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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
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 685 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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.
Yumm! Perfect for a cold snowy night. Super easy and was a huge hit.
Hi Bailey,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xx
This recipe is incredible. My husbands requests it. Its also so easy! My first try it was just amazing. I agree with another commenter though that for leftovers, the tortellini had soaked up too much broth so when I make it, I fish the tortellini out before putting the leftovers away. It took a few minutes to do but I felt the tortellini needed to all cook in the broth for maximum flavor (instead of just cooking them separately).
Hi Courtney,
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best weekend:) xT
I’m a huge Zuppa Toscana fan, and this version with the tortellini is amazing!! ??
Hey there,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it!! Have the best day:) xx
All your recipes are delicious, but – honest-to-God – this is the best soup I have EVER had! My only issue was with leftovers – since I have a small family, we didn’t eat it all, and the next day the tortellini had soaked up too much broth. Fixed that next time by just cooking it separately. Sooooo good!
Hey Kate,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! Have the best weekend! xxT
I made this by request for someone who loves this Olive Garden soup. They told everyone don’t even bother with theirs, yours is so much better! I used this recipe with the sun dried tomatoes, but with the potatoes instead of tortellini like your first recipe. Amazing! When I make this again for less people I’m definitely trying it with tortellini. Thank you thank you thank you for your awesome recipes! I feel like I can always try something new without worrying that it’ll be a bust. You post nothing but hits!
Hey Miranda,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
I’ve already made this about three times now. It’s my boyfriends favorite and he keeps requesting it! The spicy sausage is the perfect addition to the Tuscan flavors.
Hey Lexi,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
This recipe was SO good! I was looking for something to cook on a snowy day and this hit the spot. The pesto and sun dried tomatoes really brought a lot of flavor to the dish. Absolutely loved it!
Hey Rebecca,
I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a try!! xxT
This soup is so good! Complex layered flavor and texture. Yes, texture! I was a bit suspicious after adding the pesto (and I love pesto). The end result is hearty, delicious and happy meal. I can’t wait for tomorrow to eat leftovers!
Hey Leah,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner. Have the best weekend:) xT
Absolutely LOVE this recipe. Very delicious. I have made this twice now for friends/family gatherings and everyone goes back for seconds because it’s so tasty. The second time I even forgot to add the cream and bacon in the end (good conversation and a couple glasses of wine, and I just spaced it), but everyone still loved it!! So yummy and cozy for winter healthy cooking.
Hey Jennifer,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xxT
MY FAVORITE!!! I always make your recipes and have loved them all. This one was amazing. Very easy, I subbed the bacon for pancetta, and the kale with spinach. I will definitely be making this again soon.
Hey there,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
WOW!!! This is absolutely delicious!
Hey Keely,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxT
First recipe from HBH. Tasty, except for the lemon. I only added half and unfortunately no one liked it, not even me. Tasted like hot lemonade to me! I was able to correct it with a little more water and seasoning and it was infinitely better. I also used spinach instead of kale because kale is gross! Lol Other than that, followed as is and we enjoyed it in the end. As loyal as I am to my NY Times cooking subscription, I may take a break from it and dive into some more recipes here.
Hey Meredith,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed!! Let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
We definitely enjoyed it in the end! None of us like hot citrus flavors, and I think I’ve read you love hot lemon water so it explains why it was perfect for you! Just leaving out the lemon made it perfect for us. My mom said I should open a soup shop haha
Hey Meredith,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xxT
My husband and son couldn’t stop making “mmmm” noises every time they took a bite, so I guess it must they must have liked it! ?FANTASTIC recipe, truly!
Hey Emily,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Do you cook the tortellini before adding?
Hi Mel,
Nope, the tortellini will cook in the soup, just be sure to use fresh tortellini. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This soup is Delicious! A huge hit in my house. I used pancetta instead of bacon because this is what I had on hand. We will definitely enjoy this soup again and again!
Thank You
Hey Maria,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan