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Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana delivers a copycat version of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana Soup in under 30 minutes!
Serve this hearty Zuppa Toscana with Olive Garden Salad and Olive Garden Breadsticks for a homemade spin on Olive Garden's famous soup and salad combo!
Better than Olive Garden
With tender potatoes, smoky bacon, flavorful sausage, and tender kale all enveloped in a richly seasoned and creamy broth, the flavors of Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana are reminiscent of Olive Garden's famous Zuppa Toscana Soup.
But better!
Made with fresh, quality ingredients and lower in fat and sodium, not only does this homemade Zuppa Toscana Soup taste better, but it is better for you AND easier on the wallet.
Zuppa Toscana Ingredients
- Bacon: Use thick-cut, pork bacon for the best flavor.
- Sausage: Use any ground store-bought or homemade Italian sausage you like. Chicken, turkey, or pork Italian sausage all work well.
- Aromatics: Adding garlic and minced yellow onion to the soup helps to build layers of flavor.
- White Wine: Use a dry white wine, such as Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio, to add sharpness and depth of flavor to the soup. Use additional broth if desired.
- Chicken Stock: Use low-sodium store-bought, homemade chicken stock, or Instant Pot Chicken Stock.
- Potatoes: Creamy Yukon gold potatoes are standard, but russet potatoes and red potatoes work as well.
- Kale: Be sure to remove the thick stems of the kale before adding it to the soup.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Cream Adding heavy cream after pressure cooking will help to thicken and richen the soup.
How to Make Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup
If you are unfamiliar with cooking in an Instant Pot or the functions of your Instant Pot, be sure to start with my guide for using an Instant Pot for the best results on this and future recipes. You will find the full recipe in detail in the recipe card below.
- Sauté Bacon. Using the sauté setting, sauté the bacon until it is crispy. Once browned, remove the bacon from the inner pot and place it on paper towel-lined plate.
- Sauté Sausage and Onions. To the rendered bacon grease, add in the sausage and onions and sauté until the onion has softened and the sausage is browned.
- Deglaze the Inner Pot with Wine. After the sausage has cooked through, add the wine (or a bit of stock) to 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.
- Layer Ingredients. At this point, add the chicken stock, diced potatoes, seasonings, and chopped kale to the inner pot.
- Pressure Cook. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and use the manual/pressure cook button to set the cooking time to 5 minutes.
- Let Pressure Release. After the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure release naturally for AT LEAST 15 minutes to prevent hot liquid spewing all over your kitchen!
- Add Cream. After pressure has been released, open the inner pot. Stir in the cream, place the lid back on the inner pot and just let sit for 3-5 minutes.
- Add Bacon. Once thickened, turn off the Instant Pot. Add the reserved bacon and serve immediately.
Recipe Modifications
- No bacon? In place of rendered bacon grease, use olive oil to sauté the sausage and onions and simply omit the bacon from the recipe.
- Swap kale for spinach. While kale is customary in Zuppa Toscana, feel free to use spinach if that is what you have on hand. However, unlike kale, spinach does not need long to cook. Simply add the spinach to the soup when adding the cream.
- Use 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.
- Using a 3-Quart Instant Pot: If you are using a 3-quart Instant Pot, it is best to cut the recipe in half but leave the cooking time the same.
Video Step-By-Step
If you learn better through video, watch the video below and join me in my kitchen as I make Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup.
More Cozy Instant Pot Soup Recipes
- Instant Pot Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Instant Pot Minestrone
- Instant Pot Pasta Fagioli
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
I hope you enjoy this recipe for Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup and I would love for you to take the time to leave a comment and/or review.
Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup
Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana delivers a copycat version of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana Soup in under 30 minutes!
Video
Ingredients
- 3 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
- ½ pound Homemade Italian Sausage, or store-bought
- 1 small yellow onion, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup dry white wine , optional
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 5 medium Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and diced into 1-inch chunks
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes , optional
- 3 cups fresh kale, chopped and stems removed
- 1 cup heavy cream
- parmesan for serving
Instructions
- Hit sauté on the Instant Pot and allow to heat. Once heated, add 3 slices thick-cut bacon (diced) and sauté until browned and crispy. Remove bacon using slotted spoon and place on paper towel lined plate.
- To the rendered bacon grease, add ½ pound Homemade Italian Sausage and 1 small yellow onion (minced). Cook, breaking up the sausage as it cooks. Once the sausage is fully cooked, add 4 cloves garlic (minced) and sauté for one minute longer.
- Add ½ cup dry white wine into the inner pot, and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the inner pot. Let the mixture cook for 2-3 minutes, allowing the alcohol to reduce. Hit cancel to turn the Instant Pot off.
- To the inner pot, add 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 5 medium Yukon gold potatoes (cubed), ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon red chili flakes , and 3 cups fresh kale and gently stir to combine.
- Place the lid on the pressure cooker, and seal or lock the lid. Set to cook on high pressure for 5 minutes by hitting manual or pressure cook and using the +/- buttons to adjust the cooking time until it reads "5."
- Once the cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for at least 15 minutes. After 15 minutes have passed, you can release the remaining pressure by using a wooden spoon or pot holder to unlock or release the venting knob. Alternatively, allow for a full natural pressure release.
- Open the Instant Pot and stir in 1 cup heavy cream and place the lid back on the pressure cooker for 3-5 minutes to let the cream heat through.
- Stir in the reserved chopped, cooked bacon and serve with Parmesan cheese if desired.
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 of olive oil to brown the sausage and onions.
Spice Level: If you don't like spicy soups, omit the red pepper flakes or decrease them by half for a milder zing.
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.
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.
Storage: Leftover cooled soup can be stored 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 500kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 21gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 898mgPotassium: 1244mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1260IUVitamin C: 27.4mgCalcium: 112mgIron: 3.1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @amindfullmom or tag #amindfullmom!
This recipe was originally shared in 2020 and updated in 2025.
Is it 1 cup or 1/2 cup of heavy cream?
Hi Annette! It is 1 cup of heavy cream. Can I ask where you are seeing 1/2 cup? I want to make sure it is clear.
I misread the ingredients in your recipe. I made this soup and there wasn’t any left. We loved this and it’s much better than Olive gardens. This will be made again very soon. Thank you so much for all of your recipes. Can’t wait for some new ones.
Love hearing you all enjoyed it so much!
It had good flavor but the kale was overcooked. I may try a 4 minute cook time with a 10 minute sit time. When making again I'll add the kale along with the heavy cream. I used your homemade sausage recipe which was good.
We loved this recipe as well. My kids all ate it, even the one who doesn’t like soup. However, I struggled with the timing as well. I know that recipes generally count time from everything ready to go: pre-washed and cut so I expect it to take longer but it was a lot longer... Also the time it takes my instant pot to come to pressure must be longer because that added a fair bit of time. (I have the 10 quart and doubled the recipe the second time.)
Hi Tania. I am sorry if the prep time seemed off--that varies person to person, but I don't assume you have your ingredients prepped. As for the time it takes to come to pressure, doubling it will significantly impact that. But thrilled your family enjoyed.
My husband and son’s favorite soup at Olive Garden. They thought this was better. We all had 2 bowls!
That is the best kind of compliment. I love hearing this Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana recipe was better than their favorite!