This easy Crockpot Zuppa Toscana is a creamy Tuscan soup full of Italian sausage, kale, potatoes, and Parmesan. It’s hearty, creamy, and perfect for the colder months! There’s a step-by-step recipe video down in the recipe card, too!
For more delicious soup recipes, check out my Sausage Tortellini Soup, Italian Sausage Gnocchi Soup, Ham and Potato Soup, and my Chicken Wild Rice Soup.
Table of Contents
I faintly remember those days when I used to go to Olive Garden for the Zuppa Toscana (all you can eat soup and breadsticks? Sign me up!).
But life gets busier and we need all the easy meals around here!
Since having kids, I’ve learned to make and enjoy more of our favorite restaurant meals at home, including this creamy soup.
This easy Crock Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup is as delicious as the original recipe, if not better!
It’s made with simple ingredients and minimal effort, so it’s perfect for a lazy weekend or prepping for the end of a busy day.
This delicious copycat soup is one of our favorite things to dip large chunks of bread into in the fall!
Why we love this Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana Soup:
- The Italian sausage is loaded with herbs and spices, which cuts down on the extra ingredients required!
- It’s got just the right amount of spice and sweetness (again, thanks Italian sausage!)
- Aside from browning the meat, I can just dump it and go, which is perfect for busy weeknights.
Zuppa Toscana Ingredients:
- Sausage: use mild or spicy Italian sausage meat without the casings.
- Onion & Garlic: use freshly chopped onion and freshly minced garlic.
- Broth: I always use a low-sodium chicken broth, as it adds a depth of flavor and allows me to control the salt content of the dish better.
- Potatoes: Russet or gold potatoes will work well here, but you can try other kinds of potatoes if you like. If you use smooth-skinned potatoes you can skip the peeling!
- Salt & Pepper: simple seasonings of salt and black pepper will give this dish a great flavor.
- Red Pepper Flakes: a simple way to add some extra spice to this dish.
- Cream: Use heavy cream or 10-30% cream for the best creamy flavor and texture.
- Kale: chop the kale before you add it to the soup so you don’t end up with big clumps at the end.
- Cheese: Freshly grated parmesan cheese is perfect for this soup.
How to Make Crockpot Zuppa Toscana Soup
- Saute: Brown the sausage and onion in a pan.
- Add garlic: Add garlic to the pan and stir.
- Put in pot and cook: Add the sausage mixture, broth, potatoes, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes to the Slow Cooker and cook.
- Mix in everything else: Stir in the kale, cream, and Parmesan and serve!
Zuppa Toscana Soup FAQs
Zuppa Toscana is meant to be a creamy broth but if you prefer it thicker, you can mash some of the potatoes or add a cornstarch slurry to it. Mash potatoes with a potato masher, or blend the soup a bit with an immersion blender.
For the slurry, whisk together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cold water. Once the mixture is smooth, whisk small amounts into the soup until thickened to your liking.
Store leftover Zuppa Toscana in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop until piping hot.
Freeze this soup for up to 1 month. The texture of potatoes will change with freezing and defrosting, so if that is something that bothers you, I’d advise against it. To reheat it, simply thaw in the fridge overnight and warm on the stove or in the microwave.
Tips and Notes
- Dutch Oven. You can make this Zuppa Toscana Soup in a Dutch oven or soup pot if you prefer. Take a look at my Zuppa Toscana Soup recipe for more information.
- Kale texture. We prefer the texture of kale with more bite, so we stir it in near the end of the cook time. If you want, you can always add it to the slow cooker at the beginning but it will be softer.
Crock pot Zuppa Toscana Soup Variations
- Bacon. Lots of recipes for Zuppa Toscana include bacon, but I find it an unnecessary addition. If that’s your thing, feel free to cook some up in the same pan you fry your sausage and add it to the slow cooker (or save your crispy bacon to sprinkle on top to garnish).
- Swap the kale. You can swap the kale for spinach if that’s what you have on hand, but spinach isn’t as tough as kale, so I would add it right before serving it.
- Cream. If you want to use a lighter dairy option, you can swap the heavy cream for evaporated milk. I don’t recommend low-fat milk, as it can curdle when added alone to hot liquid.
