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    Home » Copycat Recipes

    Copycat Zuppa Toscana Soup Recipe

    Updated: Sep 29, 2020 · Published: Nov 6, 2017 · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    Copycat Zuppa Toscana Soup Recipe- In the Slow Cooker!

    Copycat recipes are the bomb.  You know why?

    They make food that is already well-loved come to life in a home kitchen.  That's what I love about this recipe for Crockpot Copycat Zuppa Toscana.

    And my Copycat Breadsticks recipe.

    And... well, you know... the list goes on, so just check out all of our copycat recipes!

    We're adding new copycat recipes all the time, because we know YOU love them.

    zuppa toscana in white bowl sitting on green towel and white plate

    Reasons to LOVE Kale.

    Kale is my new-found love.

    Why, you ask?  Well now... kale has high marks on this long checklist of good for you nutrients: Vitamins A, C and K, antioxidants, fiber, works as an anti-inflammatory, lowers cholesterol, high in iron, helps with digestion, and oh yeah... zero fat.

    Guess what?

    My entire household is in love with kale!

    So... now I need to find new recipes to test out how far I can take their love for this nutritious green leafy vegetable.

    While kale is being touted as the king of vegetables, that alone won't make my kids down a green smoothie any time soon.  I need to start slow.

    Soup Recipe- Zuppa Toscana

    How it all started:  My daughter and I love going out to eat for soup and salad at a certain fabulous restaurant. And pretty much anyone who has been there has tasted their amazing Zuppa Toscana.

    It's the best.

    Soup and Zuppa.  That's my standing lunch order when we venture out for lunch.

    And a few bites of my daughter's Fettuccine Alfredo, because it's always nice to share, right?

    Pair it up with Copycat Breadsticks, and your meal is absolutely GOLDEN. Breadsticks are the absolute bomb!

    zuppa toscana in white bowl sitting on green towel and white plate

    Copycat Zuppa Toscana in the Slow Cooker

    I have seen several Zuppa Toscana recipes floating around and wanted to come up with a version that would work in or out of a slow cooker.  I even make a second version of Zuppa Toscana.

    My second version has red pepper and a little less kale, as well as being cooked on the stove top.

    I don't know about you, but I rely on my programmable slow cooker at least one night a week when the kids have activities and I'm running them between this and that.

    Make Kitchen Slow Cooker Cleanup EASY with Slow Cooker Liners

    What makes it even better on busy weeknights is how easy cleanup is. I use slow cooker liners whenever possible to make it even easier to use my slow cooker each day of the week.

    You can buy slow cooker liners here in bulk, which is what I do because then they are readily available and I always know that I have them on hand when I'm planning my weekly lineup of slow cooker meals.

    Having dinner ready and waiting in the crockpot when we get home is something to relish.  No need for takeout, and with this Copycat Zuppa Toscana recipe, I have found a crockpot success that my whole family is happy to come home to.

    We eat a lot of soup in our house... its easy, tasty and comforting.  And this soup is a winner all around. It's a bowl full of yum.  Yeah, and my son actually ate leftovers for breakfast.  But hey... he ate breakfast, and not just a few bites.  That's a win.

    zuppa toscana in white bowl sitting on green towel and white plate

    Zuppa Toscana Recipe 5 Stars

    If I were to rate the Zuppa Toscana Recipe- 5 Stars, hands down--any day of the week.  That's how much I love this soup recipe.

    Now, just so you know: my version of Zuppa Toscana is loaded with kale.

    I doubt wholeheartedly that the restaurant puts as much kale in their Zuppa.  I know I have never seen as much green in their version.

    So if you want a true copycat version instead of my souped up kale {nutrients, nutrients, nutrients} version... go ahead and reduce the kale by half, and make my 2nd version of Copycat Zuppa Toscana.

    Looking for a different spin on this soup?

    Try our Meat & Potato Parsley Soup.  We use parsley to flavor the soup and to add some green, and leave out the kale... the result is a completely new and refreshing recipe that adds another day of comfort to your meal plan.

    And it's SO, SO good!

    zuppa toscana soup in white bowl

    Cook it up and ENJOY!

    I enjoy soup all year long, but when it starts cooling off outside, I'm all about making soup for dinner.

    One of the things I look forward to most about making soup--besides that it tastes SO good and is so comforting--is that it works great for leftovers.

    Leftovers in my household have always been a big deal. Since I work from home, my breakfast or lunch typically consists of leftovers.

    Give me a heated up bowl of soup or leftover Chili Mac--seriously for breakfast or lunch--and I'm ready to go for the day.

    I'm making breakfast more these days because my kids have actually been sitting down to eat breakfast before school lately. Which means they are getting up earlier and getting ready faster.

    Small miracles!

    Soup Recipes You'll Want to Try

    Soup is the essential food type to make during the colder seasons of fall and winter, and even early spring--especially in colder climates.

    We live in Wisconsin, and typically it will be cold here from October through April, so a good 6-7 months out of the year.

    That means that I'm making soup (on and off) for half the year!

    You better believe I've come up with some delicious soup and chili recipes that I make over and over again throughout the year.

    Some of our household favorite soup recipes (not to mention reader favorites) are:

    Poor Man's Soup- a beef and vegetable based affordable soup that is SO tasty.

    White Beans and Ham- this soupy beans and ham recipe will fill your belly, warm your soul and keep money in your pocketbook!

    Meat and Parsley Soup- this meaty soup is flavored with beef and parsley and exudes a unique flavor that has become a family favorite.

    Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili- white chicken chili is a flavorful and delicious chili that also makes a GREAT way to use up leftover meat. If you have leftover turkey, this is the perfect recipe to use it up in.

    Game Day Chili- we are huge chili lovers around here. I get the 'can you make chili' request from one of my kids at least every other week if not every week. Our game day chili is a classic, easy recipe that can be tossed in the slow cooker and enjoyed at mealtime.

    Weight Watchers Taco Soup- easy, easy soup! If you can open cans and brown meat, you can make this soup. It's also a low calorie soup that is full of taco flavor and quickly warms the body.

    Why Cooking with Kale Will Benefit You

    Now that you're ready to cook up some yummy Zuppa Toscana, and also have a few other soup recipes tucked away to make later in the season, lets briefly talk about why kale is such a beneficial ingredient.

    Kale is a superfood.

    Eating kale has been shown to reduce cholesterol, reduce risk of cancer, and even to help detoxify the body.

    I don't know about you...but anything I can eat that is going to result in a healthier lifestyle and a healthier body...it's all a good thing!

    Copycat Zuppa Toscana

    Copycat Zuppa Toscana Soup Recipe

    All She Cooks
    Copycat Zuppa Toscana Recipe -5 Stars easily. Best comfort food soup recipe ever. This soup recipe Zuppa Toscana is a delicious kale soup recipe.
    4.7 from 15 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 6 hrs
    Total Time 6 hrs 20 mins
    Course Soup
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4
    Calories 1230 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • ½ Pound bacon chopped
    • 1 Pound Hot Italian sausage
    • ½ cup onion chopped
    • 2 Garlic cloves pressed, crushed or finely chopped
    • 3 Medium or 2 large russet potatoes, sliced
    • 4 Cups chicken stock I use homemade stock, you could also use broth
    • 2 Cups water
    • 3-4 Cups chopped kale
    • 1 Cup heavy cream
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Brown bacon and sausage over medium high heat. While cooking, break up into small pieces. Add onion and garlic once meat is mostly cooked, and allow flavors to blend.
    • Add meat mixture to crockpot once cooked.
    • Add potatoes, chicken stock and water to slow cooker.
    • Let cook on low for 3-4 hours.
    • Add chopped kale, heavy cream, salt and pepper. Let cook an additional 1-2 hours and then turn down to warm to serve.

