Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana

This instant pot zuppa toscana is one of my favorite soups to make when I want something hearty and comforting without spending hours in the kitchen.

If you’ve ever had the zuppa toscana at Olive Garden, this is basically a homemade version of that. Except it’s faster, cheaper, and honestly tastes even better.

The combination of Italian sausage, potatoes, bacon, and kale in a creamy broth is hard to beat. It’s rich and filling but not heavy.

And because we’re using the Instant Pot, the whole thing comes together in about 30 minutes. Most of that time is just the pot doing its thing.

Serve it with some crusty bread and you’ve got a complete meal that everyone at the table will love.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

Ready in Under 30 Minutes – Between the quick saute steps and only 5 minutes of pressure cooking, you get a rich and deeply flavored soup that tastes like it simmered on the stove for hours.

The Broth Is Incredibly Flavorful – Cooking the bacon first, then browning the sausage in that bacon grease, and then deglazing all those browned bits with chicken broth builds layers of savory flavor that a regular stovetop version takes much longer to develop.

Creamy Without Being Too Heavy – The heavy cream gets stirred in at the very end so it adds a silky richness to the broth without making the whole soup feel like a heavy cream-based chowder.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Italian Sausage (mild or hot), casings removed
• 4 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes, quartered and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 4 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 4 slices Bacon, chopped
• 1 large Yellow Onion, diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 4 cups Fresh Kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
• Crusty Bread, for serving

Directions

Step 1

Set the Instant Pot to saute mode. Add the chopped bacon and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Leave the bacon grease in the pot.

Step 2

Add the italian sausage to the pot and break it apart into small crumbles with a wooden spoon. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until browned and cooked through. Remove and set aside with the bacon.

Step 3

Add the diced onion to the pot and cook for 3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in the chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom.

Step 4

Add the sliced potatoes, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Press cancel. Lock the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.

Step 5

When the cook time is done, do a quick release by carefully turning the valve to venting. Open the lid.

Step 6

Return the cooked sausage and bacon to the pot. Add the chopped kale and heavy cream. Stir everything together and let it sit for about 3 to 4 minutes with the lid off. The residual heat will wilt the kale perfectly.

Step 7

Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and serve with crusty bread.

Pro Tips

Deglaze the Pot Properly

After cooking the bacon, sausage, and onion, there will be browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. When you pour in the chicken broth, use your wooden spoon to scrape all of those bits off completely.

This step matters a lot. If those bits stay stuck, you’ll likely get a burn notice during pressure cooking. The Instant Pot detects food stuck to the bottom and stops the cycle.

Take an extra 30 seconds to really make sure the bottom is clean and smooth before you lock the lid. It’s the difference between the recipe working perfectly and having to start over.

Use Yukon Gold Potatoes

Yukon Golds hold their shape really well under pressure, so you’ll get tender potato slices that don’t fall apart in the soup. Russet potatoes will break down and turn the broth starchy and cloudy.

Slice them about 1/4-inch thick after quartering. If you cut them thinner, they’ll dissolve into the broth during the 5 minutes of pressure cooking. If you cut them thicker, they might not cook all the way through.

Keeping them a consistent thickness also helps them cook evenly so you don’t end up with some pieces mushy and others still firm.

Add the Cream After Pressure Cooking

The recipe already has this right, but it’s worth knowing why. Heavy cream can curdle or scorch under high pressure, which would ruin the texture of the soup and possibly trigger a burn notice.

Stir it in at the end along with the kale so it heats through gently from the residual heat. This gives you that smooth, creamy broth without any grainy texture or separation.

Related Recipes

• Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
• Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
• Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken
• Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different type of potato instead of Yukon Gold?

Yukon Gold potatoes are ideal here because they hold their shape well under pressure and have a naturally creamy texture. Russet potatoes will work in a pinch, but they tend to break apart more during cooking, which will make your soup thicker and starchier.

Red potatoes are another solid swap since they hold their shape similarly to Yukon Golds. Just avoid waxy fingerling potatoes – they can get a bit too firm for this soup.