Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana

Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana is a richly flavored, hearty soup made with bacon, Italian sausage, kale, and potatoes.

This recipe for Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana comes together in under 30 minutes to deliver a richly flavored, hearty soup that is BETTER than Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana.

If you love Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana, you are going to love this recipe for Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana.

And if you have never had the restaurant's famous soup, you don't need to make a trip to Olive Garden to enjoy this fabulous soup.

This recipe for Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana is made with bacon, sausage, cream, and kale, to create a rich, creamy, and oh-so-satisfying soup.

And while the star ingredients and flavor is reminiscent of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana, this homemade version trumps the restaurant's version. Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana is made with better-for-you ingredients which in turn, delivers the best flavor!

And thanks to the Instant Pot, you can enjoy this copycat recipe in under 30 minutes, making it the perfect easy dinner recipe to enjoy any night of the week.

Notes on Ingredients

• Sausage: Use any ground store-bought or homemade Italian sausage you like--chicken, turkey, or pork.
• Bacon: Bacon gives this soup an incredible smokey flavor. However, you can omit the bacon if you want a lower-fat Zuppa Toscana or don't have bacon on hand. In place of rendered bacon grease, use olive oil to saute the sausage and onions.
• White Wine: A dry white wine adds a bit of sharpness and depth of flavor to the Zuppa Toscana. For a dry wine, use Chardonnay or Pinto Grigio.  Feel free to use additional stock in place of wine.
• Chicken Stock/Broth: Use low-sodium homemade chicken stock or store-bought stock.
• Potatoes: Russet, red, or yellow potatoes all work in Zuppa Toscana. There is no need to peel the potatoes, just scrub them well before adding.
• Kale: Be sure to remove the thick, hearty stems of the kale before adding it to the soup. Feel free to use defrosted and drained kale in place of fresh kale. You don't want to add frozen kale directly to the soup, as the water content from the kale will water down the flavor. And while kale is customary in Zuppa Toscana, feel free to use spinach if that is what you have on hand, but instead of adding it to the soup before pressure cooking, add spinach to the soup when the cream is added.
• Cream: Use heavy cream to give the soup a creamy finish and tone down the spices added to the soup.

How to Make Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana

While this recipe is incredibly simple to make, if you are unfamiliar with cooking in an instant pot or the functions of your instant pot, be sure to start with How to Use an Instant Pot for the best results on this and future recipes.

• Turn the pressure cooker to saute and allow it to heat up.
• While Instant Pot is heating up, chop bacon into small chunks.
• Add the bacon to the inner pot and saute until browned and crispy.
• Remove bacon from Instant Pot with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel-lined plate. You will reserve this crisp bacon to top the soup right before serving.

• Add the sausage and onions to the rendered bacon grease and saute until the sausage is browned and the onions are softened.
• Add in the garlic and saute for a minute longer. Be cautious to not burn the garlic. You just want to lightly toast it.

• Add the wine, or chicken stock if not using wine into the inner pot and use a wooden spatula to scrape off all the browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot. This is a crucial step in preventing a burn notice.
• Leave on saute function for 2-3 minutes, to allow the alcohol to cook off, and then turn the Instant Pot off.
• Add the chicken stock, potatoes, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and kale to the inner pot and give everything a good stir to incorporate.

• Place the lid on the pressure cooker and be sure the vent knob is sealed.
• Set to cook on high pressure for 5 minutes by hitting manual or pressure cook and use the +/- buttons to adjust the time.
• Once the cooking time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for AT LEAST 15 minutes! To do a quick release of pressure would result in hot liquid spewing all over your kitchen!
• Once the pressure has been released, open up the Instant Pot and stir in the cream.
• Place the lid back on the pressure cooker for 3-5 minutes to just warm through.

• To serve Zuppa Toscana, top with the reserved rendered bacon and parmesan cheese if desired.

Serving Suggestions

Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana is the perfect soup to cozy up to on a cold winter's night! Serve this soup with a side of Homemade Italian Bread for dipping and a Caesar Salad to round out the meal.

More Instant Pot Soup Recipes

• Instant Pot Potato Soup
• Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
• Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
• Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
• Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup

I hope you enjoy this recipe for Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana and I would love for you to take the time to leave a comment and/or review.