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This super simple Instant Pot Pesto Zuppa Toscana is the perfect cold-weather dinner…great for nights when I’m craving Italian, but want something warming too. Spicy Italian chicken sausage simmered in a creamy basil pesto broth with potatoes, kale, a little lemon, and even a little bacon. Finish each bowl off with a sprinkle of cheese and serve with crusty bread. It’s hearty, full of greens, and so delicious. Great for just about any night of the week. And the leftovers the next day make for the best lunch!
This Italian soup is a recipe I’ve been wanting to create for a while now. I’m not sure what took me so long to test this out, but I’m so happy I finally did, because wow, this is hands down a new family favorite.
Technically this is soup, but it’s definitely hearty enough to serve for dinner on these cold November nights (it’s been snowing here since yesterday…and I could not be happier about it). But the best part? This is SO EASY.
I worked with my Instant Pot to create this creamy soup in just about 30 minutes. I’m sure you guys have noticed, but I’ve been loving my Instant Pot this fall. I’ve found it so useful during this insanely busy time with the launch of HBH Super Simple and all things holiday 2019. It’s really been a lifesaver and I’ve already remade this soup three times since returning home from Chicago last week.
The backstory…
As with a lot of recipes, this idea came from my brother. This time though? It was my oldest brother, Creighton.
He was telling me about one of his favorite soups that he used to get at the Olive Garden – Zuppa Toscana. I’d never heard of it, so of course, I did a little Googling and discovered that the recipe actually sounds quite delicious. A lot of times Creighton can throw some rather interesting recipes at me, but this soup was one I knew I needed to put my own spin on. It took me a while to finally create the recipe, but here it is, and I think you’ll find it’s delicious.
And yes, it’s inspired by the Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden…next up…their breadsticks.
The Details…
As you might guess, this recipe is pretty straightforward and simple.
Start with your Instant Pot on sauté and cook off the bacon. Then add in spicy Italian sausage (I always prefer to use chicken sausage, but pork sausage is great too). Next add in some onions, garlic, celery, and all the usuals.
The key to a good Zuppa Toscana is the spicy sausage and the potatoes. Once you add in the potatoes, stir in some basil pesto. This may not be traditional but it really adds so much to this hearty soup. I’ve found that both the addition of pesto and fresh lemon really lighten things up and truly enhance the Italian flavors.
At this point, simply seal the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure…just eight minutes. Then release the steam using the quick release.
Once the base has finished cooking, simply stir in some cream, parmesan, and kale.
And that’s it, just 30 minutes later you’ll have a creamy bowl of classic Italian soup. AND, you’ll have only used ONE pot and likely made very little mess. Oh, and be sure to have extra parmesan, fresh thyme, and crusty bread for serving. They really do complete the soup.
See, Super Simple yet so much flavor. This will be great for serving guests over the holidays, or just your family on a cold night. The leftovers reheat well and are delicious the following day for lunch or dinner. I haven’t had a chance to serve this to Creighton just yet, but I know that once he arrives on Friday he’ll be begging me for it. So yes, I will be making this yet again. No complaining here though…love this soup!
Looking for other warming HBH soups? Check out the soup section on HBH’s recipe page.
If you make this Instant Pot Pesto 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!
Instant Pot Pesto Zuppa Toscana.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 487 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
- 3/4 pound ground spicy Italian chicken sausage
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 4 small yukon gold or russet potatoes peeled and chopped
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/3 cup basil pesto, homemade or store-bought
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 bunch Tuscan or curly kale, roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup heavy cream or whole milk
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan or asiago cheese
- fresh thyme, for serving (optional)
Instructions
Instant Pot
- 1. Set Instant Pot to sauté. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon. If there's excess bacon grease, drain off all but 1 tablespoon. Add the chicken sausage and onions, and brown all over, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, celery, and potatoes, and cook 2 minutes. Turn the Instant Pot off.2. To the instant pot, add the broth, pesto, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.3. Once done cooking, use the natural or quick release function. Set the Instant Pot to sauté. Stir in the kale, cream, and parmesan. Cook until the kale is wilted, about 10 minutes. Turn the Instant Pot off. Stir in the reserved bacon.4. Serve the soup topped with additional parmesan and fresh thyme, if desired.
