This easy Tuscan Soup with Sausage is the perfect hearty comfort food for a cold winter night. Full of Italian sausage, potatoes, carrots, and spinach, all swimming in a rich and creamy chicken broth, it can be ready on your table in just about 30 minutes.
If you are a fan of Olive Garden soup, you may be familiar with their Zuppa Toscana. This Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana copycat recipe is just as delicious but can be made right in your own home. Don't forget the homemade homemade breadsticks.
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Tuscan Soup with Sausage
Zuppa Toscana literally translates to Tuscan Soup and is the influence for this delicious, hearty, and incredibly simple recipe. This is an easy Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana copycat recipe that is super easy and tastes just like the real deal.
We take hot Italian sausage and cook it along with onions, garlic, potatoes, and carrots. Then we add milk to the chicken broth and thicken it slightly with cornstarch. The result is ultra-creamy and the perfect complement to the spicy sausage and hearty veggies. A couple of handfuls of fresh spinach are tossed in for good measure.
To make it a complete experience, try our copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks recipe.
Zuppa Toscana Ingredients
- Italian Sausage - we suggest hot Italian sausage, but use your favorite kind. If you use regular sausage, you may want to add a pinch of crushed red pepper and some Italian herb seasoning. Bacon would also be a good substitute, or you could make Chicken Tuscan Soup.
- Olive Oil - this will give it a nice Italian flavor, but you could also use avocado oil.
- Onion - use white or yellow onions, diced small.
- Garlic - fresh minced garlic works great.
- Chicken Broth - any store bought chicken broth or stock will work, or you can make your own Homemade Chicken Stock.
- Carrots - use fresh carrots, peeled and cut into ½” pieces.
- Potatoes - use red potatoes, yellow potatoes or Russet potatoes. If you use Russet potatoes, we suggest peeling them first.
- Salt and Pepper
- Spinach - use fresh spinach, or even fresh kale would taste great.
- Milk - whole or 2% milk work best, or you can substitute heavy cream.
- Cornstarch - this helps to thicken the soup.
- Cold Water - be sure and mix cold water with the cornstarch to make a slurry.
- Parmesan Cheese - fresh grated Parmesan cheese makes a great garnish.
How to Make Olive Garden Tuscany Soup
- Cook the sausage. Heat a saucepan over medium heat, then add the Italian Sausage and ½ cup water. Use a spatula to break into small chunks, then cook over medium until no longer pink, or about 5 minutes. Drain the water from the sausage and set it aside.
- Cook the onions and garlic. Heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the diced onion to the same saucepan. Saute until caramelized, or about 5 minutes, then add the minced garlic and continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes until transparent.
- Add the broth. Add the cooked sausage, onions, garlic, and the chicken broth in a large dutch oven. Bring to a boil.
- Cook the potatoes and carrots. Reduce to a simmer, then add in the diced carrots and potatoes and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Once the potatoes are tender, add in the salt, pepper, spinach, and milk. Bring to boil again.
- Thicken soup. Meanwhile, combine the cornstarch with the cold water in a small bowl and stir together until smooth. Add to the soup slowly, stirring until the soup thickens.
- Serve. Once the soup is thickened and warmed to your liking, remove from the heat and ladle into bowls. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely - Tuscan Soup is a great soup for crock pot cooking. You will still want to cook the sausage, onions and garlic in a pan first, then add them to the bottom of the slow cooker.
Add the potatoes, carrots, salt, pepper, chicken broth and cover with a lid. Cook on low for 5-6 hours, or high for 3-4 hours until the potatoes are soft.
About 30 minutes before serving, pour in the cornstarch and cold water slurry along with the spinach and mix well. Cover and cook on high for another 30 minutes until the soup is thickened.
Any type of sausage will work! Bacon or shredded chicken would also taste great. Or, make a vegetarian version by skipping the sausage completely and substituting veggie broth.
Sure! Make sure it is completely cool, then transfer to freezer bags and store for up to 2 months.
Yes! Tuscan soup, Toscan soup, and Tuscany soup are all the same. In Italian, the soup, which hails from Tuscany, is called Zuppa Toscana. Therefore you will see a Tuscan Soup recipes with a variety of spellings, but they are all referring to the same soup.
Storing and Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerator: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: store cooled soup in freezer bags for up to 2 months. To thaw, transfer to the fridge overnight.
- To reheat: put soup into a dutch oven or sauce pot and warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through.
Tuscan Soup with Sausage Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound Hot Italian Sausage
- ½ cup Water use milk if you don't want it spicy
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 medium Onion diced
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic minced
- 6 cups Chicken Broth
- 2 cup Carrot cut into ½" chunks
- 5 medium Red Potatoes cut into ½" chunks
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 4 cups Spinach fresh, chopped
- 2 cups Milk or heavy cream
- 3 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- 6 Tablespoons Cold Water
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese shredded for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a saucepan over medium heat, then add the Italian Sausage and ½ cup water. Use a spatula to break into small chunks, then cook over medium until no longer pink, or about 5 minutes. Drain the water from the sausage and set aside.
- In the same saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the diced onion. Saute until caramelized, or about 5 minutes, then add the minced garlic and continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes until transparent.
- In a large dutch oven, add the cooked sausage, onions and garlic, and the chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce to a simmer, then add in the diced carrots and potatoes and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Once the potatoes are tender, add in the salt, pepper, spinach and milk. Bring to boil again.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the cornstarch with the cold water and stir together until smooth. Add to the soup slowly, stirring until the soup thickens.
- Once the soup is thickened and warmed to your liking, remove from the heat and ladle into bowls. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More of our Favorite Soup Recipes
- Easy Lasagna Soup
- White Chicken Chili
- Stuffed Pepper Soup Recipe
- Homemade Creamy Tomato Soup
- Corn Chowder
- Creamy Curry Squash Soup
- Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup
- More Italian Recipes
- More Dinner Recipes
This hearty Tuscan Soup is full of Italian sausage, potatoes, carrots and spinach all swimming in a rich and creamy chicken broth. It's super easy to make and can be ready in a little less than 30 minutes.
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