- Change the meat. Swap the Italian sausage for ground beef or even ground turkey sausage, if preferred. Bear in mind that Italian sausage is heavily seasoned, so if you use another meat, you will want to add more seasonings yourself!
- Add more veggies. Add more veggies to the soup for more nutrients and color. Sauté some peppers, mushrooms, or any other veggies with the onion and Italian sausage. Or you can add veggies with more structure, such as broccoli, cauliflower, or carrots, when you add the potatoes.
- Low-carb. To make this soup a low-carb option, use cauliflower instead of potatoes.
Serving Suggestions
Zuppa Toscana soup is comforting and filling all on it’s own, but we love dipping some bread in there to soak up all the juices!
Try these Homemade Breadsticks (Olive Garden Copycat), my No Knead Artisan Bread, or this classic Garlic Bread.
You can also serve some yummy sides with the soup like these Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks, or veggies like my Air Fryer Green Beans, or Roasted Carrots.
More Easy Soup Recipes To Try
Crockpot Zuppa Toscana
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 375 grams Italian sausage meat without casings, mild or spicy (¾ lb)
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1½ lbs Russet or gold potatoes about 4 medium, peeled and diced
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes optional, for extra spice
- ¾ cup cream (10-30% will work fine)
- 2 cups chopped kale
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large frying pan, brown the Italian sausage with the onion over medium-high heat (4-5 minutes). Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Add the sausage mixture, broth, potatoes, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes to the Slow Cooker (4-6 quarts).
- Cook on Low for 4-5 hours or High for about 2 hours (cooking times vary by slow cooker).
- Once potatoes are tender, stir in kale, cream, and Parmesan.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Allison says
So delicious! This was perfect & easy for a cold winter dinner!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad!
jessica says
Hi,
Wondering if I could use an Instant Pot?
Thanks
Ashley Fehr says
Yes definitely! I would brown the sausage, add the rest of the ingredients and cook 2-3 minutes high pressure.
AnnMarie says
I followed everything to the T and it came out so delicious! Received a bunch of compliments (I made it for a potluck) and a few people even asked for the recipe. I made it again for my family and it’s definitely a W!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that!
Laura says
This recipe is out of this world delicious!!!! I made it for the first time today. It is definitely a keeper. I used 1 pound of sweet Italian sausage, omitted the salt and added 2 cups of chopped spinach (instead of Kale) right before serving. I cooked it on the low setting for 4 1/2 hours. Perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Ashely for all of your amazing slow cooker recipes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All of them are 5 stars!!!!!!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you so much Laura! I’m thrilled you liked it!
Elyse Temple says
What kind of cream did you use?
Ashley Fehr says
I use heavy cream if I have it, but any cream will work.
Mary Krebs says
This recipe is so good and so easy! I make it with Kale and Leaks!
Nancy P. says
I made this soup tonight!! It was really good, and I will make it again. Great flavor and texture!!!
The Recipe Rebel says
So happy to hear, thank you!
Nancy says
This was delicious! I made my own Italian sausage with ground pork and spices and added some carrots and celery, and I used spinach instead of kale. My slow cooker doesn’t seem as hot as yours, because after 3 hours on high the veggies were still just slightly crunchy. I will do 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low next time. Thank you for the delicious recipe! So easy😊
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Nancy!
Gina says
If I use frozen hashbrowns for the potatoes, would they need to be parboiled or could they be added frozen? Would they get done quickly enough?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Gina, I really don’t know how that would work and I honestly would not recommend it. They are typically really small pieces. I would not cook them before placing them into the crockpot in fear they would end up really mushy or dissolved.
John McIntyre says
I make potato soup with orida hash browns they work fine from frozen and 3 hrs usually is enough in crockpot
Linda says
I made the Zuppa Toscana soup using this recipe yesterday and it was amazing! I’m already thinking I’ll order something else at Olive Garden since I can now make my own delicious soup!! And using the slow cooker was very convenient.
I will definitely use it again and again …
The Recipe Rebel says
Yay! Thanks, Linda!