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This creamy bowl of Pesto Tortellini Zuppa Toscana is the perfect cold-weather dinner. Spicy Italian chicken sausage simmered together with basil pesto, cheese tortellini, kale, a little lemon, and finished with crispy bacon. Add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese to each bowl and serve with crusty bread. It’s hearty, full of greens, and so delicious. A fun twist on the classic and great for just about any night of the week!
We finally have snow here! This has been the weirdest December I’ve ever seen. We’ve had very little snowfall and back to back days of sunshine. Usually by this time of year we have full snow cover and more snowy days than sunny. But this year has just been so strange.
I’m excited to report that we have a couple days of snow in the forecast. Snowy cold days mean soup! And this is one I’ve been looking forward to making for months.
A few years ago I made my own version of the Olive Garden’s very well loved Zuppa Toscana. It’s been such a favorite soup ever since. When I make it for people, they always ask for the recipe.
Back in the fall I had the idea to replace the potatoes in the soup with some cheese tortellini. At the time I had been making a lot of soup, so I held off on this recipe until I had the perfect day to make it.
Well, I finally made it, and I actually think it’s better than the original.
Here are the details
The key to a good Zuppa Toscana is the spicy sausage. So begin with the sausage, you’ll want to brown it with onions and garlic and add in some broth. Then, I love to add chopped sun-dried tomatoes and basil pesto for even more flavor.
This may not be traditional but it really adds so much to this hearty soup. I’ve found that both the addition of sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, and fresh lemon really lighten things up and truly enhance the flavors.
Once you have everything in the soup, add the kale and let it cook down into the broth. Towards the end of cooking, stir in the tortellini, cream, and parmesan.
Then just ladle the soup into bowls and top with crispy bacon. Nothing fancy at all, but so warming delicious.
Really excited to serve this to my family over Christmas break. My cousin Abby loves soup, so this is perfect!
Bonus, this soup is great to have after coming in from the cold and so easy to cook up too.
Looking for winter soup recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Creamy Gnocchi Soup with Rosemary Bacon
Creamy French Onion and Mushroom Soup
Lastly, if you make this Pesto Tortellini Zuppa Toscana be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Pesto Tortellini Zuppa Toscana
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
- 3/4 pound ground spicy Italian chicken or pork sausage
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- crushed red pepper flakes
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/3 cup basil pesto, homemade or store-bought
- 1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, oil drained, and tomatoes chopped
- juice of 1 lemon
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 bunch Tuscan or curly kale, roughly chopped
- 1 pound cheese tortellini
- 3/4 cup heavy cream or whole milk
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan or asiago cheese
Instructions
- 1. Cook the bacon in a large pot over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon. If there's excess bacon grease, drain off all but 1 tablespoon. 2. To the pot, add the sausage and onion. Brown all over, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the celery, garlic, and a pinch of chili flakes, cook 2 minutes. Pour in the broth, 1 cup water, the pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 3. Stir in the kale and cook 5 minutes, until wilted, stir in the tortellini. Cook 2-3 minutes, then add the cream and parmesan. Remove from the heat. Stir in the reserved bacon.4. Serve the soup topped with additional parmesan and fresh thyme, if desired.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Such a delicious heartwarming soup. Enjoyed every drop of it. I can’t wait to serve these for dinners in the winter time. Thank you so much?
Hey Veronica,
Happy Friday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Better than the original zuppa Toscana. A new family favorite!
Hey Courtney,
Happy Friday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Any thoughts on 2% milk vs heavy cream / whole milk?
Hey Christina,
That will work well for you. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This wasn’t quite what I thought it was going to be, it was just okay. Mine wasn’t thick or even creamy, it was very brothy. I only had a 10 ounce package of cheese tortellini but I adjusted all the other ingredients accordingly (so I only used 30 oz of chicken broth and and 5 oz of water; like I said, adjusted for 10 oz of tortellini so I don’t know why it was so much “brothier” than the photos or others’ reviews). Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. I got 4 perfectly sized servings out of the 10 oz of tortellini. I think I prefer the “real” Zuppa Toscana with the potatoes like from Olive Garden. I won’t make this again but am glad I gave it a shot!
