This Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana is a delicious Olive Garden copycat recipe made with savory Italian sausage, tender potatoes, fresh kale, crispy bacon, and a rich, creamy broth. Using the Instant Pot makes this comforting soup quick and easy to prepare, so you can enjoy all the flavors of the restaurant favorite right at home in less time. 🥣🥔🥓
This is one of my favorite soups to make as soon as the weather starts to cool down. I love that the Instant Pot does most of the work, and the creamy broth, savory sausage, and tender potatoes make every bowl feel like comfort food.
What I love About This Recipe
- It tastes just like Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana, but I can make it at home anytime.
- The Instant Pot makes it quick and easy without sacrificing flavor. The combination of Italian sausage, potatoes, kale, and crispy bacon makes every bowl hearty and satisfying.
- It’s one of my favorite soups to make for cozy fall and winter dinners.
- It tastes even better with warm breadsticks or crusty bread for dipping. 🥣🥔🥓
Ingredient Notes
- Italian Sausage: I like using hot Italian sausage for the classic Olive Garden flavor, but mild Italian sausage works just as well if you prefer less heat.
- Potatoes: Russet potatoes become nice and tender while they cook, but Yukon Gold potatoes are another great option because they hold their shape well.
- Kale: Fresh kale is traditional in Zuppa Toscana. Remove the tough stems and roughly chop the leaves before adding them to the soup.
- Chicken Broth: I usually use Better Than Bouillon mixed with water, but your favorite low-sodium chicken broth works just as well.
- Heavy Cream or Milk: Heavy cream makes the soup extra rich and creamy, while whole milk is a lighter option that still tastes delicious.
- Bacon: I cook the bacon until it’s crispy, then sprinkle it on top just before serving for the best texture.
- Onion and Garlic: These create the flavorful base of the soup and add plenty of savory flavor.
- Olive Oil: A little olive oil helps cook the onion and garlic before adding the remaining ingredients.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
How To Make Zuppa Toscana in the Instant Pot
- Turn the Instant Pot to the Sauté setting and add the olive oil.
- Add the onion, garlic, and Italian sausage, then cook until the sausage is browned and crumbled.
- Add the diced potatoes and chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits. This helps prevent the Burn notice.
- Secure the lid and set the valve to Sealing.
- Cook on High Pressure (Manual) for 10 minutes.
- Carefully perform a quick release.
- Turn the Instant Pot back to the Sauté setting.
- Stir in the chopped kale and cook for 2–3 minutes, or until the kale has wilted.
- Stir in the milk or heavy cream until well combined.
- Do not let the soup boil after adding the dairy.
- Stir in the chopped cooked bacon or sprinkle it over each bowl just before serving.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
Tips I Found Helpful
- I always brown the sausage well before pressure cooking because it adds so much flavor to the broth.
- I scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot after adding the broth to prevent the Burn warning.
- I stir the kale in after pressure cooking and let it wilt for a few minutes. It stays bright green and has a much better texture than pressure cooking it.
- I prefer using heavy cream because it gives the soup the rich, creamy texture that’s closest to Olive Garden’s version.
- I cook the bacon until it’s nice and crispy, then sprinkle it on top just before serving so it doesn’t lose its crunch.
- If I have leftovers, I add a splash of chicken broth when reheating since the potatoes naturally soak up some of the broth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our Favorite
DISHES TO SERVE WITH ZUPPA TOSCANA
Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana
This Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden Copycat) is a rich and creamy soup made with Italian sausage, tender potatoes, fresh kale, crispy bacon, and a flavorful broth. It's an easy copycat recipe that brings all the comforting flavors of the Olive Garden favorite to your table in less time using the Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 1 small chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 cups chopped kale
- 2 cups diced potatoes
- 32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 pound hot Italian sausage
- 6 slices cooked bacon
- 1 cup milk or cream
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to the Sauté setting and add the olive oil.
- Add the onion, garlic, and Italian sausage, then cook until the sausage is browned and crumbled.
- Add the diced potatoes and chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits. This helps prevent the Burn notice.
- Secure the lid and set the valve to Sealing.
