Tortellini Zuppa Toscana

Tortellini Zuppa Toscana – A twist on a classic. Made with three-cheese and fully loaded with bacon and sausage, you’ll love this creamy potato soup.

Sometimes it’s your favorite dishes, the ones you make over and over and over again that need a bit of a shake-up. And that is exactly what inspired this recipe for Tortellini Zuppa Toscana. While I love Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana; honestly the only reason we go there is for the soup {okay, and the breadsticks}.  I love meeting up with my sisters or friends for a quick lunch to grab a big bowl of warm, delicious soup and breadsticks. It’s great to visit and catch up. Unfortunately taking 5 kids doesn’t feel as relaxing, so I started making the Zuppa Toscana at home.

It can be dangerous making some of your favorite dishes at home because you don’t have the whole portion control thing. What I love about this twist on my favorite soup is the tortellini pasta. You could really use any sort of tortellini but in our house, we are all about the cheese.

The cheese in the pasta pairs well with this creamy broth. The broth is delicious; using chicken broth, heavy cream, and potatoes makes for one creamy, comforting soup base. This soup doesn’t require much work, simmering for a bit in a pot, the hardest thing about this soup is waiting for it to be done.

When I first made this soup when my kids were little they literally thought I was trying to kill them with the spinach. They would cry and whine and picked around it. Now as they have gotten older I don’t get the complaints and only have one kid, Madden my picky eater who just eats around it. I am thankful the days of screaming and crying at the dinner table are over {or at least with the soup recipe that is.}

It is kind of fun to see how each person will eat this soup. We have those who eat all of the pasta first, then drink the broth and then those that do the opposite. I eat it all together but I think I am the only one.

Now, this Tortellini Zuppa Toscana is one of our cold-weather favorites. My sister, Nicole happened to stop by the first time I made this soup (a few years ago) and she couldn’t help herself but grab a bite while it was simmering on the stove. She loved it and has made her own twist on it, leaving out the bacon, she hates bacon. Weird I know, but she is my sister so I still love her.

Are you in the need to warm things up right now or looking for a soup to serve before a meal? Then this Tortellini Zuppa Toscana is a must-try. Trust me, friends, you won’t be disappointed. Enjoy! XOXO San

How do you make tortellini soup?

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat add bacon and cook until crispy.

Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.

To the same skillet, add the sweet Italian sausage and cook until browned, be sure to crumble it as it cooks. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot heat olive oil over medium heat.

Add garlic and onion.

Cook until onions are translucent, takes only a couple of minutes.

Add chicken broth, stir together and bring to a boil.

Once it is brought to a boil add potatoes and cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook tortellini as directed on the packaging

Add in the cooked sausage and spinach until spinach begins to wilt, 2-3 minutes.

Gently stir in heavy cream until heated through, 3-4 minutes.

At this point season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Once the soup is hot, add in cooked tortellini, remove from heat and garnish with crumbled bacon and serve.

Want to try some other Olive Garden classics? Be sure to check these out:  Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana, Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup, and Crockpot Pasta E Fagioli.

Don’t forget to pin this recipe for TORTELLINI ZUPPA TOSCANA to your favorite Pinterest board for later.

Post originally appeared on A Dash of Sanity December 2015 and has since been updated.