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Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana (Sausage Potato Soup) is hearty and full of amazing flavor. This Olive Garden copycat soup is an all-time family favorite! Pressure cooker Zuppa Toscana is a very delicious, awesome soup to make in your Instant Pot!
A little spicy, creamy, and hearty, this Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana is just fabulous!
Originally published 9/8/2017
Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana (Sausage Potato Soup)
If you are looking for a super delicious soup to make in your Instant Pot®, you have found it!
There is a reason that so many cooks have made a copycat recipe of this yummy Olive Garden Sausage Potato Soup recipe. It just hits all the right notes.
I get compliments EVERY time I make this pressure cooker Zuppa Toscana recipe, even from my picky eaters.
About the Meat in Zuppa Toscana
- My go-to is a flavorful bulk Italian sausage (or Jimmy Dean, etc.). I buy 1 pound of hot, and 1 pound of mild and use both. This gives enough spice and flavor, but not too spicy. Use all hot or all mild if you like.
- Another way incredible flavor is added to this Instant Pot soup is with bacon. Smoky bacon. Just a few slices of a good smoky bacon take this already amazing soup right over the top and into the clouds!
- I highly recommend it. I mean, bacon. How bad can that be? Either way you make it, you will end up with a rich, hearty, and very satisfying, rustic Italian inspired Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana (Sausage Potato Soup)!
The Greens to Use for Zuppa Toscana
- The usual greens to add to Zuppa Toscana is kale. It is hearty and wilts just enough in the hot soup.
- You can vary from the usual way of making Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana by using spinach instead of kale.
- Use either fresh baby spinach, or frozen chopped spinach (the kind in the box) thawed, and add it after cooking, just before adding the cream.
- Both versions are wonderful!
Can I Make This Zuppa Toscana Non-Dairy?
Yes you can! Substitute your favorite plant-based milk, such as unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk, etc. Since you add it after cooking, the flavor stays intact.
Can I Freeze Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana?
Yes! I like to freeze it in portion sizes in a freezer baggie or air-tight container.
Pro-Tip: To reheat, be sure to thaw the soup first, and reheat slowly.
Instant Pot Pasta E Fagioli (pasta and bean soup)
Instant Pot Beef Barley Vegetable Soup
Instant Pot Ham Hock and Bean Soup
Instant Pot Turkey Soup
If you make this pressure cooker Zuppa Toscana Olive Garden Copycat soup recipe, please let me know! Just leave a comment with a star rating. Thank you!
Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana (Sausage Potato Soup)
Equipment
- 6-quart or 8-quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 3 strips Thick Cut Smoky Bacon, chopped
- 2 lbs Ground Hot Italian Sausage (use ½ hot and ½ mild if you don't like spicy)
- 1 Large Onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Oregano, dried
- 4 large cloves Garlic, pressed or minced
- 4-6 Medium Potatoes, halved and sliced ½ inch thick
- 6 cups Chicken Broth, low sodium
- 1 Bunch of Kale** chopped, with rib removed
- 1 - 1 ½ cups Heavy Cream (or whole milk, half and half, etc.)
Optional Substitute for the Kale
- 12-ounce Pkg Frozen Chopped Spinach (thawed) or fresh Baby Spinach*
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté mode, and add the chopped bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon renders out most of its fat. Remove and set aside.
- Add the sausage and brown it, stirring a few times. If you can get a good browning on it the flavor will be even better!
- Spoon out most of the fat (all but 1 Tablespoon of the fat, enough to cook the onions).
- Add the onions, stir them.
- Add the oregano.
- When the onions start to turn translucent, add the garlic and stir.
- Pour in the broth, stirring, and make sure you scrape the bottom of the pot to get up any browned bits (deglaze).
- Add the potatoes, and add the bacon back in.
- Check to make sure the contents don't go over the Max Fill line marked on the inner liner.
- Cancel Sauté mode.
- Close the lid, set the steam release knob to Sealing.
- Set to Manual (or Pressure Cook), and choose 5 minutes* (High Pressure). The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.
- After cooking cycle ends, allow a 10 minute NPR (Natural Pressure Release).
