Tortellini Zuppa Toscana

Zuppa Toscana Soup may have been made popular by Olive Garden but has quickly come a household comfort food favorite thanks to how easy it is to make. Now, Zuppa Toscana is even better with the addition of cheesy tortellini. There's nothing NOT to love about this creamy and satisfying Italian soup!

Gosh, darn it I love soup! Just ask my family and they will attest to the fact that I try to put soup on the menu at least once a week, especially in the cold months. There is something so satisfying about a hot bowl of soup with warm buttered bread for an easy dinner.

One of my go-to weeknight recipes is for Turkey and Black Bean Chili,  my favorite Sausage, White Bean and Tortellini Soup and now my Tortellini Zuppa Toscana. I suppose I have a "thing" for tortellini soup....can you blame me?

This Tortellini Zuppa Toscana is good for so many reasons but I love that it's packed with spicy (you can substitute mild) Italian Sausage and lots of curly kale that melts into the soup adding amazing texture and loosing all of it's bitterness. A touch of cream makes it rich but overall the chicken stock base is light and savory.

What is Zuppa Toscana?

Zuppa Toscana simply means Tuscan Soup and is generally made with Italian sausage, crushed red pepper, onion, bacon, garlic, chicken broth, heavy cream, potatoes and kale.

Of course there are tons of variations on this Tuscan Soup but those are the most classic ingredients! I personally like this version even better because I substitute the potatoes for cheese filled tortellini, and who doesn't love pasta?

Tortellini Zuppa Toscana Ingredients

• Bacon - I like a good thick cut bacon for any soup recipe because it holds it's structure best and adds the most flavor.
• Italian Sausage- My recipe calls for spicy but you can use mild or sweet for this as well! If I'm cooking for my twins I use Sweet Italian Sausage.
• Garlic - Don't skip on the fresh garlic! Trust me, you need all 10 cloves.
• Onion - I use yellow onion for most recipes but white will work as well.
• Chicken Stock - My favorite stock is the organic free range chicken stock from Trader Joe's because it has so much flavor and body however you can use any stock or broth you like! Remember, this is a chance to add flavor so stock is best.
• Tuscan Kale - I buy this pre-chopped in a bag from Trader Joe's but you can chop it yourself! Any curly Tuscan kale will do.
• Heavy Cream - This is what gives this soup it's delicious creamy finish! 
• Cheese Tortellini - Either shelf stable dried tortellini such as Barilla Collezione Tortellini or refrigerated cheese tortellini will do!

How to Make Zuppa Toscana

The best thing about this soup, aside from the flavor, is how EASY and fast it is to make! Now I can make this with my eyes closed and without ever looking at a recipe. Yup, it's that simple! Here's how to do it:

1. In a large dutch oven (I use this one), cook the bacon over medium-high heat, until crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon.
2. To the bacon drippings, add the Italian sausage, onion and garlic, breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon and browning. At this point you can season with salt and pepper however I find the sausage is flavorful enough.
3. Add the chicken stock, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.
4. Drop in the Tortellini and cook according to package instructions but still firm and not all the way cooked. You want them to still be a little undercooked before moving onto the next step as they will finish cooking with the kale.
5. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the kale and cook for an additional 3 minutes or until the tortellini are just cooked but still al dente.
6. Remove from heat and stir in the heavy cream and bacon. Serve immediately with crusty bread.

Possible Variations to Zuppa Toscana

While I truly believe that this recipe is perfecto, see what I did there? Here are a few variations to the recipe:

1. Sausage - turkey sausage, mild sausage, or spicy, you can get creative with what you use here! Just remember that the majority of the flavor from the soup comes from the sausage so chose a seasoned variety. I've tried the Chicken Sicilian Sausage from Trader Joe's in this soup and it's delicious!
2. Heavy Cream - while I DO love the creaminess of traditional heavy cream in this soup, it's also possible to use a dairy free alternative if you do not do dairy. Other milks will work as well however use the creamiest substitute you can such as whole milk if that's what you have.
3. Kale - If you can't find Tuscan kale you can substitute curly kale.
4. Tortellini - if you are looking to switch out the cheese tortellini, you can use an alternate pasta or even small diced potatoes which is traditional for Zuppa Toscana. If you use potatoes, they will need additional cooking time.

What to Serve with Zuppa Toscana

If you ask me, all that's needed along side a bowl of steaming Zuppa Toscana is a loaf of crusty bread for dipping. My favorite is the take and bake baguettes you can find at most grocery stores (par-baked) with butter.

In addition, you might like to open a bottle of wine to go with it! I personally love a Zinfandel or Pinot Noir to go with it. Cheers!

Can You Make Zuppa Toscana Ahead of Time?

I never think to make this soup ahead of time because it takes 30 minutes from start to finish to prepare...MAX. That being said, if you want to prep ahead, here are a few tips to try:

1. Chop all of your ingredients and have them ready in ziplock baggies. This will cut down even more on prep time.
2. Purchase bulk sausage instead of sausage in the casing so that you don't have to break it down.
3. Prepare the base of your soup a day ahead and refrigerate. That way you only need to reheat, bring to a simmer and add in tortellini and kale just before serving. These are the only two ingredients that shouldn't be cooked ahead of time.

Who's making this soup for dinner tonight? I hope this post made you incredibly hungry and ready to try one of my favorite easy recipes. I'm certain it will be a new favorite of your family as well.

If you make this recipe or any of my recipes, please come back and leave a comment in the section below letting me know how you like it. Happy cooking!

More Soup Recipes to Love!

• Curried Coconut Carrot Soup
• Homemade Chicken and Stars Soup
• Roasted Tomato Soup
• Red Lentil Ginger Carrot Soup
• Creamy Pumpkin Soup
• Minestrone Soup
• Sausage, White Bean and Tortellini Soup
• Roasted Broccoli Soup
• Vegetable Tomato Pesto Soup
• Creamy Sweet Potato Soup
• Stuffed Shell Soup

Continue to Content

Tortellini Zuppa Toscana

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Zuppa Toscana soup made with cheese tortellini, Italian sausage, and kale in a creamy broth.

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Ingredients

• 5 slices thick cut bacon, diced
• 1 pound Spicy Italian sausage, removed from casing
• 10 cloves garlic, minced (trust me)
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 8 cups (64 oz) chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 6 cups Tuscan kale, chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 (12 oz) package cheese tortellini

Instructions

1. In a large dutch oven (I use this one), cook the bacon over medium-high heat, until crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon.
2. To the bacon drippings, add the Italian sausage, onion and garlic, breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon and browning. At this point you can season with salt and pepper however I find the sausage is flavorful enough and never needs more salt!
3. Add the chicken stock, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.
4. Drop in the Tortellini and cook according to package instructions but still firm and not all the way cooked. EX: If the package calls for 7 minutes, cook for 4 minutes. You want them to still be a little undercooked before moving onto the next step as they will finish cooking with the kale.
5. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the kale and cook for an additional 3 minutes or until the tortellini are just cooked but still al dente and the kale has softened.
6. Remove from heat and stir in the heavy cream and bacon. Serve immediately with crusty bread.

Notes

Please reference the blog post for possible substitutions!

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