Stove-Top
- 1. Cook the bacon in a large soup pot set over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon. If there's excess bacon grease, drain off all but 1 tablespoon. Add the chicken sausage and onions, and brown all over, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, celery, and potatoes, and cook 2 minutes. Add the broth, pesto, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. 2. Stir in the kale, cream, and parmesan. Cook until the kale is wilted, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the reserved bacon. 3. Serve the soup topped with additional parmesan and fresh thyme, if desired.
Slow Cooker
- 1. Cook the bacon in a large soup pot set over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon. If there's excess bacon grease, drain off all but 1 tablespoon. Add the chicken sausage and onions, and brown all over, about 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken sausage to the bowl of your crockpot. 2. To the crockpot, add the the garlic, celery, potatoes, broth, pesto, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5. 2. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir in the kale, cream, and parmesan. Turn the heat to high and cook until the kale is wilted. Stir in the reserved bacon. 4. Serve the soup topped with additional parmesan and fresh thyme, if desired.
{This post is sponsored by Instant Pot. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Half Baked Harvest cooking!}
This post was originally published on November 21, 2019
I made this in the slow cooker – made deliveries to friends and family and received rave reviews from all ages, 8-80yrs old! I followed the recipe exactly. Love the pop of thyme added at the end. It was so warming and delicious. Thank you!
Made this tonight for dinner and it was amazing! A new favorite for sure.
Do you think it’s ok to use already cooked spicy Italian chicken sausage and just chop it up? Accidentally bought that at the store instead of ground!
Wow! Just WOW! This soup was soooooo good! We eat a lot of soup because we are skiers and when we come in for lunch, I like to have a hearty soup. This sure fits the bill. We all loved it, even my 12 year old! This will be on regular rotation this winter. I made it exactly as per your recipe in the IP so it was easy, quick AND delicious! Thank you for another awesome recipe.
I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you, Caroline!! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
If I left the spinach out to add later would this freeze well?
Hey Trisha,
You bet! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made the stove top version with local sausage. So delicious! Will be a regular!
I am so happy you enjoyed this! Thank you Linda! xTieghan
Just yum!!! This recipe is such a warm and cozy treat!! I made it in the slow cooker because I don’t own an instant pot. The house smelled amazing all day. I used a greens mix of spinach, chard and kale and skipped the celery because I didn’t have any. I will def make this again!! Thank you!
I am so happy this turned out so well for you, Cathy! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
My Daughter has made a couple of your soups to great raves now and I am so excited to try them! She just made this one, and my question is can I freeze this? and at what point? Before the cream and kale are added? Or is it ok to freeze cream?
Thanks
Hey Jill,
I would freeze before adding the cream and kale. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I love Zuppa Toscana but this was by FAR my favorite version! The pesto and lemon brought a perfect fresh zing ? This will definitely be my new go to recipe. Thank you!
Thank you Katie! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
So delicious! The flavors worked together perfectly- the salty bacon, cream, crunchy celery and parm- yum! Another 5-star winner to add to my rotation. Thank you!
Thank you so much Mahala! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This soup was fabulous! Was so easy to make in the instant pot. I used coconut milk instead of heavy cream and it worked great. I would highly recommend this recipe for a great comfort food. Thank You!
Thank you so much Kristine! xTieghan
We are loving your soups. I made this last night (had to substitute spinach for kale, red potatoes for Yukon, and pecorino Romano for parmesan – I discovered years ago that I preferred the hearty stronger Romano and have used it almost exclusively ever since).
My only caution would be to wait in adding salt. I used less than a teaspoon but the end product was very salty (Sausage, cheese, stock??). I added a bit more cream & water to “cut” the salt and extend the quantity.
you are inspiring me to finally use my 3 year old Instantpot and I am transformed!
PS can script in comments be enlarged or made “bold”. Even with transition lenses it is very difficult for these 65 year old eyes to see.
Hi Claudia! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! Thank you for trying this recipe! I will look into helping you with the comments! xTieghan
I’ve wanted to try this recipe of yours for a while, finally made it in my instant pot last night and loved it!
I am so happy you tried this and enjoyed it!! Thank you Jacqueline! xTieghan
I’m a 62 year old foodie. It take something exceptional to make me this excited and this recipe delivers! The perfect balance of the creamy pesto with the spicy, citrus elements is perfection. ❤️
Thank you so much Susan! xTieghan
This was delicious. I liked the addition of the pesto sauce. And having an instant pot recipe made this so easy to whip up. Thank you!
Thank you Courtney! xTieghan