Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana

Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana is Tuscan sausage potato soup with kale that’s quick and easy in the pressure cooker. Tastes like the Olive Garden favorite!

This easy sausage potato soup is loaded with cubed Yukon gold potatoes, flavorful Italian sausage and kale leaves in a creamy broth. Top it off with crumbled cooked bacon and grated Parmesan cheese, and you’ve got a hearty meal in one bowl!

I used to have a bowl of Zuppa Toscana soup whenever I had lunch with friends at the Olive Garden. I liked it so much that I even made it at home a few times.

I’m not sure why it took me so long to make Zuppa Toscana in the pressure cooker — probably because one of the kids is definitely not a fan of kale!

You guys, I am so glad I finally converted this soup recipe into an Instant Instant Pot recipe, because this Tuscan-style soup is amazing. And, it’s so much quicker in the Instant Pot!

Tuscan Sausage Potato Soup

Zuppa Toscana is the Olive Garden’s take on a rustic soup found in Tuscany. The Italian version has beans, more veggies and a lighter broth.

The restaurant version has potatoes, Italian sausage, kale and bacon in a creamy broth. Definitely comfort food!

How to Make Zuppa Toscana in the Instant Pot

Quick and easy recipes are my favorite, so I made this soup as easy as possible.

• Use leftover cooked bacon instead of cooking it in the pot
• Use ground sausage instead of sausage in casing
• Use unpeeled Yukon Gold potatoes

Start by cooking some chopped onions until they are slightly soft. Then, add your ground Italian sausage and cook until no longer pink.

Sometimes, I’ll even use ground breakfast sausage because it’s so easy to work with and is usually not as greasy.

Season the meat, stir it, and turn off the pot. Then, add your chopped potatoes and chicken broth to the Instant Pot.

If you have some sausage bits sticking to the bottom, deglaze the pot when you add the broth. This will prevent the dreaded burn notice!

Pressure cook the soup for 5 minutes, and allow a 5 minute natural release, followed by a quick release. This helps prevent liquid spraying everywhere.

After removing the lid, add your chopped kale, then stir in the heavy cream while the pot is on Keep Warm setting. The soup is hot enough that it will cook the kale.

Give it a few minutes, and you’re good to go. You can add chopped cooked bacon and grated Parmesan cheese to the soup or serve it on the side for people to help themselves.

How to Thicken the Soup

This soup is not very thick. You can mash some of the potatoes right in the pot before serving or use a cornstarch slurry for even thicker soup.

Zuppa Toscana with Spinach

If you don’t like kale, use chopped fresh spinach. Just remove the stems before adding it to the pot.

How to Reheat Sausage Potato Soup

This Zuppa Toscana recipe makes a lot of soup. You can refrigerate the leftovers and reheat the soup in the microwave, in the Instant Pot on the saute setting or in a large pot on the stove.

Can You Freeze Zuppa Toscana Soup

You can. BUT, keep in mind that soups with cream or milk may separate and develop a slightly grainy texture once reheated.

If this doesn’t bother you, you can freeze the leftover soup in freezer bags to save for later. If you know you’ll be freezing the soup, you can freeze all or some before adding the cream and stir in the cream when you reheat it.

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More Comforting Instant Pot Soup Recipes

• Instant Pot Cheesy Potato Soup
• Instant Pot Kielbasa Cabbage Soup
• Instant Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Soup

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Easy Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Recipe

Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana

Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana is Tuscan sausage potato soup with kale that's quick and easy in the pressure cooker. Tastes like the Olive Garden favorite!

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: instant pot zuppa toscana, pressure cooker zuppa toscana, zuppa toscana recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

pressure time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 398kcal

Author: Dee

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 small white onion chopped, or half a large one
• 1 pound ground Italian sausage
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• pinch red pepper flakes optional
• 4 Yukon Gold potatoes unpeeled, cut into roughly 1/2-inch pieces
• 5 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 3 cups fresh kale leaves washed, stems removed and torn or roughly chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• crumbled or chopped cooked bacon
• grated Parmesan cheese

Equipment

Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

Instructions

• Hit SAUTE on the Instant Pot, and when it reads Hot, add the butter and onions, and cook until onions are slightly soft
• Add the ground sausage, breaking it up as it cooks, and cook until no longer pink
• Stir in the sea salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, black pepper and red pepper flakes if using, and hit CANCEL to turn pot off
• Deglaze the bottom of the pot if necessary, with a little of the chicken broth, then add the potatoes and chicken broth to the pot
• Place lid on pot, make sure vent is on Sealing position, and hit PRESSURE COOK or Manuel for 5 minutes. Hit START if your pot has this feature
• Pot will take a few minutes to reach pressure, then begin cooking and counting down as it cooks. When pot beeps, allow a 5 minute natural release, then quick release remaining pressure. If pot starts to release liquid, do a gradual quick release
• When pin drops, carefully remove lid, and stir soup. Stir in the chopped Kale, then stir in the heavy cream, and keep stirring until well combined and kale is soft
• Serve topped with the bacon and grated Parmesan cheese and additional red pepper flakes if desired

Notes

Recipe was made in a 6-quart Instant Pot pressure cooker and can be made in an 8 quart without changing amounts or cook time.

Can substitute spinach for kale, olive oil for butter and turkey sausage or breakfast sausage for Italian sausage.

If you only have a 32-ounce box of chicken broth, add 1 cup of water along with the chicken broth before cooking.

To thicken the soup, mash some of the potatoes in the pressure cooker before serving or use a cornstarch slurry. If you use the slurry, turn on the SAUTE setting, and stir it into the soup right before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 398kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 789mg | Potassium: 743mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 2154IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 4mg

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