the first recipes I tried form your site and it’s been a hit every time I make it. So many people have told me that it’s even better than Olive Garden’s version and I have to agree… Last time I ordered it I sent it back to exchange it for something else. It was just too disappointing after eating your version all the time.

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- Natalie Perry replied: — March 8th, 2013 @ 6:30 pm
  
  This comment made my whole day. Thank you Becca!