Zuppa Toscana is a copy cat version of Olive Garden's famous soup and it is loaded with sausage, (hot Italian sausage is a must), potatoes, and kale which also makes it gluten-free and grain-free. The sausage makes the broth so flavorful and almost disguises the kale so you don't know you're eating something healthy. I could spend all Winter long eating this soup and it comes together in the Instant Pot so quickly.
If you make this soup my 2 Ingredient Dough breadsticks would be perfect to serve as a side or appetizer. They aren’t comparable to Olive Garden’s by any means but they are still good and WW friendly.

Is Zuppa Toscana spicy?
Zuppa Toscana is indeed a spicy soup because of the hot Italian sausage used. There is also mild Italian sausage which is a little less spicy than the hot. The sausage is so flavorful and also helps flavor the broth. If you get heartburn from spicy food like me, just make sure to take a Tums after or try a less spicy sausage. Sweet Italian sausage can also be used if you're a heartburn sufferer like me when it comes to eating spicy food.
Benefits of Kale
I’m a spinach or romaine fan but kale has many health benefits and has been deemed a superfood. Kale is loaded with antioxidants such as quercetin and kaempferol. It is an excellent source of vitamin c and vitamin k. It can also help lower cholesterol, which will reduce the risk of heart disease.
How to make Zuppa Toscana Soup
- Set a 6-qt Instant Pot® to the saute setting. Add olive oil and sausage. Cook until sausage is lightly browned and crumbled, about 6 to 8 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Add garlic and onion to the cooked sausage, and continue cooking. Stir frequently until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes. (You might have to hit the saute setting more than once.)
- Add the potatoes and chicken broth to the pot then season with salt and pepper, to taste. (The sausage has a lot of salt already so you might not need to add in any extra)
- Select the manual setting, and set the timer for 5 minutes. Set the vent to sealing. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to the manufacturer’s directions.
- Stir in kale until wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Add in milk until heated through, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
Tips for Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana
Can you freeze Zuppa Toscana? Yes, you can freeze this soup. Store in freezer-safe bags or airtight containers for no longer than 3 months.
What does Zuppa Toscana mean? Zuppa is basically soup and Toscana is Tuscan.
Kale: If you don’t like kale, spinach would be another good green that would work in this soup.
What Instant Pot is the best?
I have the Instant Pot Duo 6 QT Electric Pressure Cooker. You can find it on Amazon. I'm not sponsored by them, it just a kitchen appliance I really like to use. Gotta love those muti-cookers! The Instant Pot Duo multi-cooker combines 7 appliances in one: pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, sauté pan, yogurt maker and warmer – and cooks up to 70% faster!

Other Soup Recipes
Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
How do I calculate Nutrition and WW points?
WW points are calculated using the recipe builder and not the nutrition info calculator. The nutrition calculator doesn’t calculate 0 point foods correctly.
I use the Myfitnesspal app to figure out nutrition info. Please note that I am not a certified nutritionist and I do my BEST to provide the information.
Print
Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 25 min
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
Zuppa Toscana is a copy cat version of Olive Garden's famous soup and it is loaded with sausage, (hot Italian sausage is a must), potatoes, and kale which also makes it gluten-free and grain-free.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp of olive oil
- 16 oz mild or hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 5 c. low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 medium yukon gold potatoes, diced
- 7 ounces of kale, leaves stripped and chopped
- 1 cup 1% milk
- ¼ freshly grated Parmesan, for serving (optional, not included in points)
Instructions
- Set a 6-qt Instant Pot® to the saute setting. Add olive oil and sausage. Cook until sausage is lightly browned and crumbled, about 6-8 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Add garlic and onion. Cook, stirring frequently until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes. (You might have to hit the saute setting more than once.
- Add the potatoes and chicken broth to the pot then season with salt and pepper, to taste. (The sausage has a lot of salt already so you might not need to add in any extra)
- Select manual setting; and set the timer for 5 minutes. Set the vent to sealing. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to the manufacturer’s directions.
- Stir in kale until wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Add in milk until heated through, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
myWW points: blue: 5, green: 5; purple: 3
My WW Personal Points: 4 Click here to see in recipe builder (will have to log in)
- Category: Easy
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 205
- Sugar: 3.1g
- Fat: 9.5g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5g
- Carbohydrates: 15.4g
- Fiber: 2.1g
- Protein: 15.2g
Keywords: instant pot zuppa toscana soup
*If you make this recipe please comment and rate the recipe below to let everyone know how it is, or tag me on Instagram! If you want to upload a photo you can do that on Pinterest. Just find the post for it.
Jenna says
Does it have a soup function? Sorry, I'm not familiar with that type of Instant Pot. 🙁
eve says
I have and instant pot Aura which has a ton of functions just not pressure cooking. I have a stew function and slow cooker. Which to use and for how long?
Jenna says
Glad you liked it, Angie!
Angie says
This was absolutely delicious!!
★★★★★