Instant Pot Sausage & Spinach Soup (Best Zuppa Toscana)

So a few months ago, even though I’m a New Yorker with some of the best Italian cuisine at my fingertips, I felt this random craving to go to a certain well-known Italian restaurant chain and try this soup that everyone seems to lose their minds over: Zuppa Toscana. The verdict? It tasted like bland meat with skimpy veggies in boiled water. I just didn’t get what everyone was fawning over. But the idea of this soup felt like it SHOULD taste absolutely amazing.

And so, I vowed It would make a soup of a similar nature that would taste just that: ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.And folks, after trying this soup, which I am calling Sausage & Spinach Soup (with plenty of potatoes as well), I can fairly say it’s not only one of the best soups I’ve ever created, but one of the best I’ve ever had in my countless soup-slurping lifetime. It is LOADED with astounding flavor to the point of it being impossible to have just one bowl. And then dipping in some crusty bread? Soup serenity. One taste and you’re going to forget that sad chain restaurant stuff immediately.

And you’re gonna do it crazy easily in your Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi!

Here’s How I Made It!: 

Begin with some shallots…

…and dice ’em up.

Then take a colorful mix of baby potatoes…

…and slice & quarter ’em.

Now take a bunch of sausage…

…lacerate the casing…

…remove the sausage meat…

…and place in a bowl. Set that aside for now.

Let’s move on over to the pot. Give it some heat and add some olive oil…

…and butter.

Once the butter’s melted and the oil’s heated up…

…add in the shallots.

Sauté for a few minutes until slightly browned in color.

Then, add in the sausage.

Break the sausage down with a wooden spatula/mixing spoon so it becomes crumbled (liked a ground beef).

As the sausage is cooking, add in a little garlic…

…and continue to cook for a few moments longer.

Then, add in some sherry wine (this stuff adds amazing flavor but you can leave it out if you want)…

…and let the sausage simmer in it for a few moments.

Then pour in some chicken broth (add a little more if you didn’t use the sherry)…

…and season with some pepper…

…seasoned salt…

…oregano…

…Italian seasoning…

…and garlic powder.

Stir until well-combined.

Add the potatoes into the broth…

…and give it a good stir.

Lastly, top it off with some spinach (it may look like it’s going to overflow, but spinach cooks down into nothing). Secure the lid and cook at high pressure.

When done, you’ll see I wasn’t kidding about the spinach cooking down!

Give the soup a good stir.

And now we’ll send this soup on home with some dairy. Add in some Boursin or cream cheese…

…and stir until totally melded into the soup.

And cut it with some cream!

Give it all a good stir and just LOOK at that beautiful color!

Ladle into bowls…

…and just look at how gorgeous. Already makes you forget that chain restaurant slop.

Don’t forget the bread! It pairs with this soup like Bert & Ernie.

Take a nice spoonful and marvel at how much is going on in this little bowl…

…and taste it.

You’ll immediately realize this soup is way too good to east solo…

…so invite a friend or loved one to try it too.

And folks, the look says it all!Sausage & Spinach Soup IS THE SUPPA ZUPPA TOSCANA!

Advertising Disclosure: Jeffrey Eisner/Pressure Luck is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

At the time of this post, Pressure Luck exclusively uses Better Than Bouillon/Southeastern Mills for all soup bases and bouillon

Instant Pot Sausage & Spinach Soup (Best Zuppa Toscana)
Yield: 6

Instant Pot Sausage & Spinach Soup (Best Zuppa Toscana)

Instant Pot Sausage & Spinach Soup (Best Zuppa Toscana)

There's a certain well-known Italian chain restuarant that makes a soup called Zuppa Toscana. Forget that. THIS is the soup that you'll want to be making moving forward. Just trust me. (Like, seriously - TRUST ME.)

