Name: Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: soup
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons avocado oil; 16 oz. Italian sausage (I used mild sausage); 6 slices bacon, cut in small 1/2 inch pieces; 1 sweet onion, diced (2 cups diced onion); 4 cloves garlic, minced; 4 cups chicken broth; 1 1/2 lb. gold potatoes, cut in small pieces; 2 cups chopped kale; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper + more for serving; 2 cups heavy cream; shredded Romano cheese for serving

This is an overhead image of a soup bowl on a white counter with a blue dish towel at the top of the image. The soup bowl has a cream broth with meat, potatoes, and kale inside. — This Instant Pot zuppa toscana soup recipe is packed full of potatoes, kale, sausage, and bacon in a silky and creamy broth. Inspired by Olive Gardens famous soup, this homemade version comes together in just 30 minutes and is even more delicious! It’s perfect for a satisfying weeknight dinner and can be made using the Instant Pot, slow cooker, or stovetop.

Whenever I’m in a soup mood, I always do an inventory of all my soup recipes and start craving all their cozy, comforting vibes.

This is a copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana soup that’s better than the restaurant version. It has a brothy, creamy base, tons of juicy, sausage flavor, some buttery potatoes, and some kale for good measure.

I love instant pot soup recipes like this Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup and this Instant Pot Chicken Zoodle Soup which is a fun play off of an instant pot chicken noodle soup.

If you love cooking, check out my cookbook Cauliflower Power which contains 75 gluten free recipes using cauliflower in fun and creative ways!

What is zuppa toscana soup?

Zuppa Toscana translates to “Tuscan soup.” It’s a traditionally Italian soup that contains kale, zucchini, beans, potato, carrots, onions, and topped with cheese.

In this pressure cooker zuppa toscana, we’re using a mix of sausage and bacon, onion, potatoes, and garlic in a brothy cream sauce.

This is a side image of a soup bowl with a cream broth, sausage, kale, and potatoes. A spoon scoops a potato and leans against the side of the bowl. The bowl sits on a white counter with a blue napkin blurred in the background.

Ingredients in Zuppa Toscana:

Avocado Oil: This is my favorite cooking oil lately because it’s super mellow and has a high smoke point, but you can use whatever your favorite cooking oil is.
Onion: I love using sweet onions, just dice it up and go! Or, you can save time and buy some pre-chopped onions at the grocery store.
Sausage: I used mild Italian sausage for this recipe, but you can really control the heat and spice by bumping it up to a medium or spicy sausage. If you get sausage links, make sure to remove the meat from the casing for this recipe.
Bacon: Adds some extra flavor to this soup that is AHH-MAZING.
Garlic: because garlic is happiness. It’s science.
Chicken Broth: Will be the main base of this soup, but if you’re in a pinch, feel free to use veggie broth or even beef broth.
Cream: I used regular, good old fashioned heavy cream. If you can’t do dairy, try subbing in coconut cream. Or, make a less creamy broth and leave it out completely. Just make sure to add in some water in its place.
Potatoes: I used gold potatoes for two reasons. First, they have a buttery soft middle that is smooth and glorious. I knew they would provide a perfect potato slice to sink my teeth into as I slurp my soup. Second, they have a super thin skin and so I felt zero need to peel them. If you are using any other potato, I definitely recommend you peel the potatoes before you cut them and add them to your instant pot. Gold potatoes? Some of the skins come off in the cooking process, some stay on. Either way, they were delish!
Kale: I used frozen chopped kale that was stashed away in the back of my freezer for smoothies. Fresh kale works too, just make sure to pull the leaves away from the stem, discard the stem, and chop the leaves before you add them to your soup.
Salt & Pepper: to taste.

How to make Zuppa Toscana in your Instant Pot:

It’s so simple! We’re making this entire soup in our Instant Pot so it comes together really quickly too.

Sauté. First we’ll sauté the onion, sausage, and bacon in the instant pot until golden brown.

Add everything else. This step is pretty straight forward 🙂

Pressure cook for 15 minutes!

Serve. I topped mine with some shredded Romano cheese and freshly cracked pepper.

This is a close up image of a spoon leaning against the side of the bowl. The spoon dips down into a creamy broth with sausage, kale, and potatoes. The spoon scoops up a small potato piece.

Can this soup be frozen and reheated?

Yes, you can store it in an airtight container in the freezer up to three months. Defrost it in the fridge overnight and reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Can I make this in my slow cooker or stovetop?

Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana:

Sauté the onion, sausage, and bacon in avocado oil in a large skillet. Once golden brown, add the garlic and sauté for another two minutes.

Transfer the onions and meat to your slow cooker along with the broth, potatoes, kale, salt, and pepper. Cover and set on low for 5 – 6 hours or high for 3 – 4 hours. Stir in the cream stir and enjoy!

Stovetop Zuppa Toscana:

Use a large soup pot or dutch oven. To the pot, add the avocado oil, sausage, onion, and bacon to the pot and sauté until it starts to get golden brown. Add the garlic and continue to sauté for another two minutes.

Place the broth, potatoes, kale, salt, and pepper into the pot. Gently boil for about 15 – 20 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender. Stir in the cream and enjoy!

This is an overhead image of a soup bowl on a white counter. The soup has a creamy broth with pieces of meat, kale, and potatoes in it.

More Recipe Tips:

Make this recipe whole30: Replace the cream with coconut cream.

Too much grease from the meat browning: This is personal preference. I don’t mind it and just keep it in the soup. But, if it bothers you, you can remove the meat and onions from the pot when you are done browning, drain the grease. Then, add the meat mixture back to the pot and continue to cook as directed.

More soup recipes:

Did you make this? Leave a review below and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!

Recipe

GF Gluten-Free EF Egg-Free NF Nut-Free

Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana

This Instant Pot zuppa toscana soup recipe is creamy, decadent, and packed full of satisfying flavors. Stovetop and slow cooker instructions included too!

Recipe by:Lindsay Grimes

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 4 reviews

Prep: 15 minCook: 15 minTotal: 30 min

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Servings: serves 10 1x

Ingredients

2 tablespoons avocado oil
16 oz. Italian sausage (I used mild sausage)
6 slices bacon, cut in small 1/2 inch pieces
1 sweet onion, diced (2 cups diced onion)
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 lb. gold potatoes, cut in small pieces
2 cups chopped kale
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper + more for serving
2 cups heavy cream
shredded Romano cheese for serving

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Instructions

Turn your pressure cooker to the sauté mode for 10 minutes and add the oil, sausage, and bacon to the instant pot.
Sauté for 10 minutes until the onions, sausage, and bacon starts to brown and caramelize.
Add the minced garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes.
Add the broth, cream, potatoes, kale, salt, and pepper to the instant pot.
Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the pressure cooker to high for 15 minutes.
After the 15 minutes, flip the switch to allow the steam to release from the pressure cooker.
Add the cream to the soup. Give it a good stir and ladle into bowls.
Shred Romano cheese on top of each bowl and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.