How To Make Olive Garden Sausage And Kale Soup

This Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup is a lightened copycat version of the classic using poultry sausage and then filled with creamy russet potatoes and hearty kale. This healthy soup recipe is delicious and is better than the restaurant version.

Zuppa Toscana The Best Olive Garden Copycat Recipe

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5-Star Recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"I made this one for my husband and it was an absolute hit. The recipe was easy to follow and turned out IMO better than Zappa Toscana from Olive Garden – Thank you for posting this one. I will definitely be making this one again." – Molly

"Me and my boyfriend used to both work as servers at the OG and toscana was our absolute favorite!! I never imagined i could make it from home so easily! It was delicious thank you so much for sharing! Best recipe I've found online yet!!!" – Fernanda

Reasons you'll love this recipe.

Nutritious and delicious. This healthier version of Olive Garden's most popular soup is filled with lean protein, high fiber kale and potatoes, and a lighter creamy base. It's still comforting and super tasty without all of the fat and calories. It's also gluten-free and Whole30 compliant.
Make-ahead. This creamy soup can be made on Sunday for the week or frozen for a quick lunch or dinner later on.

Ingredients

Italian poultry sausage. You can either purchase ground Italian sausage or poultry links. If you get links, then remove the casing before using the sausage in the recipe.
Onion and cloves of garlic. The starting foundation for this healthy Zuppa Toscana.
Dried basil, oregano, and thyme. This seasoning blend adds the perfect layer of flavor to this soup.
Crushed red pepper flakes. This gives the soup a nice spicy kick.
Russet potatoes. To make a classic Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana soup, you should use russet potatoes. However, you can also use Yukon gold potatoes, also called yellow or butter.
Low-fat milk and chicken broth. Instead of heavy cream or half and half, I decided to use 1% milk with the chicken broth. It adds the perfect amount of creaminess to this soup without the extra saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories.
Chopped kale. To save time, you can purchase bags of cleaned and chopped kale from the produce section. If you buy whole kale leaves, then clean the leaves thoroughly and remove the stem before chopping.

Did you know that you can freeze kale and other greens? That's right, so don't worry about leftovers. Check out this tutorial on how to freeze kale.

Cooking Tips

Leave the skin on the potatoes. I've made it both ways, and both are tasty. Make sure to clean the potatoes thoroughly to remove any dirt or debris.
Use other greens. If you don't want to use kale then baby spinach, Swiss chard, or other greens will work fine as a substitute.
Switch up the potatoes. Classic Zuppa Toscana calls for russet potato recipes, but yellow or Yukon golds are delicious too.
Adjust the spice level. If you like a spicier soup, then add in extra crushed red pepper flakes. You can also control the spice by using either mild or hot Italian poultry sausage. Keep in mind that you might need crushed hot pepper flakes if you're using hot Italian sausage. It depends on how spicy you want the soup.
For extra flavor, add in bacon. Cook 4-6 slices of bacon, remove it from the pan, and set it aside. Crumble it once it cools. Drain most of the bacon grease and then cook the sausage and continue with the rest of the recipe. After the soup cooks, stir in the bacon, saving some to sprinkle on top.
Adjust the consistency of the soup. If the soup seems too thin, then mash up some of the potatoes to thicken it up. On the flip side, if it starts to thicken up as it sits, then you can stir in some chicken broth to loosen it up.
Make it low-carb. You can reduce the carbohydrates in this recipe by swaping in cauliflower florets for potatoes. This change will make it a low-carb keto-friendly Zuppa Toscana Soup recipe.
Bulk up the veggies. You can add celery, carrots, and other vegetables to this soup.

Serving suggestions

This soup is a meal in itself, but if you want some different sides, then try these ideas:

Caesar salad or other green salad.
Roasted broccoli or asparagus.
Crusty Italian bread.

My Favorite Dutch Oven To Use For Soup

5 1/2 Quart Dutch Oven

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Storage Tips

To meal prep for the week.

After the soup cools, place it into an airtight container and refrigerator for up to 4 days. I like to use individual containers to keep portions under control and also so I can quickly heat and eat.

To freeze for later on.

I've frozen this Zuppa Toscana recipe numerous times. I've never had a problem with the dairy separating or curdling. I think this is because it includes more broth than dairy.

After the soup cools, place it into containers leaving an inch from the top for expansion and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. I also love to use Souper Cubes 1-cup portion silicone trays to freeze this and other soup recipes. You can get more tips in my how-to freeze soup tutorial.

overhead view of two bowls of Zuppa Toscana

Olive Garden Zuppa toscana

5 1/2 quart dutch oven or soup pot

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground Italian turkey or poultry sausage or 6 links with casings removed
1 medium onion chopped
6 cloves garlic chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 medium russet potatoes (about 2.5 lbs) skinned, thickly sliced, and quartered
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups 1% milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
3-4 cups chopped kale
grated parmesan cheese optional

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot and cook the italian sausage until no longer pink. As it's cooking use a spoon or spatula to break into small pieces.
Add the onion, garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, and crushed red pepper flakes to the sausage and cook that for 5 minutes or until the onion and garlic start to soften.
Stir in the potatoes, chicken broth, and milk and bring to a boil and then simmer until potatoes are soft – this takes about 15-20 minutes. Give the soup a taste, and then add in the salt.Stir in the kale and cook for another 15 minutes or until the kale is tender. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve hot!
Give the soup a taste, and then add in the salt.
Stir in the kale and cook for another 15 minutes or until the kale is tender.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese (optional) and serve hot!

Serving size: 1 generous cup

Storage Tips

To meal prep for the week. After the soup cools, place it into an airtight container and refrigerator for up to 4 days. I like to use individual containers to keep portions under control and also so I can quickly heat and eat.

To freeze for later on. I've frozen this Zuppa Toscana recipe numerous times. I've never had a problem with the dairy separating or curdling. I think this is because it includes more broth than dairy.

Did you make this recipe?

Have you tried this Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Copycat Recipe? I can't wait to see it! If so, I'd love for you to rate this recipe and leave a comment below. We all learn from each other's experiences. Also, it would be awesome if you could share a picture on Instagram and tag it #organizeyourselfskinny.

Hi, I'm Tammy Overhoff, a busy mom, wife, and entrepreneur. I am the owner, author, and recipe developer here at Organize Yourself Skinny. Since 2011 Organize Yourself Skinny has become a trusted resource for make-ahead meals, reviews, and lifestyle hacks to help you fit healthy habits and routines into your busy schedule. I'm the author of the Organize Yourself Skinny eBook & 30-day Workbook Bundle.