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You will fall hard for this easy Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana recipe. You can make this sausage and potato soup in the Instant Pot, crockpot, or on the stovetop.
You’re in for a real treat with this Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana, my friends!
Made in the Instant Pot (or slow cooker OR on the stovetop. I mean, seriously, you have options) you’ll find yourself making this Olive Garden copycat soup again and again.
Ingredients
This recipe uses:
- Bacon – the candy of meat
- Sausage – ground, or links with casings removed
- Potatoes – I recommend Russet
- Garlic, and lots of it
- Onion
- Chicken stock
- Heavy cream – heavy cream will give you the best flavor, but I have successfully used half-and-half and whole milk when needed.
- Kale – my preference is lacinto kale which is also called dinosaur kale or Tuscan kale.
- Red pepper flakes if you’re feeling it. It’s your world, season as you see fit.
How to Make Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana
*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.
Start by pressing saute on your Instant Pot. Let it get hot and then add the chopped bacon to the insert and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. You’ll want to stir it occasionally so that it doesn’t burn.
When the bacon is half-cooked, add the sausage and cook, stirring often, until the sausage is cooked through. All brands of sausage can vary on how much grease they produce, so I recommend draining all but ~1-2 tsp of fat once the sausage has been fully cooked.
Add a splash of the chicken broth and let it sit in the Instant Pot for a minute. Use a wooden spoon or a wooden scraper (like this one) and deglaze (it’s a fancy word for scrape) the bottom of the Instant Pot.
You don’t want to skip the deglazing step for two reasons. One, anything stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot insert can prevent it from coming up to pressure.
Two, scraping up the bits of caramelized stuck on bacon and sausage adds incredible flavor to the overall soup. Those bits are called “fond”, and now you get to be the coolest person with the nerdiest facts at your next dinner party. Congrats.
After you’ve scraped the bottom of the Instant Pot, add the onions, garlic, chicken stock, and potatoes. If you’re a fan of spice and you’re using the red pepper flakes, go ahead and add them now.
Pro tip: if you prefer that the kale is super duper soft in your zuppa toscana, go ahead and add it with the other ingredients now. Adding it later means it will be al dente. You get to choose!
Lock the lid into place and set the steam release handle (valve on top) to “Sealing”. Press Manual>High Pressure>5 minutes.
When the cooking time is up, do a natural release for 10 minutes, and then flip the vent to “venting” and perform a quick release.
Remove the lid, add the heavy cream, and the kale, and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT
Storing Leftovers: Allow the Zuppa Toscana to fully cool before storing it in air-tight containers in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheating Leftovers: You can reheat the soup in the microwave. Start with 1 minute, stir, and then add an additional 30 seconds until it is heated to your liking.
Or, reheat on the stovetop for 5-10 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring often.
Freezing: You can freeze Zuppa Toscana and store it for 2-3 months with a few recommendations. I strongly encourage you to freeze the soup before you add the heavy cream and kale. This will prevent weird textures in the soup upon reheating. You can add those items to individual portions once thawed and ready to serve.
My favorite way to freeze leftover soup is in 1-cup or 2-cup Souper Cubes. Once frozen, I remove them from the trays and transfer them to freezer-safe silicone bags for the perfect zero-waste freezer method.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- This soup is meant to have a thin broth with a hint of creaminess. It’s delicious and so good but it is not a thick cream-based soup like a chowder. If you want to make the texture thicker, remove some of the potatoes, mash them with a bit of the broth, and stir them back into the soup.
- I made this in an 8-quart Instant Pot. It will work in a 6 quart without issue. You would need to make adjustments to the measurements (slide the servings lever on the recipe card below) to make it in a 3 quart.
- If you’re doubling the recipe, the cooking time remains the same. It will take longer to come to pressure with more volume, but you still only need to cook it for 5 minutes. Do not try to double in a 3-quart Instant Pot.
Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana
Ingredients
- 4 strips bacon {chopped}
- 1 lb ground sausage {casings removed if using links}
- 1/2 cup white onion {diced}
- 6 cloves garlic {minced}
- 5 cups chicken stock {low sodium recommended}
- 4 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3/4 cup heavy cream {non-dairy cream works well too}
- 2 cups kale {sliced into ribbons}
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes {optional}
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to saute. Add the bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes stirring so that it doesn't burn.4 strips bacon
- Add the sausage and break it up, stirring often. Drain all but 1-2 tsp of fat.1 lb ground sausage
- Add a splash of chicken broth and use a scraper to deglaze the bottom of the Instant Pot. Don’t skip this step as anything stuck to the bottom can prevent the Instant Pot from coming up to pressure.
