A single serving Zuppa Toscana soup recipe that tastes so much better than any restaurant version! It's easy to make and can be ready in less than 30 minutes!
If you're a fan of Olive Garden restaurants in the US, you might be familiar with their popular Zuppa Toscana soup. It's one of my favorite dishes and I couldn't wait to create a single serving version of their recipe.
Zuppa Toscana simply means "Tuscan soup". It is traditionally made with kale, potatoes, onions, garlic, Italian meats and cream. The soup is hearty and filled with amazing flavors. In my "Zuppa Toscana For One", I always use spinach instead of kale. I always seem to have a bag of spinach in my refrigerator and when I use spinach, the soup cooks faster.
Why This Recipe Works
- This Zuppa Toscana soup tastes incredible!
- It's easy to make and cooks in under 30 minutes!
- This soup is filled with flavor and packed with vegetables.
- The recipe yields 1 large bowl of soup. It's the perfect amount for anyone cooking for one.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
See recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Bacon: Use 1 slice of bacon in this Zuppa Toscana recipe. See below for ways to use leftover bacon and other ingredients.
- Italian sausage: I use mild Italian sausage but you can use a spicier version if you want more heat.
- Onions and garlic: Chopped onions and garlic add quite a lot of flavor to this soup, definitely don't leave them out.
- Chili powder: For a subtle spicy flavor.
- Chicken broth: I recommend using low sodium chicken broth.
- Potato: 1 small russet potato is all that's needed. You can also use Yukon Gold potatoes.
- Spinach: Just a handful of spinach is all you need; about 1 cup of fresh spinach.
- Heavy cream: If you don't have heavy cream, you may use whole milk or evaporated milk instead. The soup won't be as creamy but will still be absolutely delicious.
How To Make This Recipe
- Cook bacon in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat until crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
- Add Italian sausage, onions, garlic, and chili powder to the drippings and cook, breaking up the sausage with a spoon until browned and no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Pour in the chicken broth and add the diced potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are slightly softened, about 12 minutes.
- Add the spinach and cook for 3 minutes.
- Turn off heat and stir in cream.
- Pour into a bowl and top with crumbled bacon.
Expert Tips
- Cut the potatoes the same size to ensure even cooking.
- To make a low carb Zuppa Toscana, use cauliflower florets instead of potatoes.
- In order to control the spiciness of this soup, we opted for using mild Italian sausage. Please feel free to use spicy Italian sausage or try turkey sausage, chorizo, or another favorite sausage.
- If you'd like a cheesy variation, consider adding shredded Parmesan or another cheese of choice as a soup topping.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Yes, if you'd like to make a little bit extra, this recipe doubles well.
I recommend using a 2-quart saucepan when making this single serving Zuppa Toscana recipe. For best results use a pan of similar size.
More information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one” is available on our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients left over from this Zuppa Toscana recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Bacon: Pasta Carbonara, Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf, Crustless Quiche Lorraine
- Italian sausage: Sausage Dressing, Overnight Breakfast Casserole, Beer Bread
- Onions: Clam Chowder, Chicken Spaghetti, Pico de Gallo
- Garlic: Pesto, Pasta Primavera, Twice Baked Eggplant
- Chili powder: Classic Chili, Beef Tacos, Fish Tacos
- Potatoes: Potato Soup, Scalloped Potatoes, Hash Browns
- Spinach: Spinach and Orzo Salad, Pork Stir Fry, Antipasto Salad
- Cream: Alfredo Sauce, Banana Cream Pie, Vanilla Ice Cream
- Chicken broth: Chicken and Dumplings, Rice Pilaf, Lentil Stew
Serving Suggestions
Consider serving your bowl of soup with any of these recipes:
If you’ve tried this copycat Zuppa Toscana recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
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Zuppa Toscana For One
Equipment
- 2 quart saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 slice bacon
- 1 link Italian sausage , casing removed
- ¼ cup chopped onions
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- ⅛ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 small Russet potato , peeled and diced
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate with a fork.
- Add the Italian sausage, onions, garlic, and chili powder to the drippings and cook, breaking the sausage up with a spoon, until browned and no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Pour in chicken broth and add diced potatoes to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer to cook potatoes, 10-12 minutes.
- Add spinach and cook 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in cream. Pour into a bowl and top with crumbled bacon.
Video
Notes
- Cut the potatoes the same size to ensure even cooking.
- To make a low carb Zuppa Toscana, use cauliflower florets instead of potatoes.
- In order to control the spiciness of this soup, we opted for using mild Italian sausage. Please feel free to use spicy Italian sausage or try turkey sausage, chorizo, or another favorite sausage.
- If you'd like a cheesy variation, consider adding shredded Parmesan or another cheese of choice as a soup topping.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Elaine says
This was an easy and delicious recipe!
Kristi says
This was fantastic - so glad I doubled the recipe! : ) I'm not a fan of spicy foods, so I made a couple minor changes- used a very mild sausage and switched out the chili powder for smoked paprika. I've always liked Olive Garden's chicken gnocchi soup and the base for this seems like it could easily be adapted for that recipe, too! Thank you so much, Joanie for this recipe and so many other wonderful ones, too!