This hearty and comforting Zuppa Toscana is made entirely in the Instant Pot! It is full of sausage, potatoes, carrots, and spinach. This soup is so easy to make and will warm you on the coldest of nights! And the best part, it's ready in under an hour!
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This recipe is a play off the Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana. I like eating out just as much as the next person, but there is so much extra salt and fat in most of the dishes you get at restaurants.
Try making it at home! You are able to control the quality of the ingredients, how much you make, how much you eat, and the amount of salt and fat in the recipe. It's a win win when you make it at home. Plus it saves you SO much money!
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What is Zuppa Toscana?
"Zuppa Toscana" translates in Italian to "Tuscan Soup". This is a very broad term and is more the type of soup, not the specific recipe. As with all soups and recipes, it has changed over time and as more people have made it!
It traditionally has all the flavors of Tuscany, like white beans, sausage, and kale. This soup became really popular when the Olive Garden created a soup and added it to it's menu.
This soup is a little different since I've used spinach instead of kale. My family prefers spinach, but if you prefer the heartiness of kale, feel free to use that.
Ingredients You'll Need
This soup has a lot of veggies in it. All those veggies offset the sausage and cream in the soup, right? Well, at least that's what I tell myself!
- Sausage- one pound, casings removed.
- Chicken Broth- You'll need 6 cups, which is a little more than one box of broth.
- Veggies- Garlic, onions, carrots, and zucchini are added to this soup.
- Potatoes- Red potatoes are perfect soup potatoes. Golden potatoes would work here as well.
- Heavy Cream- to give the soup a silky texture.
- Spinach- Any greens would work here.
Equipment
- Instant Pot- You'll need at least a 6 quart Instant Pot or the soup won't fit.
- Cutting Boards
- Vegetable Peeler
- Knives
- Ladle
Let's Make Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana!
Remove the sausage from the casing. You can also purchase a package of sausage meat in the grocery stores if you don't want to remove the sausage from the casing.
Dice the onions and garlic. Add the sausage, onions, and garlic to the Instant Pot and set the Instant Pot to "Saute". Cook for 5-8 minutes until the sausage is no longer pink and the onions are translucent.
While the sausage cooks, peel and dice the carrots, dice the zucchini, and dice the potatoes. Add the vegetables to the Instant Pot once the sausage is done cooking.
Once you add the other vegetables, stir everything to combine the flavors. Add the broth to the Instant Pot and set the Instant Pot to "High" for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for 10 minutes. Release any remaining pressure and carefully open the lid. Add the spinach and heavy cream and stir until the spinach has wilted. Serve immediately!
Tips and Tricks
- No need to peel the potatoes. The skins get very soft in the Instant Pot, so you don't have to peel them. If you prefer peeled potatoes, then peel away!
- Serve this soup with hearty sourdough bread or with a basket of bread rolls.
- Chop the spinach if you have kids who are likely to pick around the spinach. The smaller the leaves, the more likely they are to eat it.
- Top this instant pot zuppa toscana with parmesan cheese, croutons, or crumbled bacon.
Variations of Zuppa Toscana
- Any type of green would be delicious in this soup. Use kale, spinach, even escarole if you have some on hand!
- Make it spicy! Instead of sweet Italian sausage, use spicy. Add crushed red pepper flakes to the soup when you are sautéing all the veggies.
- Mix up your veggies! Yellow squash, cauliflower, or celery are all veggies that can be added to this soup to bulk up the nutrients.
- Lighten it up! Use chicken or turkey sausage instead of pork sauce to lighten up the soup. Substitute half and half or whole milk for the heavy cream.
- Bump up the protein! Add a can of rinsed and drained cannellini beans to bump up the protein in the soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Use frozen whole spinach. Defrost the spinach and add it to the soup at the end of cooking and allow the spinach to heat by setting the Instant Pot to "saute" for 2 minutes.
Kind of! To make this soup ahead of time, make the soup and cook it through. Once it is done cooking and you have released the pressure, allow the soup to cool. Do not add the spinach or cream. Freeze the soup in a Ziploc bag or an airtight container for up to 4 months. When you are ready, heat up the soup on the stove and add the spinach and cream right before you are going to serve it.
This soup is naturally gluten free, since we aren't using any type of flour. To make this soup keto friendly, leave out the carrots and substitute cauliflower for the potatoes.
Other Recipes To Try!
Did you love this Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana? I'd so appreciate it if you would give this recipe a 5 star review! That will help other hungry readers find my recipes!
And don't forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook and share this recipe on Pinterest! Thanks for sharing this journey with me and enjoy these delicious recipes!
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup
- Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Instant Pot Ham and Potato Soup
- Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
- Hearty Instant Pot Minestrone Soup
- Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb Sausage Casing Removed
- 1 Onion Diced
- 2 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 4 Red Potatoes
- 2 Carrots Peeled and diced
- 1 Zucchini Chopped, not peeled
- 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 6 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- 2 cups Baby Spinach Fresh
- ½ cup Heavy Cream
Instructions
- Remove the sausage from the casing. Chop the onion and garlic.
- Add the sausage, onion, and garlic to the Instant Pot and set the Instant Pot to "saute". Cook for 5-8 minutes until the sausage is no longer pink and the onions are cooked through.
- While the sausage cooks, peel the carrots and chop them. Dice the zucchini and potatoes into small, bite sized pieces.
- When the sausage is done cooking, add the carrots, zucchini, potatoes, and Italian seasoning to the Instant Pot. Stir everything to combine.
- Add the chicken broth and seal the lid. Set the Instant Pot to "High" and cook for 15 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, release any remaining pressure and carefully open the lid. Add the spinach and heavy cream and stir until the spinach has wilted. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Kale can be used instead of spinach.
- Instead of heavy cream, half and half can be substituted.
- Grocery stores sell sausage meat already taken out of the sausage casing, you'll want to use a 1 pound package.
- You'll need at least a 6 qt Instant Pot to make this soup. Anything smaller and the Instant Pot will not cook properly.
Emily says
Great 🍜 soup!
Lynn Polito says
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!