- Add the onion, garlic, broth, and potatoes. If using red pepper flakes, add here.1/2 cup white onion, 6 cloves garlic, 5 cups chicken stock, 4 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes, 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
- Lock the lid into place and set the steam release handle (valve on top) to “Sealing”. Press Manual>High Pressure>5 minutes.
- When the cooking time is up, do a natural release for 10 minutes, and then flip the vent to "venting" and perform a quick release.
- Add heavy cream and kale and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.3/4 cup heavy cream, 2 cups kale, salt and pepper to taste
Notes
- If you want to make the texture thicker, remove some of the potatoes, mash them with a bit of the broth, and stir them back into the soup.
- You can leave the peels on the potatoes if desired.
- Non-dairy milk or creamer works well in place of heavy cream.
- If you’re doubling the recipe, the cooking time remains the same. It will take longer to come to pressure with more volume, but you still only need to cook it for 5 minutes.
- You can sub in spinach, escarole, or Swiss chard without changing the flavor of the soup.
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In a heavy-bottomed saucepan set to medium, cook the bacon and break it up, stirring often. Add the sausage and cook until no longer pink. Drain any excess fat.
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Add the onion, garlic, broth, and potatoes and cook on low for 20-35 minutes, or until the potatoes are softened. If using red pepper flakes, add here.
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Add cream and kale and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
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In a heavy-bottomed saucepan set to medium, cook the bacon and break it up, stirring often. Add the sausage and cook until no longer pink. Drain any excess fat. Transfer to a slow cooker.
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Add the onion, garlic, broth, and potatoes and cook on low for 6 hours, or until the potatoes are softened. If using red pepper flakes, add here.
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Add milk and kale and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Winner winner, yummy dinner!!! The kiddo even ate two servings (small servings, but hey).
I added more kale (because otherwise it would have died in my fridge) and used breakfast sausage (its what I had) and coconut milk. We loved it! And I’m excited about leftovers for the next few days.
How many meals do I have to make in the IP before I can claim to be and IP user?
We (Emma chopped the kale and garlic for me!) just made this again and I have no idea why we waited so long between batches. Everyone loved it just as much as the first time! Adding it to our regular rotation.
Hey, WTG Emma! I do love a teamwork recipe.
so organized way to make the recipe. appreciated!
Doh! Failed to leave a star rating in my first review.
#corona version of this soup involved precooked sausage (leftovers from grilling and also from last night when I made broccoli rabe sausage pasta by smittenkitchen), no bacon, and random carrots (for extra veggies) and gochugaru (Korean kitchen!)… it was still so yummy!!
Love the adaptations and you know I’m always down for including gochugaru!!!
Super Duper soup is always a hit’????
HA Marcia, gotta love soup and a PUN in one comment! 🙂
My husband and I have made this several times now and LOVE it! It’s so delicious and quick!
Since soup is my love language, I am thrilled you both enjoyed this!
I’ve been following you for a while now, but I made this soup last night and ohmygoodness it was so good I had to break my stalkerish silence and let you know! My husband and I LOVED this as we have so many of your recipes. Thank you for sharing your gifts as a cook. And a writer. You are hilarious and Scattered Sundays is my new jam. 😀
JaNeen, welcome out of the stalker shadows! 🙂
I’m so glad to hear you and your husband enjoyed it! It’s definitely one of my favorites and I should make it soon!
Made this tonight and the husband imm asked me where I got the recipe and if it can go on our weekly rotation of meals we love!
Wow, Sara, that’s so awesome to hear!! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
mmmmmm, I’m going to use a vegan sausage crumble and leave out the bacon (vegan bacon doesn’t really soup well, at least none that I’ve found). I’m so excited to try this! Do you think it would work to prep ahead and freeze to cook later?
Mollie, what about adding vegan bacon after the soup is done? Like a garnish? If you top each bowl with it, I assume it would be ok?
And yes you can freeze it! There is a note in the post about it:
CAN I FREEZE DAIRY-FREE ZUPPA TOSCANA
You bet! But, you’ll need to freeze it before you add the coconut milk. Freezing temperatures can curdle coconut milk and give you a funky AF texture.
My preference is always to freeze soup in wide mouth pint canning jars for single servings or wide mouth quart jars for bigger servings. Just make sure to leave 1 inch of headspace (the space between the top of the food and the top of the jar).
