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January 27, 2014

Easy Slow Cooker Recipe for Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden Copy Cat)

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An easy slow cooker recipe for the Olive Garden favorite–Zuppa Toscana.
It tastes better than the restaurant and is really fast and easy to make.
Easy Slow Cooker Recipe for Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden Copy Cat).  This is better than Olive Garden!  It is creamy, flavorful and best of all soooo easy to make.  A new family favorite! #olivegarden #soup #copycat #slowcookerrecipe #crockpotrecipe

Don’t you just love soup in the winter?  It is one of the few redeeming things about winter, in my opinion.  Because at this point I think we can all agree winter isn’t just that magical anymore!  The snow in my backyard is crusty, my car is beyond dirty and my pasty skin could use a little sun ๐Ÿ™‚  But back to soup…it’s awesome.  I especially love making it in the slow cooker to let it simmer all day and bring wonderful smells into my kitchen.


This soup is a copy cat of the Olive Garden favorite.  But I really believe this soup was better than the restaurant!  It has tons of flavor from the sausage and bacon and I love the slight crispness from the kale. My kids and husband and I had this downed in just a few minutes the other day.  If you’re serving a crowd, make sure to double it!!

Easy Slow Cooker Recipe for Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden Copy Cat).  This is better than Olive Garden!  It is creamy, flavorful and best of all soooo easy to make.  A new family favorite! #olivegarden #soup #copycat #slowcookerrecipe #crockpotrecipe



Easy Slow Cooker Recipe for Zuppa Toscana


Makes 4-6 servings
Ideal slow cooker size:  4-5 quart
Cooking time:  6 hours on low, 3 hours on high

1 lb ground Italian sausage (I used mild)
4 cups chicken broth (or if you’re in a pinch use 4 cups of water with 4 tsp of chicken bouillon)
1 cup water
1/4 cup diced onion
3 large russet potatoes, cubed (I left the skins on mine and it tasted great, but peel if you prefer)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup real bacon bits, plus more for topping (I just use the packaged bacon bits for convenience, but if you want to fry up some bacon and crumble it that would be awesome)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 bunch of Kale
Parmesan cheese, for topping


1.  In a pan, over medium high heat brown the ground sausage until well done.  Drain off all grease and place sausage in a colander.  Rinse the sausage with very hot water to get as much grease off as possible.  Add the rinsed sausage to the slow cooker.
2.  Add broth, water, onion, potatoes and garlic to the slow cooker.
3.  Cover and cook on LOW for about 6 hours, or until potatoes are tender.  You can also cook on HIGH for about 3-4 hours.
4.  Stir in 1/3 cup bacon bits.  Warm the cream and then add it to the slow cooker (to prevent curdling make sure it’s warm).
5.  Cut up kale into coarse pieces* (I liked my pieces kind of large and chunky but if you like them more indiscernible cut them small) and add to the slow cooker.
6.  Ladle into serving bowls and top with extra bacon bits and Parmesan cheese.

*I lay a piece of kale on a cutting board and then cut off the leaf portion and discard the rib and stem.  It’s kind of time consuming but the stem is bitter and tough…you won’t want to eat it.

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35 Comments Filed Under: All Recipes, Sausage, Soups, Slow Cooker Tagged With: 2-4 hours, bacon, copy cat recipe, 5 stars, All Posts

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Comments

  1. Michael Obermeyer says

    September 7, 2020 at 1:22 pm

    Suggestions on how to make this instant pot vs slow cooker?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 8, 2020 at 8:30 pm

      I would do this one. It is similar but tastes even better: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/instant-pot-parmesan-sausage-kale-soup/

      Reply
  2. Carol says

    August 23, 2020 at 5:04 pm

    Everybody that wants to substitute? Make a different soup! Lol

    Reply
  3. Denise says

    January 10, 2017 at 11:20 am

    Making today. Only thing im doing different is im using about 1lb Baby Red Potatoes skin on / sliced. Servings with Garlic Bread Sticks. Hubby & Daughter left the house this Morning looking forward to Dinner this Evening. Perfect Meal on a Chilly Wisconsin Winter day โ„

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 10, 2017 at 11:38 am

      yum that sounds good. What recipe do you use for garlic bread sticks?

      Reply
      • Denise says

        August 28, 2017 at 8:20 am

        I use the olive garden breadsticks recipe.

        Reply
  4. Unknown says

    October 26, 2015 at 3:16 pm

    I used shredded chicken seasoned with garlic,Italian seasoning and fresh garlic, used spinach instead of kale and used the broth from cooked chicken. Topped with homemade garlic parmesan croutons and just a pinch of shredded cheese. It was amazing!

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      October 29, 2015 at 3:42 am

      yum to the homemade parmesan croutons!

      Reply
  5. Anonymous says

    January 29, 2014 at 5:11 pm

    I cant wait to try this – I think I will substitute spinach for the kale – spinach goes over better in my house. Thanks for a great recipe

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      January 30, 2014 at 5:09 am

      Yum, I bet that will be good!

