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–+ servings
zuppa toscana crockpot in a bowl with bacon garnish

BEST Crock Pot Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden)

Jenni Cole
A delicious Zuppa Toscana Crock Pot soup recipe is a hearty kale potato sausage soup that's an Olive Garden copycat. 
It's super easy to make, plus it's gluten-free. Nothing beats a thick bowl of soup in the fall and winter and this will definitely become a new favorite in your home!
5 from 7 votes
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 25 minutes
Course Slow Cooker
Cuisine Italian
Servings 8 servings

Equipment

  • Crock-Pot or Slow Cooker 6-Quart

Ingredients
  

  • ½ lb bacon about 4-5 slices bacon
  • 1 lb mild Italian sausage or spicy Italian sausage
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 2 tablespoon minced garlic cloves
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 lb Yukon gold potatoes cut into 1" cubes
  • 4 C chopped kale
  • 32 oz chicken broth
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • Garnishes - more bacon Romano cheese or parmesan to sprinkle
  • ⅛-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional and to taste

Instructions
 

  • Cook the bacon in a large pan over medium heat and reserve 1 tablespoon of grease.
  • Cook the Italian sausage in the bacon grease until cooked through, this will take about 7-8 mins.
  • Add the chopped onion and garlic cloves to the sausage and cook until the onion starts to soften for about 4-5 minutes. Drain the remaining grease.
  • Add the sausage and onion mixture to the crockpot.
  • Add the diced potatoes and chicken broth. Make sure the chicken broth is completely covering the potatoes, and press the potatoes down into the liquid if needed.
  • Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours. The potatoes should be completely soft.
  • Once the potatoes are all the way cooked through, add the kale, and whipping cream and cook on high for 15-20 more mins until the kale is wilted. 
  • Garnish with the crumbled bacon and Romano or Parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy!

Notes

Making crock pot Zuppa Toscana soup is thicker than a stovetop recipe and will turn out more like a chowder
Substitute spinach if you don't like kale
The soup is traditionally made with spicy Italian sausage, which adds a lot of flavor, but you can use mild Italian sausage if you prefer.
Buy a bag of pre-cooked bacon from the grocery store or Costco to save even more time.
Keyword crock pot, crockpot, gluten free soup, Olive Garden copycat, potato soup, slow cooker
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