May I just say how much I appreciate you adding WW points whenever possible. It saves me an important step when deciding how soon to try a new recipe. Keep up the good work.
You’re so welcome Beth! It was a ridiculously long and arduous process that frankly, I didn’t anticipate being so time-consuming (or expensive). But it’s done now and I’m thrilled it is helpful!
There is an entire category of recipes with points in the post now: https://www.sustainablecooks.com/category/recipes/weight-watchers-recipes/
Oh, delicious. I pre-cooked some yellow sulfur beans in the IP in chicken broth, wiped out the pot, and resumed the recipe, added the beans back with their broth and more broth to cover – just fabulous!
I love the addition of beans Lynn! That sounds so delicious.
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review. 🙂
Sooooooo good! Easy and fast as well. Yum!
So glad you liked it Jenny! I assume Rowan did the cooking?
I was sooo sick this week that I modified this soup down to stock, (homemade frozen) chopped up potato’s and prewashed kale. Thrown into a pan till it melted the stock chunk and cooked the potatoes. I think it saved my life.
I’m so glad it brought you some comfort during a crappy week! I truly feel like soup has healing properties.
Can’t see the recipe
Well, farts. Looks like it disappeared when the site was transferred over. Just rewrote it and it should be visible now.
I made this tonight! It took me longer to find the recipe rating button than it took to prep the soup. HA.
Seriously though, I LOVED it. I got a little overzealous with my red pepper flakes (on top of using “hot” sausage), but it was awesome. I did the Instant Pot version, and now I have dinner for myself for the rest of the week. Thank you!!
Ha! So glad you loved it Sydnie. But I contest the too much red pepper flakes comment because things can never be *too* spicy. 🙂
Enjoy the leftovers!
Oh, I didn’t think my comment posted, which is why I went to facebook to tell you how freaking awesome this was! You’re seriously helping me with my “Be a grownup and cook for your self!!” goal! Next I need to go to the grocery store so I can make your Nutella breakfast quinoa. 🙂
Getting to chat with you again is twice as nice. 🙂
Dude, rock on with your bad cooking self. Nice work! Can’t wait to hear what you think about the quinoa.
I just l-o-v-e this soup!!! I’ve made it over and over, and no matter who is with us, or where I take it, everyone else just loves it too! I’ve made it with kale, with spinach, with chard, with silverbeet – anything green, could probably really finely shred cabbage in a pinch! I use Italian sausages – a few hot and a few mild. I’ve pre-prepared all the ingredients and then just dumped it all into simmering stock when we’ve been camping. It’s our family’s favourite!
Love the idea of using chard or beet greens!
I will make this asap.
If you tell me what I can substitute kale with! because kale can be found NOWHERE in Greece! I have absolutely no idea what it tastes like!
Also ground sausage…is it sausage opened and cut very thinly? any type of sausage?
thanks!
I wonder if it is too hot to grow there? Kale is a hearty thick green that almost has a waxy flavor. I would either leave it out or sub in spinach if you can find that. Spinach is much more delicate than kale so it will wilt. But you’re still getting greens in which is part of the goal.
My local butcher sells ground sausage like they would ground chicken, beef (hamburger), or turkey. It is meat that has been processed very finely. Most sausage comes in casings but I buy it without that.
Hear! Hear! I’m all for a year-round National Soup Month. It’s the best way to clean out the fridge of questionable aged veg and I’m all for the simplicity of “dump it all in a pot” cookery. Yet, you are convincing me more and more every day that I need an Instant Pot (and an AirFryer, it would make it easier to fry tofu). 🙂
Soup is the original repurposing of leftovers!
Girl, you need the IP and an air fryer. Dooooo it!
We got back from a sunshine holiday to cold weather last Monday. Since then I have done BNS and sweet potato with ras el hanout and ginger, mushroom soup, pea and mint soup and now leek and potato. Using all the bits and pieces in them that I can too. Every day is Soup Day!
What is BNS Pauline? I’m so curious!
And yes, every day should be soup day!
I am a fan of soups because you can come up with a soup no matter what is in the pantry or refrigerator! It’s also a great way to use not-quite-enough of things – together, they can make magic!
I’m sure the first time someone made soup it was to repurpose leftovers or something. It’s the freaking best.
You might have been korean in another life… Koreans have soup at EVERY meal. no joke. if you order something that isn’t soupy, it often comes WITH a soup!
I was a waitress at a Korean restaurant when I was in high school. Not only do I love soup every day, but I loooooooove Korean food!