- Cook on High Pressure (Manual) for 10 minutes.
- Carefully perform a quick release.
- Turn the Instant Pot back to the Sauté setting.
- Stir in the chopped kale and cook for 2–3 minutes, or until the kale has wilted.
- Stir in the milk or heavy cream until well combined.
- Do not let the soup boil after adding the dairy.
- Stir in the chopped cooked bacon or sprinkle it over each bowl just before serving.
Notes
For the best flavor, brown the Italian sausage well before pressure cooking. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot after adding the broth to help prevent the Burn notice. I like to stir the kale in after pressure cooking and let it wilt for a few minutes to keep its bright color and fresh texture. Use heavy cream for the richest, creamiest soup, and don't let it boil after adding the dairy. Top each bowl with crispy bacon just before serving for the best texture, and serve with warm breadsticks or crusty bread for a cozy meal. 🥣🥔🥓💚
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1 Amounts Per Serving: Calories: 279Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 502mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 15gMore Soup Recipes
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This was super yummy! I’m avoiding dairy so I skipped the milk and just added a little more broth and potatoes, then partially blended it at the end for a creamy texture. The whole family loved it – even the kale haters!
This was the first thing I cooked in my instant pot! I saw so many great reviews on Facebook IPot pages that I had to try it myself. It was a hit with the whole family! Thank you so much for sharing this.
How many servings did you get? I didn’t see anything that told me the amount of servings?
Recipe says 6 servings.
@Nina Irwin, on my computer, it says 10 servings
I wait and stir in the kale just before the milk and cream. It just needs to wilt, not cook.
Agreed!i was thinking the same thing
Me too! Just add kale at the very end to wilt it.
If you are using fresh potatoes, not frozen, how long would you cook it for? I would think that 15 minutes would be too long for diced fresh potatoes.
@Dawn, I have the same question. I want to use fresh and am new to using an InstantPot. Did you ever figure this out? I don’t see a response….
Yes you can use fresn
We made this last night and LOVED it! So easy to prepare and so delicious! Thanks for the recipe, we will definitely be making it again.
I made this today, and am now enjoying my first bowl — scrumptious! I have rheumatoid arthritis and cannot stand for very long; so, I used Italian sausage links, cut into 3/4-inch chunks, which seems to require somewhat less tending to. I will try frozen cubed potatoes next time, but the fresh potatoes came out just fine for the suggested 15-minute cook time.
I made this today and marveled at how it turned out. It was so good it would make a jackrabbit kiss a hound dog! Thank you so much for the recipe.
Top comment of the day you cracked me up!
Made it today, delicious! Thank you for the recipe. I think we all add our little tweaks to the recipe, which makes it more fun! Mine was delicious!
I add white cannelloni beans – delish and adds protein and fiber 🙂
How many servings?
Recipe says 6.
This was fantastic! I doubled the recipe in my 6qt Duo and it still worked great! I think 10 minutes is long enough if your broth is already hot. That way your potatoes hold up better. I added New Mexico green chiles and used hot Italian sausage. Talk about amazing!
So delicious! My husband was recently diagnosed with diabetes so I cut out the potatoes, but still amazing!! Thanks!
Could I substitute the sausage for hamburgers. I don’t like Italian sausage.
I just use regular sausage not Italian, as it’s too spicy for my young kids. Hamburger is less flavorful than sausage so you may have to add spices if you use it.
Made this tonight for dinner. It was so good. It will be one of my go to recipes. Thank you for this recipe.
This was very good! A few things we did: 1) use sweet Italian sausage instead of hot because we wanted our daughter to be able to eat it, 2) used fresh diced potatoes (they were very soft, but still mostly held their shape after 15 minutes), 3) used Canadian bacon because I realized last minute I didn’t have any “normal” bacon, 4) added kale to wilt right before milk, 5) used 1% milk. It came together very quickly, and was SO flavorful!
The only thing I’ll probably change for next time is to experiment with increasing potatoes, broth, kale, and bacon by half (so, 3 cups potatoes, kale, 8 pieces bacon, 48oz broth). The reason is we really only got 2 dinner-size portions and 2 lunch-size portions out of this (and we’re not crazy huge eaters). I know I could just double it, but I feel like the recipe could hold up to increasing those ingredients and staying with 1lb of sausage, and we could get at least 2 solid dinners and a lunch out of it. I’ll see how it goes — it was so tasty, I’m sure it’ll be delicious even with those adjustments! Thanks! 🙂
Although I have never had The Olive Gardens Zuppa, this was easy to make and very good. I will have to try some of your other copy cats.
The Zuppa soup was really yummy! My only issue was the milk/cream seemed to separate once I added it to the pot (after cooking). It still tasted great but wasn’t so visually appealing 🙂 Any tips or suggestions?
Absolutely delicious!
Did you copy Olive Garden or Pressure Luck? Slightly different from the recipe on Pressure Luck, but causes me to wonder about the origin of what you posted and how you can claim authorship (especially when you read the comments on PL’s post).
Well since I made this recipe 2 years ago and Jeffery 2 weeks ago…..
Recipes are ALL taken from some base, and EVERYONE, including myself makes their own adjustments. Recipes for the most part cannot be copyrighted. 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️
Well seeing as my recipe came before pressure luck Jeffery is a friend of mine I actually encouraged him to start a blog for his recipes!!!
Looking forward to trying this. My question is after I do the quick release, the directions say to place pot back on sauté and then stir in cram and add bacon.
So do I turn the sautés mode back on? If so, for how long? Just enough when adding the other ingredients or for a set time?
Just want to get this right. 🙂
Just for a couple minutes and to mix in the cream
Omg this turned out amazing and so easy to make! I ran out of cream so I used sour cream. Came out great.
Wow! It really does taste just like what you get at Olive Garden. I usually don’t write reviews because I tweek recipes too much and it is not a true review on the recipe. This time, I did tweek some but believe I stayed with the heart of the recipe. I used Turkey Hot Italian Sausage, to be a little healthier. When I put the two cups of the frozen hash browns, I was afraid it would not be enough, so I added another cup. I used Half and Half also. My husband and I both enjoyed it so much. I am eating leftovers as I write this. A definite keeper. Thanks!
This soup is so delicious! It is better than Olive Garden’s. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you for sharing this recipe. 💜
Can I use spinach instead of kale?
Just curious…….why does this have bacon in it? I’ve been eating the Zuppa Toscana soup for years at Olive Garden and I’ve never tasted or found any bacon in it! Maybe it’s a regional thing, but the soup I’ve eaten there definitely had no bacon.
Do you add the bacon on top of each bowl of soup or do you just add it to the whole pot of soup?
Riga tasted wonderful! And so easy! Definitely will be one of my go to recipes.
This tasted wonderful! And so easy! Definitely will be one of my go to recipes.
Tastes like the restaurant soup! So yummy! Kale melts in your mouth. My 4 and 5 year old devoured it.
HELP
I hate anything with fennel seed, like Italian sausage. What would be a good substitute. Regular breakfast sausage?
Great recipe. The only thing I would change is that I would not put the kale in until after pressure cooking for 10 minutes as it came out a little overcooked. It still tasted great, but the canned-spinach color lessened the eye appeal, IMO. I prefer the kale to retain that “healthy” dark green color as much as possible and to be a bit more Al dente. I would either steam it separately, or maybe put it in the IP afterwards and let it saute a bit longer.
Would you add any extra pressure cook time if doubling?
Nope 🙂
Do you think doubling the recipe will fit in a 8qt IP?
Yes
Made this and substituted pork sausage with hot Italian turkey sausage. Also left out the cream but cooked a head of cauliflower on top of the soup with a cup of extra broth, then pureed the cauliflower in a blender and mixed it back into the soup. Trying to stay a little healthier. Original recipe was very good though. Tried that one first except for cooking the kale. I add that at the end and just set the lid on the pot and let it cook for a few minutes
I made this tonight with no alterations and it was delicious! My wife has had the soup before and I hadn’t – wasn’t sure I was going to like it, but I do! This will be in the soup rotation now!