This is my take on the creamy sausage and kale soup from Olive Garden, made with quartered radishes in place of the potatoes. The radishes simmer in chicken broth with heavy cream, Parmesan, garlic, and sage until they are fork-tender. As they cook, they lose their peppery bite and turn soft, a lot like potatoes. Crispy bacon, mild Italian sausage, and kale finish the pot. Everything cooks in one large pot in about an hour. The recipe makes 8 servings.
This is the soup we get asked for most, both in our house and by guests.
It’s hearty and easy to make.
If you usually swap cauliflower in for potatoes, try radishes for a change. They take on the flavor of the broth and turn as tender as potatoes.
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To make this zuppa toscana, crisp bacon and brown mild Italian sausage in one large pot, sauté garlic, sage, and black pepper in butter, then simmer chicken broth, heavy cream, and Parmesan with quartered radishes standing in for the potatoes until they are fork-tender, and finish with kale. The radishes soften into a tender, potato-like bite. Using them in place of potatoes keeps this version low in carbs. The recipe serves 8.
💛 Why you’ll love this recipe
- Takes just 1 hour to prepare and serve.
- Warm, comforting, and filling.
- Made start to finish in one pot.
- Rich and creamy from the heavy cream and Parmesan.
- A great option for weekly meal prep.
➡️ Ingredients
- Bacon
- Ground mild Italian sausage
- Butter
- Minced garlic
- Ground sage
- Black pepper
- Chicken broth
- Heavy whipping cream
- Shredded Parmesan cheese
- Radishes
- Kale
(Need ingredient substitution suggestions? See that section below for my recommendations.)
⏲ How to make zuppa toscana
This is an overview of the recipe’s instructions. The full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cook Bacon: Cook the chopped bacon until crisp and then transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate. Carefully spoon out and discard the excess bacon grease, but do not wash the pot.
- Cook Sausage: In the same pot, cook your ground sausage until browned then transfer that to a separate paper towel-lined plate. Spoon out and discard the excess grease but, again, do not wash the pot.
- Prepare Soup: To the same pot with some melted butter, add your minced garlic, ground sage, and black pepper and sauté until fragrant before increasing the stovetop heat and adding in chicken broth, heavy cream, and shredded Parmesan. Bring the mixture to a simmer, add in the quartered radishes, and decrease the stovetop heat. Simmer until the radishes are fork-tender.
- Serve And Garnish: Stir in your browned sausage and chopped kale and continue to simmer until the kale wilts before serving the soup in bowls and garnishing with the bacon crumbles.
🍴 Nutrition
The recipe makes 8 servings of about ¾ cup each. The calories, carbs, protein, and fat for each serving are in the nutrition label below the recipe instructions.
👉 Ingredient substitution suggestions
- Minced Garlic: Use ½ teaspoon garlic powder in place of the 2 teaspoons of minced garlic that the recipe calls for.
- Ground Sage: I have used ground thyme in its place in this recipe and it’s worked great.
- Chicken Broth: Beef broth or vegetable broth can be used here.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Half-and-half or whole milk can be used.
- Shredded Parmesan Cheese: Grated Parmesan cheese can be used instead of shredded. You can also use shredded Asiago or Romano.
- Radishes: Cauliflower florets work really well in place of radishes here. If you use cauliflower, note that it will likely cook faster than radishes, so be sure to watch the soup closely so you don’t overcook the cauliflower. Red potatoes also work if you want the classic version. Cut them into bite-size pieces and simmer until fork-tender.
- Kale: Spinach can be used here, but note it will cook faster than the kale and it will change the resulting texture of the soup.
〰️ How to serve
- Alongside keto cheesy breadsticks or garlic bread rounds.
- With this copycat Olive Garden salad on the side.
💬 FAQs
What do you use instead of potatoes in this zuppa toscana?
I use quartered radishes. They soften as the soup simmers and take on a tender, potato-like texture.
How many carbs are in this zuppa toscana?
Each serving has 3.9 grams of carbohydrates and 1.1 grams of fiber. The full nutrition label is in the recipe card.
Can you use cauliflower instead of radishes?
Yes, cauliflower florets work in place of radishes, though they cook faster, so add them later and watch the soup closely so they don’t overcook.
How should the soup be stored?
Store the prepared soup in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days.
📚 More soup recipes
🍴 Make This Next
- One-Pan Tuscan Garlic Shrimp & Spinach – Garlic butter shrimp with the same Tuscan soul.
- Ham and Corn Chowder – Smoky ham melts into sweet corn cream.
- Creamy Salmon Orzo – Rich, creamy orzo with tender salmon.
🍽 Recipe
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Zuppa Toscana
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon, roughly chopped
- 1 pound ground mild Italian sausage
- 1 tablespoon 14g butter
- 2 teaspoons 10g minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon ground sage
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 ¾ cup chicken broth
- ¾ cup 180mL heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup 28g shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 pound radishes, quartered
- 2 ounces de-stemmed kale, roughly chopped (~1 cup)
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, cook chopped bacon until crisp, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Carefully spoon out and discard excess bacon grease, but do not wash the pot.
- In same pot over medium-high heat, cook ground sausage until browned and no longer pink, about 6 to 8 minutes, breaking the meat apart while cooking. Transfer browned sausage to a paper towel-lined plate. Spoon out and discard excess grease, but do not wash the pot.
- In same pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add garlic, ground sage, and black pepper and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Increase stovetop heat to medium-high and add in chicken broth, heavy cream, and shredded Parmesan. Bring mixture to a simmer, add quartered radishes, and decrease stovetop heat to medium-low. Simmer until radishes are fork-tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- Stir in browned sausage and chopped kale and continue to simmer until kale wilts, about 5-10 minutes.
- Serve soup in bowls and garnish with crisped bacon crumbles.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Photo Credit: Jess Larson
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