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 24 minutes
Total Time 29 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1/4 stick (2 tbsp) of salted butter
  • 3 large shallots, diced
  • 2 lbs of Italian Sausage (sweet, hot or mixed), casing removed
  • 1 tbsp of crushed garlic
  • 1 cup of sherry wine or a dry white wine (like a Sauvignon Blanc)
  • 5 cups of garlic or chicken broth
  • 1 tsp of Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp of oregano
  • 1 tsp of garlic powder
  • 1 tsp of seasoned salt
  • 1 tsp of black pepper
  • 1.5 lbs of baby red (or white) potatoes, sliced into quarters with the skin still on
  • 5-8 oz of baby spinach
  • 5.2 oz of Boursin (any flavor and can be found in the deli/fancy cheese section of most markets and Costco) or 5 oz of a brick of cream cheese
  • 1 cup of heavy cream or half & half
  • Crusty Italian or French bread, to dip in the soup

Instructions

  1. Add the olive oil and butter to the Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi. Hit “Sauté” and adjust so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting (hit “Start” after if using the Ninja Foodi). Once the butter’s melted, add in the shallots and sauté for 3-5 minutes until lightly browned
  2. Next, add the sausage and break it down with a wooden spatula/mixing spoon until crumbled (like a ground beef) and sauté (stir & set) for another 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic about 1 minute after the sausage is cooking and stir it in
  3. Pour in the sherry and let simmer for 3 minutes and follow with the broth, Italian seasoning, oregano, garlic powder, seasoned salt and black pepper. Stir well
  4. Lastly, add in the potatoes, top with spinach and DO NOT STIR (leave the spinach right on top as it will cook down into nothing). Secure the pressure cooking lid, hit “Keep Warm/Cancel” or “Stop” and hit “Pressure Cook” or “Manual” high pressure for 10 minutes (it will take a solid 10 minutes or so to come to pressure due to the amount of volume in the pot). Quick release when done
  5. Stir in the Boursin (or cream cheese) until melded and then add the heavy cream or half & half
  6. Ladle into bowls and serve with some crusty Italian or French bread
  7. Enjoy!

Jeffrey's Tips

While I think it adds incredibly deep & rich flavor to the soup, you can feel free to skim off some of the excess oil from the sausage before serving. But I leave it just as is!

You can absolutely sub any kind of sausage for this, but sweet and/or hot Italian sausage is suggested.

You can refrigerate or freeze any leftovers in containers. It will create a hardened top layer in the container once refrigerated due to the oil which is normal, but it will meld beautifully once reheated.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cwxmas

    Where is the nutritional information on the recipes on this web site? I don’t see any calorie counts or other information.

    • Jeffrey

      They aren’t here because the recipe card calculates them inaccurately. When I have the time, I plan to go through them all and add them in accurately. If you want it right away, you can use a reliable online nutrition calculator.

      But to be honest, do you really want the nutrition info for a soup like this? That’s like wanting to see the calories in the menu at The Cheesecake Factory. I’d suggest to just enjoy it as an indulgent soup and then exercise the next day 😉

      • Jenny

        I have to know how many carbs are in a serving and how big the serving size is I have an insulin pump and it works by putting the number of carbs in so it can deliver the proper amount of insulin.

      • EMK

        As much as I like most foods, dietary restrictions are, well, restrictions for a reason. This soup…and actually most of your recipes are not dietary restricted, salt conscious, dairy or carb healthy…which is why they’re so good. I would enjoy seeing your recipes with several alternate ingredients (more celery instead of more salt, substitute for potatoes/carbs like carrots, parsnips, cauliflower, radishes…

          • Edie

            I had my Instant Pot in its box, so intimidated by it! Then, I found your books on Amazon and YT videos. I’m getting the ingredients for this soup tomorrow (sometimes a challenge because I live in Panama). It will be the first thing I make on my Instant Pot! I’m so excited!

    • Julie Callard

      Just cooked this soup in Brighton Beach Canada….We have a siding contractor…-15c who worked 10hours today and came in to have your soup …delicious thanks

  2. Julie

    Your zuppa toscana recipe is the best I’ve tried. The one I’ve used multiple times in the past is too soupy/not creamy enough for me so I liked the addition of cheese. With my past experience in mind I reduced the liquid to 4 cups, and this was the best version ever! Thanks so much!

