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.
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!
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 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!
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 Soup Recipe
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.
Karen
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?
Ms. Lee
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...
Talina
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 🙂
Jessica McCoy
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. 😉
Linda
This looks delicious! I am yet to try anything with kale 🙂 thank you for sharing at our ALL MY BLOGGY FRIENDS party !
Jessica
Thanks Linda! You totally have to try kale. I just made a veggie lasagna with kale- yummy!
Paula
Thanks for joining us at Saturday Dishes, Pinned to Saturday Dishes board ~ Paula
Jessica
Thanks Paula!! You rock. 😉
Lori Who Needs A Cape?
I'll definitely be trying! 🙂
Lori
Whoneedsacape.com
Not Your Average Super Moms!
Ryan
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.
Jessica
Thanks Ryan. Paring with Ciabatta bread sounds fab!
Dave
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
Barbie
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.
Jessica
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.
Morningstar
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?
Morningstar
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!
Anh
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 =)
Jessica McCoy
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. 😉
katy
I'm veryyyy excited to make this tonight! Thank you!
Natalie
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!
Jessica McCoy
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.
Me Be
Hi, I am wondering is there a place I can find the nutritional value on this recipe?
Jessica McCoy
Hi there! Sorry, I'm not currently using a recipe plugin that analyzes nutritional value. I am considering changing to one.
Roberta Skrypak
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!
Jessica McCoy
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!
Charity
Your recipe calls for hot sausage. Is it spicy? My kids will not eat spicy foods, but I really want to try this.
Jessica McCoy
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.
Katie G
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!
Jessica McCoy
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.
Barb
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 🙂
Jessica McCoy
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!
Brandy Nelson
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!
Erin
This looks absolutely delicious! Thanks! I think I have something on the menu for next week! Pinning!
Cathy
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
Cathy
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
Kyle
Made the soup and it was absolutely delicious!
Viv
Love soup! This looks absolutely delicious and easy to make. Can't wait to try the recipe.
Marie Benici
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!
Jessica McCoy
Thanks so much Marie! I'm glad you liked it and love your spin on ground turkey, red pepper flakes and dried oregano. Clever!
Pam
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!
Jessica McCoy
Yes, you buy it fresh. It does come chopped up at some stores. Broth or stock- either is good. 😉 Enjoy!
Brenda
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?
Joy @ Joy Love Food
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing at What'd You Do This Weekend? I hope you will join us again this Monday morning 🙂
dolly B
can I use broccoli instead of kale
Jessica McCoy
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!
Susan R
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
Gina Droege
Can you use chunks of cauliflower instead of potato?
Jessica McCoy
I've never tried it, but that would be interesting!