      Reply
  6. Sarah Capizzano says

    January 28, 2014 at 6:51 pm

    So you add yhe kale, bacon & cream after its done cooking?

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      January 29, 2014 at 4:38 am

      Yes, after it's done cooking!

      Reply
  7. Anonymous says

    January 27, 2014 at 5:38 pm

    Do you have any suggestions for a chicken or veggie alternate to the sausage? My husband won't eat pork or beef (lame) so I was trying to think of something else that wouldn't be gross!?!

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      January 29, 2014 at 4:52 am

      I would use ground chicken and season it!

      Reply
  8. Kristin Deem says

    September 20, 2013 at 12:18 am

    Also requires red pepper flakes….the most noticeable ingredient ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Reply
  9. Karen says

    August 5, 2012 at 2:03 am

    Just the ground kind works best.

    Reply
  10. Anonymous says

    July 31, 2012 at 9:46 pm

    I must be sausage- dumb. Do you mean the ground crumbled kind, or the link kind?

    Reply
    • Vendetta Holman Dressel says

      October 31, 2020 at 4:37 pm

      The ground pork

      Reply
  11. hotturnip says

    April 30, 2012 at 1:39 am

    Delicious! I used whole milk instead of cream and it was fabulous.

    Reply
  12. Erin says

    November 2, 2011 at 11:26 pm

    I know I am SUPER late to this party, but I made this recipe a couple nights ago, and it was AMAZING!

    The only difference is I had mine on low for 8 hours because I am at work all day, and it turned out great ๐Ÿ™‚

    Just as good as Olive Garden!

    Reply
  13. Anonymous says

    September 29, 2011 at 6:20 pm

    Do you think it would work just as well if I used evaporated milk? I hate the idea of all the calories and fat in heavy cream – although I'm sure it tastes wonderful. I also like the idea of using spinach instead of kale. I don't think I could sneak kale past my husband, but he likes spinach.

    Reply
  14. shopannies says

    May 3, 2011 at 9:41 pm

    this sounds awesome love how you shared your own tips as well

    Reply
  15. Anonymous says

    March 21, 2011 at 2:59 am

    1 cup of water, chopped???

    Reply
  16. Colleen says

    March 8, 2011 at 10:00 pm

    2 cans of chicken broth: What size cans?

    Reply
  17. Mama Laura says

    January 17, 2011 at 3:35 am

    We had this for dinner tonight, and it was a hit!

    Reply
  18. Mama Laura says

    January 14, 2011 at 6:34 pm

    Thank you! I was hoping to find a crockpot version of this. Can't wait to try it!

    Reply
  19. Tami says

    January 6, 2011 at 11:49 pm

    Does this work on the low setting for 2x the time? I may have to try it, but am away from home longer than 4 hours during the day.

    Reply
  20. Anonymous says

    January 3, 2011 at 12:22 am

    This was just as good, if not better than the Olive Garden version. I doubled my recipe/ingredients, and use one package of hot and one package of mild sausage to mix it up. I also omitted the bacon bits in mine. This was great and so easy! I can't wait to make it again. Thanks for posting this.

    Reply
  21. Anonymous says

    October 25, 2010 at 7:34 pm

    Just a tip on Kale, it is easy to grow and winters over. I've had my Kale in my garden boxes in Utah and they are going into their 3rd winter! Our chickens love it too. They always line up at the fence when I'm bringing the kale to them. It is a great producer.

    Reply
  22. Anonymous says

    October 25, 2010 at 3:19 am

    Made this tonight with homemade turkey sausage (from another online recipe), dried mushrooms (that I soaked and added the water to the mix for added flavor), and turkey bacon diced up. It is a VERY good recipe for a slow cooker and to freeze as well.

    Reply
  23. Anonymous says

    October 21, 2010 at 2:21 am

    I went out and bought all the ingredients today. Can't wait to make this tomorrow!

    Reply
  24. THE OLSONS says

    November 12, 2009 at 9:56 pm

    My husband LOVED this!

    Reply
  25. Breenuh says

    November 2, 2009 at 11:03 pm

    Is that supposed to be 1/2 cup bacon bits? This sounds amazing, I can't wait to try it!!!

    Reply
  26. Michelle G says

    October 29, 2009 at 10:31 pm

    When I saw this yesterday, I had to make it! This was fantastic! I didn't have kale, so I substituted spinach leaves. Why this dish doesn't have five stars is beyond me! ๐Ÿ™‚
    http://butwhatsformydinner.blogspot.com/2009/10/zuppa-toscano.html

    Reply
  27. phonelady says

    October 28, 2009 at 1:04 pm

    i make this all the time but w/o the mushrooms .

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Karen. I know that dinner time can be less than relaxing. Busy schedules and cranky kids and a hundred other things can lead to weariness when it comes to putting dinner on the table. I can help! I make homemade, family-friendly slow cooker and Instant Pot dinners and share the recipes with you.

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