- Do a Controlled Quick Release for the rest of the steam, and when the pin in the lid drops, open the lid.
- Add in the kale, (or thawed spinach, if using) and stir well. Cover and let heat through for 5 minutes or so to soften the kale. If using spinach, just stir it in and proceed to the next step.
- Stir in the heavy cream.
- Serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Resources to Make InstaPot Zuppa Toscana Recipe
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I have made this several times and my family loves it. I used ground turkey and added Italian sausage spices. We are also dairy free and I read somewhere to puree a can of white beans to substitute for the cream. It works to add creaminess to the soup.
Fantastic recipe! Loved it!
Definitely a keeper at our house! So happy it turned out delicious! I substituted the kale for spinach since we are spinach lovers. Yumm!!
Thank you, Anna. I’m glad you like this recipe!
I made this tonight and it turned out amazing. I would give it 10 stars if I could. It really hit the spot in the need for winter weather comfort food. I’m a vegetarian so I dropped the bacon and swapped out the real sausage for Field Roast Italian Sausage. Really delicious. It was just me eating it and it made more than I can eat between today and tomorrow. Any experience freezing it?
Hi Elissa! I’m so happy that you found a way to make this recipe fit your diet! As for freezing it, I haven’t. I would try a quart freezer baggie and see how it does. This is one of those soups we never have leftovers of!
Thank you for this recipe! I am without a kitchen right now (remodel!), so I’ve been using my electric pressure cooker several times a week. I followed your recipe and my husband, who is picky about eating GOOD, FLAVORFUL food, loved it. He said it may be the best thing I have ever made. I used spinach in it tonight because that is what I had on hand, but I will probably try it with kale next time. Other than that, the only other changes I made was leave out the oregano (again…picky husband!) and added some salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. I also added some Parmesan cheese to the top when serving. My only issue with it was that I would have liked it thicker. But it was delicous and it will definitely be made again. Thank you!!!
Thank you, Jennifer, I’m so glad you and your husband liked this recipe. For a thicker soup you can try mashing some of the potatoes, or making a slurry with potato starch and cold water.
This soup is divine. I drain the cooked sausage and replace the pork fat with olive oil, and it doesn’t affect the flavor at all. I also offer hot cream when I serve it — that way people can add it to taste, and I can freeze the leftover soup (if there is any!). Our favorite accompaniment is fresh baked no-knead bread. Thanks for such a wonderful recipe!
Hello, this looks fantastic. I am hoping to make it tonight or tomorrow. Does it matter what kind of potatoes and onions are used? If I make it, do you think it will keep well for a while on “warm” setting with the glass lid?
Thank you!
Lisa
Use any kind of potato or onion, it will be delicious! It keeps well on warm, the potatoes may soften a bit more.
Hello there, as a new InstantPot user I just wanted to clarify that the time to come to pressure for me was about 15 minutes, not “several”. Do you use a name brand InstantPot? Just curious as the language was confusing to me. But the recipe was DELICIOUS! Thank you. 🙂
Hi Sarah! “Several” is a purposefully vague amount of time as the timing will vary based on different factors. Namely, weather or not you preheated the broth/meat mixture before adding the potatoes and sealing the pot. May I ask what language specifically was confusing as I would like to clarify? I do use an Instant Pot® brand pot.
This soup is a family favorite! Even those who domt like Kale, we all looovvee it! It is just so tasty and falvorful! This is always one I go back too!!!
That’s great, Mackenzie! Thank you. So glad you all liked this recipe!
Hi, the recipe sounds delicious! Do you have any suggestions for a substitution for the cream? I can’t eat dairy so I try to avoid it. Thanks!
You can use unsweetened almond milk or cashew milk. Even coconut milk, though that will alter the flavor (I would test a small amount in a separate bowl of the soup). Some people don’t add any at all.
Lots of times, I’ll use white beans as a “cream” – I make a large batch and freeze them in little baggies. Whenever I need something creamed, I take a baggie out, defrost it, puree it and mix it in. This way I can get some more fiber with less fat into my kids’ diets!
Such a great tip, Dorothy! Thank you for sharing that.