I'm giving this soup a 3 only because it inspired me to develop my own recipe for a similar soup. I’d give it a one making it following the directions exactly as given. I made the recipe following the recipe and found the package smoked sausage inappropriate for an Italian soup. It was too salty using the bouillon powder and there wasn’t enough broth. The soup was also way too meaty and the sausage was very tough. Here is my variation of this soup. Ingredients 1 lb. hot Italian sausage, loose 4 potatoes, cut into ¼ inch slices 1 cup chopped onion 8 slices bacon, crispy 2 teaspoons minced garlic 2½ (packed) cups kale, washed, dried, and shredded 3 (14.5 oz.) cans chicken broth ½ cup heavy whipping cream fresh ground black pepper to taste Directions 1. Brown sausage in dutch oven, drain 2. In a griddle cook bacon until crispy, reserving grease, crumble, and set aside. In just enough bacon grease, about one tablespoon, sauté onions until almost clear. 3. Add garlic to the onions and sauté an additional 1 minute. Add chicken broth, potatoes, and sausage. Simmer until potatoes are cooked, about 45 minutes. 4. Add crumbled bacon, kale, cream, and fresh ground black pepper. Simmer 5 minutes and serve.

Great flavor. I'm a health nut so I doubled up on the kale and only used half the sausage as some have suggested. I also replaced the full-fat sausage with turkey kielbasa, which still gives great flavor. I used canned white Northern beans instead of potatoes since I was in a hurry. If you want the creaminess in the soup without all the fat, blend a drained can of Northern white beans with chicken broth (to the consistency you want)instead of the cream. I used chicken broth instead of the water(the brand Imagine has a boxed broth that costs the same as a can for the amount -- it's the best broth I've tasted). Also, you can get the same great flavor with only three or four pieces of bacon.

After taking the advice of several other reviewers, I think this is one of the very best soups that I have ever tried! I substituted chicken broth for the boullion cubes and water, used 5 red potatoes with the skin on, instead of 2, used 1/2 lb. Italian sausage browned instead of baked, and substituted spinach for the kale, as I'm not a huge fan of the kale in Olive Garden's version. WOW! Delicious! I took this to a gathering and everyone wanted the recipe! I definitely recommend giving this one a try!

Good soup. I do however like it better with ground italian sausage (which I brown, not bake). when I add the sausage to the soup I also like to give a sprinkle of crushed red pepper for an extra kick. Thanks Holly :)

This was fantastic, and quite possibly better than the original. Instead of smoked sausage, I used bulk Italian sausage and pre browned it in a skillet before adding in. I also upped the water to 1 1/2 Q and found that the sausage added to the flavor just fine. I also dropped the cream to 1/2 C instad of 1/3. Finally, I find using a thick smokehouse bacon to be the best for this recipe.

My family and I absolutely love this recipe. It's rich and flavorful and closely matches the soup served at the Olive Garden. We use only Maggi boullion, which delivers an authentic taste. Easy to make in a fraction of the time called for, if you prepare.

WOW! This was so good. I dont really like the soup at the Olive Garden but my boyfriend has been asking me to make it for the longest time. I found this recipe and thought id try it. I loved it. It wasnt hard to make and it was delicious. I didnt change much except i used spicy sausage and spinich, not smoked sausage and kale. I also added some fresh ground pepper. Mmm, so good. Going to make it again very soon!

This recipe is truly wonderful! I had never had or made Zuppa Toscana before. My sister said that she always orders this (her favorite) at the Olive Garden and it tasted just like it! I didn't change a thing and have made it for the second time in 5 days! I originally tripled this recipe for my mothers' 50th birthday party. I served it in "Bread Bowls" from this website and got two thumbs up approval from everyone! Which says a lot...my family is Italian! Thank you! :o)

I enjoyed the flavor combinations in this soup, although it seemed extremely salty to me. Next time I will forget the bacon and use chicken broth for the liquid instead of the chicken base and water. I think it would be great with spicy sausage instead of the smoked.

Everyone including 2-year-old loved this! We had to make 2 pots because we ate the first one up and didn't have any left overs for lunch. Our adjustments for the second pot was boiling the kale with the potatoes, reducing the chicken bouillon to 2 tsp, 1 extra cup of water, and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Can't wait until lunch tomorrow!