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Bowl of zuppa toscana soup with bread and parmesan cheese on the side.

Zuppa Toscana Soup (Olive Garden Copycat)

Olive garden copy cat of an incredible soup! This can be made on the stove or in the crockpot. Browned sausage and bacon all in one soup, need I say more?
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 5
Course: Dinner
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb ground italian sausage
  • 1 16 oz package of bacon cooked
  • 5 cups yellow/golden potatoes diced
  • 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tbsp chicken bouillon from the jar
  • 5-6 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp italian seasoning
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • 6 cups spinach or kale
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • dash of red pepper flakes optional
  • parmesan cheese for topping
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • bread for serving

Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker

Method
 

Stove Top Version
  1. Start by cooking your bacon using your preferred method. I cook mine in the oven I find this easiest.
  2. Next in a large cast iron pot brown your sausage over medium heat. This should take 6-7 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside. Keep the grease in the pot.
  3. In the same pot add in diced onions and sweat them for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Then add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
  4. Now to the pot add in the potatoes, water, broth, and bouillon to the pot and bring to a boil. Add in the spices and season with salt and pepper and stir well. Cook for around 10 minutes until the potatoes are tender. I dice the potatoes into about 1 inch cubes so they don't take too long to cook. Cook for a few more minutes if your potatoes aren't done yet.
  5. Next, stir in the spinach, heavy cream and browned sausage. Simmer for another 5 minutes until the spinach is wilted. I believe Olive Garden uses kale, but my husband is not a fan so we opt for spinach, but feel free to use kale here!
  6. Serve with tons of parmesan cheese and crumbled bacon. Eat with crusty bread and enjoy!
Crockpot Version
  1. Start by cooking your bacon using your preferred method. I cook mine in the oven I find this easiest.
  2. In a skillet over medium heat brown the sausage. This should take about 6-7 minutes. Remove the sausage using a slotted spoon and set into the crockpot. Keep the grease in the pan.
  3. In the same skillet add in onions. Sweat the onions for a 2-3 minutes. Just enough to let the onions soak up that sausage flavor and get any bits that were stuck to the pan.
  4. Now time to add everything into the crockpot. Add the potatoes, sautéd onions, minced garlic, chicken broth, water, chicken bouillon, and seasonings.I added half of the bacon in at this point for flavor, but feel free to leave it all for topping. Set the crockpot on low and cook for 5-6 hours.
  5. 20 minutes before serving add in the spinach and heavy cream. I believe Olive Garden uses kale, but my husband is not a fan so we opt for spinach, but feel free to use kale here!
  6. Time to serve! Serve with parmesan cheese, crumbled bacon, and crusty bread. Enjoy!