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    Home » Real Food » Instant Pot » Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana

    Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana

    By Kristen Chidsey | 11 Comments | Published March 19, 2019 | Updated October 23, 2021 *This post may include amazon links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    The entire family will love this Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup! This creamy, hearty soup made with bacon, sausage, kale, and potatoes, will be on your table in 30 minutes and tastes better than Olive Garden's version!

    Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup is a creamy, hearty soup made with bacon, sausage, kale, and potatoes that will be on your table in just under 30 minutes.

    Pair this copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana with Garlic Toast and a Tossed Greek Salad for an easy and delicious family meal that everyone will love!

    Instant Pot Zuppa Tosacana Soup in cream bowl topped with bacon.

    Olive Garden Copycat Recipe

    Back in college one of my favorite cheap meals was Olive Garden's soup and salad special. While I loved those garlic breadsticks, I really loved Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana.

    It is a rich soup made with bacon, sausage, cream, and kale. Rich, creamy, and oh so satisfying!

    I have to be honest in saying that I have not had the soup and salad special in decades, but I still enjoy making Zuppa Toscana at home--especially when it is so easy to prepare in the Instant Pot.

    But not only is this Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana is easy to make, but it is also a family favorite. Which is great, as long as I know not to count on leftovers the next day--my family devours every last drop of this hearty soup!

    Notes on Key Ingredients

    Ingredients for Zuppa Toscana labeled on white counter.
    • Sausage: Use any ground Italian style sausage you like--chicken, turkey, or pork.
    • Bacon: Bacon gives this soup an incredible smokey flavor. However, you can omit the bacon. 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: Either homemade stock or store-bought stock is fine for this recipe, but I do recommend low sodium.
    • Potatoes: Use russet, red, or yellow potatoes for the soup. There is no need to peel the potatoes, just scrub well before adding.

    Step-by-Step Directions

    • Turn pressure cooker to saute and allow 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.
    Bacon in Instant Pot.
    • Add the sausage and onions to bacon grease and saute until the sausage is browned and onions are softened.
    • Add in the garlic and saute for a minute longer.
    Browned Sausage in Instant Pot.
    • 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.
    • Leave on saute function for 2-3 minutes, to allow the alcohol to cook off and then turn the Instant Pot off.
    • Add in the chicken stock, potaotes, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and kale and give everything a good stir.
    Ingredients for Zuppa Toscana in pressure cooker.
    • Set to cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
    • 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.
    Cream added into Zuppa Toscana in Instant Pot.
    • Then serve the soup topped with the reserved cooked bacon and Parmesan cheese if desired.
    Bowl of Zuppa Toscana next to Instant Pot.

    Recipe Tips and Notes

    • Leftovers: Leftover cooled soup can be store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This is one soup that does not tend to freeze well as the cream may separate and the potatoes get mushy.
    • Spice Level: If you don't like spicy soups, omit the red pepper flakes or decrease by half for a more mild zing.
    • Frozen Kale: 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.
    • Spinach: While not traditional, feel free to substitute baby spinach for kale and then just stir into the soup when adding the cream.
    • Lower Fat Option: If you would like to lighten-up this soup, drain off the grease after browning the sausage and use milk or half and half in place of heavy cream. But for a soup that tastes like Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana, do not drain off the grease and heavy cream is best.

    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 Zuppa Toscana and I would love for you to take the time to leave a comment and/or review. 

    Bowl of Zuppa Toscana topped with bacon

    Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup

    Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup is a creamy, hearty soup made with bacon, sausage, kale, and potatoes in a rich broth. This soup will be on your table in 30 minutes and tastes better than Olive Garden's version!
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Pressure Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 500kcal
    Author: Kristen Chidsey

    Ingredients

    • 3 slices bacon chopped
    • ½ pound Italian Sausage casings removed
    • 1 small onion minced
    • 4 cloves garlic minced
    • ½ cup dry white wine optional
    • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
    • 5 Russet potatoes cut into 1 inch chunks
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon red chili flakes optional
    • 3 cups fresh kale chopped and stems removed
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    Prevents your screen from going dark while preparing the recipe.