Hey Abby,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear it wasn’t enjoyed! xTieghan
Just a tip to get a thicker broth in very little time: take out some of the broth, maybe 1/4 cup and add 3-4 T of cornstarch. Whisk that together very well then pour it back into the pot and stir on heat for a few more minutes. It should thicken right up!
I made this and it was delicious! I am a veggie so I added beyond spicy sausage and my son who is appalled by vegetarian things ate it and told me how good it was (I didn’t tell him it was veggie sausage). Great recipe!
Hey Nora,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe. I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Thursday❄️ xxT
We had a friend make this for us after we had a baby and I had to make it myself! Not only is it delicious it was fun to make. I always appreciate the wide variety of flavors you use. Whole family loved it!
Hey Liz,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe. I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Thursday❄️ xxT
Delicious, creamy, homey and super filling but without being overly heavy. I made this recipe exactly according to the instructions without any variations. I will definitely make it again. So yummy.
Oh, one more thing. I used Johnsonville mild Italian sausage. It blended perfectly with the flavors.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!
Hey there,
I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for testing it out! Have a great week! xTieghan
This was super delicious! I used spinach instead of kale. I actually added some quartered brussel sprouts just after I sauteed the sausages and some carrots just before the celery. Always trying to squeeze in more veggies! Used milk instead of cream for a bit lighter taste. It turned out amazing.
Hi Amber,
Thank you so very much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
Day 1- made the soup, my husband loved it, I did not.
Day 2- something happened overnight, the flavors came together so that when I reheated this for a leftover dinner, it was so good I enjoyed every spoonful.
My lessoned learned for this dish, make it Day 1 but eat it Day 2. It really tasted so much better the next day.
Hey Tracey,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best week! xTieghan
We are vegetarian so I’ll leave out the bacon and sausage. Any ideas for a substitute (other than fake meat) to ensure good flavor?
Hi Jennifer,
I would just skip the meat:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
So yum! This will be in our regular rotation for the winter!
Hey Jennifer,
I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for testing it out! Have a great week! xTieghan
Hey! No need to just “leave out the meat” — we can do better than that! This is great with veggie italian sausage. Tofurkey makes great ones that you can find in any supermarket, or use the sundried tomato ones from Trader Joe’s, if you have one near where you live.
This is killer! Your best recipe I have done. It was a huge hit and all around phenomenal. I added a little more cream as I saw fit and it was perfect. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hey Chloee,
Fantastic! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy New Year!? xxT
I would need to cook this gluten free, so my question is would us be best to substitute a GF plain pasta or go back with the potatoes?
Thanks!!
Hey Karen,
Either one! GF pasta would also work well here for you. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious!! I put some shredded asiago on top, totally recommend
Hi Emma,
Fantastic! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. xTieghan
Fabulous recipe! My family loved it. I skipped the bacon and used pancetta to start the process.
My husband said it was one of my best soups!
Thank You for sharing your beautiful recipes.
Hi Maria,
Fantastic! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. xTieghan
So delicious! My bf and I made this together and it was a fun, easy meal to make on a cold and rainy night. The hot sausage combined with the cheese tortellini is *chefs kiss*. I didn’t have bacon so just left it out and it honestly didn’t need it! Love this soup and will definitely make again.
Hi Danielle,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Happy Holidays!? xT
This is so yummy!!! I know this is bizarre but somehow mine turned out more Of a white creamy colored soup base vs yours looks more golden orange-y! Any idea what I’m doing wrong? Haha. Still delish!!!
Hi Cari,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Was there anything you adjusted? Happy Holidays! xT
Mine also turned out a more yellow/cream color. Followed the recipe exactly.
Wondering if the color differences could be related to the type of sausage used? Just a thought. I’m making this for the first time this weekend, and looking forward to it!
I hope you love the recipe Kristen!!