Pressure Cooker Zuppa Toscana

October 1, 2014

Pressure Cooker Zuppa Toscana from Pressure Cooking Today

A lightened-up pressure cooker zuppa toscana – Olive Garden’s popular soup made with sausage, potatoes, and spinach. 

My copycat Zuppa Toscana is a lightened up version using chicken sausage, and evaporated milk instead of heavy cream, so you get a flavorful, creamy soup with a lot less fat. I used spinach in the soup because it’s what I had in the fridge, but Olive Garden uses kale. Bacon isn’t traditional either, but is a colorful, flavorful addition to the soup.

Reduced Fat Pressure Cooker Zuppa Toscana from Pressure Cooking Today

I thought this soup was a little bit on the spicy side. But my husband and son both agreed that Olive Garden’s is a little more spicy, and sprinkled a little more red pepper flakes on the soup in their bowl.

If you don’t like your soup spicy you can reduce the red pepper flakes in the recipe. If your family likes to kick it up a notch, put the red pepper flakes on the table for them. Enjoy!

Lightened-up Zuppa Toscana

Yield: 8 servings

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 6 slices bacon, diced
  • 1 pound ground chicken sausage
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
  • 3 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 3 large russet potatoes, cubed
  • 3 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded and divided
  • 2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped

Directions:

Select Saute and add the bacon to the pressure cooking pot. Cook until crisp and remove to a plate lined with paper towels.

Add sausage to the pressure cooking pot and cook until browned. Remove to a second plate lined with paper towels.

Add butter to the pressure cooking pot. When butter is melted, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add 1 can chicken broth, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to the pressure cooking pot.

Put the steamer basket in the pressure cooker pot. Add the diced potatoes. Lock lid in place, select High Pressure and 4 minutes cook time and start. When timer beeps, turn off pressure cooker and do a quick pressure release. Carefully remove potatoes and steamer basket from the pressure cooking pot.

Add remaining 2 cans of chicken broth to pressure cooking pot.

In a mixing bowl, dissolve cornstarch in a little evaporated milk. Add to pressure cooking pot along with the remainder of the evaporate milk. Select Simmer and bring to a boil, stirring often. When soup thickens, stir in 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, spinach, browned sausage, potatoes and half of the crispy bacon.

Serve topped with remaining Parmesan and bacon.

More pressure cooker soups you might like:

Zucchini and Yellow Squash Soup with Rosemary and Parmesan, Kalyn’s Kitchen
Julia Child’s French Onion Soup, Hip Pressure Cooking
Easy Spicy Zucchini Rice Soup, Letty’s Kitchen
Lentil Orzo Soup, Pressure Cooking Today
Creamy Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup, Pressure Cooking Today