    Instructions

    • Turn Instant Pot turn saute and allow to heat up. Add in bacon and saute until browned and crispy. Remove bacon using slotted spoon and place on paper towel lined plate.
    • Add in sausage and the onions, breaking up the sausage as it cooks. Once the sausage is browned add in the garlic and saute for one minute longer.
    • Add the wine into the inner pot and scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the inner pot and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes until alcohol is cooked off. Turn Instant Pot off.
    • To the inner pot, add in the stock, potatoes, salt, pepper, chili flakes, and kale.
    • Set to cook on high pressure for 5 minutes by hitting manual or pressure cook and using the +/- buttons to adjust the cooking time.
    • Once cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for at least 15 minutes. Release any remaining pressure.
    • Stir in cream and place lid back on the pressure cooker for 3-5 minutes to let cream heat through.
    • Serve soup, topped with cooked bacon and Parmesan cheese if desired.

    Equipment Needed

    • Electric Pressure Cooker (6 or 8 quart)

    Notes

    Sausage: Feel free to use chicken or turkey Italian sausage in place of the pork sausage.
    Bacon: If you want to omit the bacon, you will need 1 tablespoon olive oil to brown the sausage and onions.
    Leftovers: Leftover cooled soup can be store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This is one soup that does not tend to freeze well as the cream may separate and the potatoes get mushy.
    Spice Level: If you don't like spicy soups, omit the red pepper flakes or decrease by half for a more mild zing.
    Frozen Kale: 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. 
    Spinach: While not traditional, feel free to substitute baby spinach for kale.
    Lower Fat Option: If you would like to lighten-up this soup, drain off the grease after browning the sausage and use milk or half and half in place of heavy cream. But for a soup that tastes like Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana, do not drain off the grease and heavy cream is best.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 500kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 898mg | Potassium: 1244mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1260IU | Vitamin C: 27.4mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 3.1mg
    Liked this Recipe? Tag me Today!Snap a picture and tag #amindfullmom on Instagram - I would love to see!

     

     

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    About Kristen Chidsey

    Hi, I am Kristen, creator of A Mind "Full" Mom. I believe that making a wholesome family meal does not need to be hard or expensive! I love nothing more than to share with you delicious solutions for your hungry family.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jan

      January 25, 2022 at 11:33 pm

      This soup was delicious! However, there is no way in the world that it can be done in 30 minutes. 5 minutes of prep time is a real joke.

      Reply
    2. Sam

      February 03, 2021 at 11:42 am

      5 stars
      This was so delicious! I love finding new recipes for my instant pot!

      Reply
    3. Mel

      February 03, 2021 at 10:47 am

      5 stars
      Everyone in my family loved this recipe. But I especially loved how EASY it was to make. Thanks for this new to me instant pot favorite!

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        February 03, 2021 at 11:05 am

        I love hearing you enjoyed so much Mel! Thanks for sharing!

        Reply
    4. Araceli Rodriguez

      August 27, 2020 at 4:47 pm

      5 stars
      Great soup!, thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
    5. Melissa

      January 21, 2020 at 8:45 pm

      5 stars
      I just got my Instant Pot for Christmas. Best meal I’ve made in it so far. My 14-year-old daughter had two bowls. I will make this again!

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        January 22, 2020 at 6:40 am

        I am so happy you enjoyed so much Melissa! I especially love when the kids get seconds! I hope you find many more recipes to enjoy here!

        Reply
    6. Clarence

      March 22, 2019 at 2:13 pm

      5 stars
      I left out the chili flakes.
      This was well enjoyed by all three of us here, but dinner was late.
      I'm switching from Slow Cooker to Instant Pot, and I get carried away with the idea that it is "Instant".
      This took about two hours, start to finish.
      The listed prep time of five minutes is less than it took for me to wash and chop the potatoes.
      Oh, my son stole my frozen kale for a smoothie, so I had to run down to the store and get another bag, but my laptop screen hadn't even timed out by the time I got back.
      I bumped up the garlic and the bacon amounts. Can't have too much bacon on hand, since it is a user-adjustable topping.

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        March 23, 2019 at 7:34 am

        Clarence, I am SO happy you enjoyed this soup, but sorry if the timing was off. I am pretty quick at prepping, so I need to keep in mind not everyone moves at my speed. I hope you enjoy this soup again and again though 🙂

        Reply
    7. Karly

      March 20, 2019 at 11:33 am

      This soup looks amazing and easy! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        March 20, 2019 at 2:58 pm

        You bet Karly--it is really one of our favorites.

        Reply

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