I love going to Olive Garden and ordering their Zuppa Toscana and breadsticks. The soup is so creamy and zesty and flavorful that I want to lick the bowl when I’m done. But dinner at Olive Garden can be expensive, so we maybe drop by once a year, if that.
Fortunately, I’ve got the perfect copycat recipe. It lets me enjoy all the taste of Olive garden Zuppa Toscana without the expense. Better still, I can make it in the Crock-Pot*. I can just dump in the ingredients and wait for the magic to happen. When I’m feeling ambitious, I prepare the soup in advance and pop it in the freezer for nights when I don’t want to cook.
Add a Little Cooking Magic
I love sprinkling just a bit of parmesan cheese over my slow cooker Zuppa Toscana, but you don’t have to limit yourself to parmesan. Zuppa Toscana tastes amazing when topping with bacon crumbles and red pepper flakes.
If you want a bit more depth and flavor to your soup, I recommend making your own slow cooker chicken stock. Although you can use ordinary broth any time, the chicken stock base makes the soup richer and heartier. It’s the perfect soup for cold weather, as it warms you from the inside out.
1472GramsRusset Potatoes, chopped(4 Large Potatoes)
5.6GramsGarlic, Minced(2 Teaspoons)
26GramsWhite Onion(1/2 Cup)
960GramsChicken Broth(4 Cups)
100GramsKale, De-stemmed and Torn into Bite Sizes(1/2 Bunch)
240GramsHeavy Cream(1 Cup)
16GramsAll-Purpose Flour(2 Tablespoons)
Optional
64GramsBacon(8 Strips)
6GramsSalt(To Taste)
6GramsPepper(To Taste)
3GramsRed Pepper Flakes(To Taste)
140GramsParmesan Cheese(To Taste)
Instructions
In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the sausage. Drain as much grease as possible and transfer to a plate.
In the residual grease from the sausage, fry the bacon (if using) and then transfer the bacon to the same plate as the sausage. Drain all but a tablespoon of the bacon grease.
Lightly cook the onion and garlic in the residual grease.
Transfer the sausage, onion, and garlic to the slow cooker.
Add potatoes and cover with chicken broth.
Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cream and the flour to create a roux. Pour into slow cooker and add the kale. Stir to combine.
Cook on high for another 30 minutes to thicken.
Season with salt, pepper, and pepper flakes. Top with bacon and parmesan cheese to serve.
Freezer Friendly Instructions
Label a gallon-sized freezer friendly Ziploc bag with the name, date, and cooking instructions. Set aside.
In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the sausage. Drain as much grease as possible and transfer to a plate.
In the residual grease from the sausage, fry the bacon(if using) and then transfer the bacon to the same plate as the sausage. Drain all but a tablespoon of the bacon grease.
Lightly cook the onion and garlic in the residual grease.
Transfer the sausage, onion, and garlic to freezer bag.
Add chopped potatoes to the bag. Seal and freeze.
When ready to cook, thaw the bag in the fridge overnight.
Transfer ingredients to the slow cooker, cover in chicken broth, and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cream and the flour to create a roux. Pour into slow cooker and add the kale. Stir to combine.
Cook on high for another 30 minutes to thicken.
Season with salt, pepper, and pepper flakes. Top with bacon and parmesan cheese to serve.
Notes
You don’t have to use heavy cream to make Zuppa Toscana. I’ve made this recipe with the same amount of 2% milk and it tasted just fine, albeit it lacked some of the creamy texture. You also don’t have to use bacon strips if you’re scrapped for time. I’ve used bacon crumbles and they turned out great. Feel free to toss the bacon crumbles into the crockpot and let them cook alongside everything else, or just save them to top your soup later.
Did You Try It?
I love making recipes for my friends and family. But I love it even more when they enjoy the recipe so much that they try it themselves at home.
If you tried my slow cooker Zuppa Toscana recipe, feel free to tell me about your experience in the comment section below. Let me know how I can improve this recipe so it tastes even better. Your feedback helps me turn good recipes into great ones. And don’t forget to give this recipe a star rating so even more readers can find this recipe and try it, too.
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