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 1230kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 26gFat: 117gSaturated Fat: 49gCholesterol: 229mgSodium: 1306mgPotassium: 859mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 5895IUVitamin C: 65mgCalcium: 153mgIron: 3mg
    Keyword how to make copycat Zuppa Toscana Soup
    Grab your Free Meal Planner!Use our free printable meal planner to plan your meals, keep your grocery list, and more.

    More Copycat Recipes

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    • Moons Over My Hammy (Denny's Copycat Recipe)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Karen

      April 09, 2013 at 3:45 pm

      I have never actually had Kale - does it have a taste similiar to any other veggie out there that I could compare it to - to no if I might like it?

      Reply
    2. Ms. Lee

      April 16, 2013 at 8:45 am

      I absolutely love kale and this sound delicious, can't wait to try it. I wonder if there's anyway to substitute something for the heavy cream though...

      Reply
      • Talina

        January 09, 2014 at 1:48 pm

        Our family has a lot of dairy sensitivities and we always just use soy or almond milk in place of the cream. My mom likes to use vanilla soy milk (sweeter flavor, more similar to cream) and I tend to just use unsweetened almond milk, because it is what I have on hand. We've never noticed a big taste change and it is still a family favorite, even with my milk-loving, picky husband 🙂

        Reply
        • Jessica McCoy

          January 09, 2014 at 2:55 pm

          Talina- That sounds like a great alternative! And your husband sounds like mine... I don't think I could get him away from milk and have to pry my son's whole milk away from my hubs. 😉

          Reply
    3. Linda

      April 17, 2013 at 11:08 am

      This looks delicious! I am yet to try anything with kale 🙂 thank you for sharing at our ALL MY BLOGGY FRIENDS party !

      Reply
      • Jessica

        April 17, 2013 at 12:32 pm

        Thanks Linda! You totally have to try kale. I just made a veggie lasagna with kale- yummy!

        Reply
    4. Paula

      April 27, 2013 at 10:40 am

      Thanks for joining us at Saturday Dishes, Pinned to Saturday Dishes board ~ Paula

      Reply
      • Jessica

        April 27, 2013 at 5:43 pm

        Thanks Paula!! You rock. 😉

        Reply
    5. Lori Who Needs A Cape?

      May 01, 2013 at 1:22 pm

      I'll definitely be trying! 🙂

      Lori
      Whoneedsacape.com
      Not Your Average Super Moms!

      Reply
    6. Ryan

      June 17, 2013 at 9:32 am

      5 stars
      WOW! This recipe is on the MONEY! I prefer the extra kale, as I am always wondering "why don't they put more green stuff in here?" I had some chicken stock from a bird I slow-cooked weeks back. Everything worked well. I placed the pot on HIGH heat for the last 1-2 hours just to tender up the kale.

      My only suggestion is to pair it with fresh-bkaed Ciabatta bread; slightly toasted!

      Cant wait for more.

      Reply
      • Jessica

        June 17, 2013 at 9:03 pm

        Thanks Ryan. Paring with Ciabatta bread sounds fab!

        Reply
    7. Dave

      July 27, 2013 at 3:48 pm

      5 stars
      I have to give many thanks for this recipe.
      I have always loved Olive Garden's Zuppa.
      My amazing wife found this and the entire family loves it!
      Well, my kids are allergic to all dairy, so they have it without the heavy cream - and it's still awesome.
      Thank you, thank you, thank you 😉

      - One happy guy named Dave

      Reply
    8. Barbie

      September 15, 2013 at 8:41 pm

      I'm making it right now and it smells so good it's driving me crazy cause I have another 3 hours to go before its done.

      Reply
      • Jessica

        September 15, 2013 at 9:11 pm

        Barbie- I'm hoping you're not in the same time zone as me or you're going to be having dinner late tonight! But... you're making me want to cook this again soon. One of our favorite soup meals.

        Reply
    9. Morningstar

      September 16, 2013 at 10:46 pm

      I bought Kale with the intention of making this soup, however it's taken me a week to get around to making it 🙁 My Kale is wilted, do you think it would still be fine in the soup?

      Reply
      • Morningstar

        September 18, 2013 at 9:08 pm

        I was most concerned with it being bitter, but it was just fine (only some of the leaves in the bunch were wilted). Turned out amazing, thanks so much for the recipe! We are dairy free so I substituted almond/cashew "cream" and you couldn't tell the difference! Also added tsp. fennel. I used to work at Olive Garden years ago and I would have to say your recipe is spot on!

        Reply
    10. Anh

      October 17, 2013 at 7:45 pm

      Do I have to cook the sausage and the bacon? can I just dump everything in the crockpot and let it cook that way? as you can see, I am extremely lazy =)

      Reply
      • Jessica McCoy

        October 17, 2013 at 7:47 pm

        Ha! 🙂 I have my lazy days too and I SO wish it were that easy. Yes, you'll need to brown the sausage and the bacon prior to putting them in the crockpot. But it's SO worth it. 😉

        Reply
    11. katy

      October 18, 2013 at 11:18 am

      5 stars
      I'm veryyyy excited to make this tonight! Thank you!

      Reply
    12. Natalie

      October 21, 2013 at 11:17 am

      5 stars
      I just made this last night and it was fantastic! Just like the restaurant version! It was so good that I had two huge bowls. Afterward, I felt a bit queasy because I'm not used to having so much creamy wonderfulness in my diet. Since I'll never be able to eat just one bowl of this soup, I'm going to try to cut the cream amount in half to see if that helps to allow me to continue to be a soup glutton.
      Thanks again for a fantastic recipe! I'm going to check out your other recipes now!

      Reply
      • Jessica McCoy

        October 21, 2013 at 9:09 pm

        I'm so glad it was such a big hit! I've made it with milk before instead of heavy cream, and it was nearly the same... just not quite as rich.

        Reply
    13. Me Be

      October 22, 2013 at 11:37 am

      Hi, I am wondering is there a place I can find the nutritional value on this recipe?

      Reply
      • Jessica McCoy

        October 23, 2013 at 8:39 am

        Hi there! Sorry, I'm not currently using a recipe plugin that analyzes nutritional value. I am considering changing to one.

        Reply
    14. Roberta Skrypak

      November 17, 2013 at 5:25 pm

      I made this today and it is fantastic! I just love the fact that kale is the green portion of it. I made so much , I was just wondering if it would freeze well? I would love it this coming week end for visiting family. Thanks for this great recipe!

      Reply
      • Jessica McCoy

        November 18, 2013 at 1:15 pm

        Hi Roberta- This wouldn't be my first pick of recipes to freeze with all the dairy in it, and then the cooked kale also. I think it would be much better fresh. Luckily it doesn't take long to prepare!

        Reply
    15. Charity

      December 01, 2013 at 8:09 pm

      Your recipe calls for hot sausage. Is it spicy? My kids will not eat spicy foods, but I really want to try this.

      Reply
      • Jessica McCoy

        December 02, 2013 at 8:41 am

        I used hot sausage, but you don't have too. The soup is not really spicy when using hot sausage, but I guess it might be to some people. Maybe use 1/2 hot sausage and 1/2 regular to see how your kids do for that.

        Reply
    16. Katie G

      December 21, 2013 at 7:07 pm

      I can't wait to make this Xmas eve. I'm hosting 16 people though, so want to double the recipe. How much additional cooking time do you think I'll need?? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Jessica McCoy

        December 22, 2013 at 10:25 am

        I'm not sure if it would fit in a crockpot to double it... you might need to use two. 😉 As far as additional cooking time, if you have a large enough crockpot to cook it all together, I don't think it would require much if any extra cooking time.

        Reply
    17. Barb

      January 03, 2014 at 2:20 pm

      Have you tried making this with got Italian turkey sausage? Just curious if it would be as good, looking to take out some of the fat! Thanks 🙂

      Reply
      • Jessica McCoy

        January 03, 2014 at 9:57 pm

        I have not tried it with Italian turkey sausage. I think it would taste great but not sure if the meat would have the same consistency... however, with it being in a soup it probably wouldn't make a big difference!

        Reply
    18. Brandy Nelson

      January 31, 2014 at 12:06 am

      This looks absolutely fabulous! I always order this, and now I must try making it at home. This would be amazing in a bread bowl with a nice salad on the side!

      Reply
    19. Erin

      March 01, 2014 at 10:08 pm

      This looks absolutely delicious! Thanks! I think I have something on the menu for next week! Pinning!

      Reply
    20. Cathy

      March 02, 2014 at 7:24 pm

      Thanks for sharing at the Happiness Is Homemade Link Party! Pinning to the party board and can't wait to see what happiness posts you share next week! Have a terrific week!
      Cathy
      APeekIntoMyParadise.com

      Reply
    21. Cathy

      March 05, 2014 at 4:55 pm

      Thank you for linking up at Tasty Tuesdays! Your post has been pinned to my Recipes from Tasty Tuesday board. I can't wait to see what you link up next week!
      Have a terrific weekend!
      Cathy
      APeekIntoMyParadise.com
      #TastyTuesdays

      Reply
    22. Kyle

      March 07, 2014 at 8:44 pm

      Made the soup and it was absolutely delicious!

      Reply
    23. Viv

      March 10, 2014 at 12:03 am

      Love soup! This looks absolutely delicious and easy to make. Can't wait to try the recipe.

      Reply
    24. Marie Benici

      March 13, 2014 at 3:56 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe is AMAZING! The Zuppa Toscana is my fave soup at the OG but there isn't one close to where we live. I didn't have italian sausage so substituted ground turkey and put tons of red pepper flakes and dried oregano. SO GOOD! Almost exactly like the one from the restaurants. Now I don't have to drive halfway across the state to get my fave soup. I'm so glad I found your blog!!!! Ciao!

      Reply
      • Jessica McCoy

        March 14, 2014 at 12:33 pm

        Thanks so much Marie! I'm glad you liked it and love your spin on ground turkey, red pepper flakes and dried oregano. Clever!

        Reply
    25. Pam

      December 16, 2014 at 8:36 am

      I have never bought kale. Do you just buy it fresh and chop it up? Does it come chopped in stores? Broth is ok to use, right?

      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Jessica McCoy

        December 16, 2014 at 12:19 pm

        Yes, you buy it fresh. It does come chopped up at some stores. Broth or stock- either is good. 😉 Enjoy!

        Reply
    26. Brenda

      January 09, 2015 at 1:35 pm

      4 stars
      I am curious, what size crockpot did you use to make this in? I have a fairly large one, and I am wanting to make sure it won't be too big to cook these times?

      Reply
    27. Joy @ Joy Love Food

      February 14, 2015 at 5:25 pm

      Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing at What'd You Do This Weekend? I hope you will join us again this Monday morning 🙂

      Reply
    28. dolly B

      February 16, 2017 at 3:47 pm

      can I use broccoli instead of kale

      Reply
      • Jessica McCoy

        February 21, 2017 at 8:11 am

        You could. I've never made it like that so I'm not sure of the taste, but let me know how you like it!

        Reply
    29. Susan R

      May 13, 2017 at 6:59 pm

      Never seen bacon in Zuppa Toscana Soup....I don't use it. The Italian sausage is what makes this soup! You should remove the sausage and drain it.
      I use fresh spinach in mine and also regular Italian sausage, not hot. Add 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Gives it great flavor. Sometimes the kale can be tough. Don't make it in a slow cooker either. Seems like it would make your potatoes too soft and cook up too much. Spinach is the last thing I add. My version.....try It! THANKS

      Reply
    30. Gina Droege

      September 13, 2017 at 11:10 am

      Can you use chunks of cauliflower instead of potato?

      Reply
      • Jessica McCoy

        September 14, 2017 at 2:45 pm

        I've never tried it, but that would be interesting!

        Reply

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