  3. Chantelle

    This is one hundred million times better than the Zuppa at “that famous restaurant”— seriously! It’s absolutely delicious…I have yet to try one of your recipes that has been disappointing. They’re all simply amazing!

  4. Michelle

    This was my first time making one of your recipes. It was delicious but a little too salty for my family and we like salt. If I eliminated the seasoned salt, should I add something in its place? Any other recommendations on how to make it a little less salty?

    • Jeffrey

      Yay! I personally feel the salt level is perfect but you can always alter any recipe by simply adding less salt than the ingredients call for and then add to taste!

  5. Lisa

    New Tradition for Xmas!!!
    OMGoodness the best soup ever. My family (including the picky eaters) lapped it up. Simple to make, especially when I found sausage outside the casing.

  6. Trina

    OMG This soup was so good…followed it to a “T”, even used the Boursin cream cheese, and it was out of this world…Bought the cookbook awhile back so will be trying other recipes as I go along. Thanks so much for putting these recipes in words that the every day housewife can relate to!

      • amy

        Thanks Jeff!! I’m planning on making this today!! Sooo excited!! Love the new look/function of your website!! So much easier to find all of your deliciousness!! You never disappoint! I got your first cookbook in October for my birthday!! LOVE LOVE LOVE it!! Great job!! Hope you and your fam had a wonderful holiday!!

  7. Sally

    If you plan on freezing the leftovers avoid using spinach as it tends to taste like fish from the temperature changes. Kale is what is traditional in the soup and the flavor is more stable. Spinach also tends to disintegrate into mush. Based on your additional ingredients you probably don’t care about that but others might.

      • Virginia Lambert

        I always use spinach and freeze leftover portions. I’ve never had it taste like fish, so maybe it’s a difference in freezers? I prefer spinach over kale, but folks should use what works best for them.

  8. Jodie Graham

    This is hands down the BEST soup I have ever had in my life.
    I used my homemade chicken broth and Bourin garlic and basil cheese. Out of this world. I’ve told my best friend she needs to buy an IP just to make this soup. Amazing.

  9. Sherry

    I LOVE this recipe but today I don’t have any sausage. How can I season ground beef to bring it up a bit? I know it won’t be as good as usual but I am desperate. Lol

  10. Jamie

    This was honestly one of THE best batches of soup I’ve ever made! I followed the recipe exactly EXCEPT I used Pinot Noir instead of white wine (it’s what I had on hand). Not sure how much that altered the flavor but it was still incredible. Also, thank you for introducing me to Boursin! Can’t wait to add it to more dishes!

  11. Eileen

    This looks amazing. However my hubby doesn’t eat any cheese. Could I omit the Boursin or cream cheese? I’ve always wanted to try your sausage and shells recipe too but same question.

  12. Michele Fowler

    OK this is funny!! I always refer to your pages for cooking times, etc. and I’m making a “sort-of” tortellini soup so I referenced this page for spices, sausage cooking, etc. (cause you always have great suggestions) and I’m looking and looking wondering when you’re going to add tortelli!! LOL. DUH me.

    • Lisa

      In the pot now on this winter storm day on Cape Breton Island. You are the other Jeffrey around here as my parter is a Jeffrey too. He loves you by the way

  13. Anna B

    I also would love the nutrition info… not for the calorie count obviously(it was so good i don’t care) … but i have a diabetic in my family that wants to try this so i need to know the carb count to find suitable poortion to give them!

    • Nicki

      I would be interested to know if you can double the recipe and it fit in an 8 Quart pot too! I’m doing this for a Pot Luck that is upcoming because it will put all other dishes to shame-lol!

  14. Madelyn

    This is indeed a wonderful soup. Two things I do: I add the spinach after pressuring. I just let it wilt with the heat. I use baby spinach. The other thing I do occasionally as done by my daughter who does not eat dairy. Add instead a can of full fat coconut milk. Also after cooling a bit to avoid curdling. Gives an interesting coconut flavor.

  15. Nancy

    I trusted you, and this soup is fantastic! I use kale and put it in with the cheese to wilt down. That’s the only thing I do differently. It’s a big win in my household! Thank you, Jeffrey!!

  16. Nadine

    Hello! I absolutely love all of your recipes! My husband is at the store now buying the ingredients for this soup! Can’t wait to start it up- I know it is going to be yummy 😋 do you have a book with all your recipes? If so- I would like to buy it please😊❤️
    Nadine D
    Anyahta@aol.com

  17. Catherine

    I love this recipe! It has become one of my favorite go to soups. Easy and delicious! Thank you so much for sharing it with us. I made some yesterday. So delicious!

  18. David Gill

    Jeffery just keeps making me a superstar. Yet another delicious treat. It is certainly not low calorie; but it is packed with delicious flavor. Had three bowls full and wanted more; but I was too full. I am going to be the envy at the work place when they smell and see what I am eating. Thank you again Jeffery. Can’t wait to get your 3’rd and 4’th books. 🙂

  19. Elena

    This soup is our new favourite. Only discovered it last month but have already cooked it three times since. Both my husband and my 1 year old love it! Thank you so much for sharing your gift with us. If you ever get time, could you try Tuscan pancetta and bean soup and Moroccan chicken and chickpea soups? I’ve cooked both in the Instant Pot and they turned out good, but I am sure yours will be some much better 🙂

  20. Lil

    Hi, I need to know what can I substitute the wine with? I live in a family that doesn’t drink or have any alcohol in home for relapse issues.
    Thank you 🙏 can’t wait to try.

    • Leilani Girl

      I wouldn’t want to substitute the sherry flavoring. Just purchase ‘cooking Sherry’. It is only a couple/few dollars. It comes in a small bottle, approx. 8oz-10oz, (usually stocked near vinegars.) Ask a clerk. It can be stored in cupboard or pantry and used for a long time in various recipes. It will give the soup a very special flavor that I don’t think any other ingredient will substitute! If you already made the soup, I urge you to make it again using the cooking Sherry! Then comment and tell readers what you used to substitute last time and what you think of both versions!

  21. Jane

    I’m waiting patiently for my husband to finish his work so we can EAT! I have this amazing aroma filling my home from my first attempt at this recipe. I have the glass lid on the IP on warm awaiting the cheese and cream. ⌚

  22. Josh

    To keep it lower carb I substituted the potatoes for a pack of Bella mushrooms and it was phenomenal. The rest was exactly as written and was A++ as always

  23. Julie Abbott

    This soup is amazing. The broth alone is out of this world. When I make this recipe it’s hard to stop eating bowl after bowl! SO GOOD!

  24. Paula

    Was waiting for cold weather to make this soup. So happy I didn’t. After his first spoonful my husband could only say WOW! It was awesome! Thank you thank you thank you!

  25. Leilani Girl

    I wouldn’t want to substitute the sherry flavoring. Just purchase ‘cooking Sherry’. It is only a couple/few dollars. It comes in a small bottle, approx. 8oz-10oz, (usually stocked near vinegars.) Ask a clerk. It can be stored in cupboard or pantry and used for a long time in various recipes. It will give the soup a very special flavor that I don’t think any other ingredient will substitute! If you already made the soup, I urge you to make it again using the cooking Sherry! Then comment and tell readers what you used to substitute last time and what you think of both versions!

  26. Lizz

    I made this with one difference, I chiffonaded the baby spinach and added it to the bowls before the hot soup…wow, gave a lttle structure to the spinach and was amazing…the soup, not the spinach!…this is a keeper recipe, thanks Jeffery, love your recipes.

  27. Eric

    Another outstanding recommendation from Jeffrey. Terrific flavors. Very hearty. Also easy. Used Verdejo wine this time, but want to try it with dry fino Sherry next time. Thanks!

  28. Penny Parker

    So happy to see this on Facebook today. I have your book and have made this several times and it’s wonderful. This post just reminded me about how good it is so will be making it again tomorrow. