Zuppa Toscana Instant Pot

Zuppa Toscana Instant Pot Recipe Or Electric Pressure Cooker

Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup is one of the most popular soups in Italy and Europe where a traditional way also sometimes uses bacon grease and a bone broth.

Your whole family will love this Italian-Inspired Creamy Zuppa Toscana instant pot soup.

 This is an easy and very simple Zuppa Toscana recipe instant pot recipe – very straightforward in an electric Pressure Cooker. Another way of describing this is a Sausage Kale Potato Soup packed with delicious flavors & textures largely from the kale and the lardons – cooked bacon we used.

A smooth soup like this full of flavor can not be beaten especially sitting around a cozy fire with a bowl of this soup made with mild Italian sausage or a hotter Italian sausage if you like it a little bit more spicy!

Remember the cream actually cools down the chili effect.

Another great soup is our chicken chorizo soup recipe.

Plus another kale and chorizo soup with flavor.

What does Zuppa Toscana mean?

Zuppa Toscana literally translates to “Tuscany-style soup”.

Zuppa Toscana can be described as a medium hearty soup, that can even be made with cauliflower florets or sweet potato also.

Eating Tuscan soup delivers a range of textures from the fresh chopped kale, cubed and nicely cooked hearty potatoes (russet potato is a good choice), to flavorsome spicy Italian sausage with crisped bacon or lardon in creamy savory soup.

I will also note that the spicy Italian sausage does make this dish special – but you can also use turkey sausage, or chicken sausage with a little Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese to give a nice flavor.

If you do not like dairy then using coconut cream or coconut milk is an option also.

Ingredients For instant pot zuppa toscana
Ingredients Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana

Prepare your Vegetables First

Chop your bacon to 1/4 inch size chucks and peel the skin off the sausage

Turn the Instant Pot to Saute high heat and cook the bacon fat. Stir and let the bacon bits crisp up a little, take out the cooked bacon. Then add in the sausage and cook them.

Cooking Bacon
Cooking Bacon

Cook the Tuscan Sausage for about 3 minutes.

Sausage for Tuscan Zuppa
Sausage for Tuscany Zuppa

Deglaze: Add a little of your chicken stock to deglaze any caramelized meat on the bottom and then add in the Onions and the Garlic.

Saute Onions Garlic Zuppa
Saute Onions Garlic Zuppa

Now put in the potatoes and stir to mix them up with the onions and garlic, and add back in the bacon and the bite-sized Italian sausage. Lastly, add in your chicken broth liquid – mix again and put on the instant pot lid, and cook for 5 minutes at high pressure and a quick release of pressure after that.

Chicken Broth for Italian Soup
Chicken Broth for Italian Soup

Next in goes the kale and cream. Stir for about 2-3 minutes to let the kale soften a little and to let the cream mix around everywhere – keep stirring. The result is a lovely creamy broth!

Kale and Cream
zuppa tuscan soup instant pot
zuppa tuscan soup instant pot

Zuppa Toscana Instant Pot

Zuppa Toscana can be described as a medium thick creamy soup that has amazing tastes and textures.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Soup
Cuisine: Italian, Tuscan
Keyword: tuscan soup instant pot, zuppa tuscan soup instant pot
Servings: 6
Calories: 569kcal
Author: Rose

Ingredients

  • 1 pound 500g Italian sausage
  • 6 slices bacon 220g spec or lardons
  • â…“ pound kale 200 - 300g kale with stems removed
  • 1 onion
  • 3 potatoes russet potato is a good choice
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 4 cups unsalted chicken stock
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes optional - we used it to enhance the flavor

Instructions

  • Prepare Vegetables: Finely dice the onion and the garlic. Give the Kale (you could use spinach but kale has a nicer texture for the soup)a wash and then strip the stalks by tearing them out or cutting them with a sharp knife. Wash (can peel if necessary) the potato and dice it into 1/2 inch cubes. The key is to get them relatively even in size so they all take the same time to cook.
  • Meat: Chop your bacon to 1/4 inch size (we used a slab or spec bacon) - and I would recommend smoked bacon if you can as after cooking you want a texture of large crumbled bacon - to give the soup a smokey texture. Then peel the skin off the Italian Sausage.
  • Saute: Heat up Instant Pot to Saute high heat and render out the bacon fat. Stir and let the bacon bits crisp up a little, take out the cooked bacon. Then add in the sausage and cook them out a bit also - about 4-5 minutes. Remove the bacon and sausage from the Instant Pot bowl - and place in a bowl - or plate keep the liquid that drains out has great flavor we will put back later.
  • Deglaze: Add a little of your chicken stock to deglaze any caramelized meat on the bottom of the instant pot bowl (still with the saute function turned on) by scraping the bottom with a flat bottom wooden spoon. After you have done this add the onion and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes.
  • Pressure Cooking: Now add in the potatoes and stir well to mix them up with the onions and garlic. Next, add back in the cooked bacon and the bite-sized Italian sausage. Lastly, add in your chicken stock liquid - mix again and put on the instant pot lid, and cook for 5 minutes High Pressure and then a quick release of pressure - be careful not to burn yourself with the steam. Double-check the potatoes are cooked - try one.
  • Final Cooking: Take out the bacon rind if you had it like us - and put in the kale and then the cream. Stir for about 2-3 minutes to let the kale soften a little and to let the cream mix around everywhere - keep stirring. The result is a lovely creamy broth!
  • Season: add in salt and pepper to season - and taste - repeat until you are happy with the taste - we also added about 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (you could also use chili or red pepper flakes. This just helps with the overall taste, and such a little does not make it spicy - but add only a very small amount first until you are familiar with the seasoning process.
  • Serve: Now you are ready to plate up and enjoy the chicken broth-based Tuscan Soup all made in with an instant pot recipe and quicker than normal stovetop or slow cooker methods.

Notes

Zuppa Instant Pot can be made many ways

Nutrition

Calories: 569kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 1009mg | Potassium: 997mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3177IU | Vitamin C: 55mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 3mg

Can you freeze zuppa toscana soup?

Yes you can – and this soup freezes pretty well, The potato can go a little soft would be the only negative. – Can you freeze olive garden soup? – yes the same comments apply. You can freeze Zuppa Toscana soup for 3 months at least.

Do you need bacon for Zuppa Toscana?

No, you do not – while bacon makes it more flavorsome – it is not 100% essential

What greens can you use in Zuppa Toscana?

Kale is the most common green vegetable in Zuppa Toscana soup, but you can use swiss chard, spinach and silverbeet – just do not cook them very long.

How long does Zuppa Toscana last in the fridge?

Sealed in an airtight container this Tuscan soup can last for 5 days in the fridge.

What is olive garden’s most popular dish?

There is no official number published – but by looking at Facebook, Instagram, and other social media I feel confident that Zuppa Toscana soup is their most popular.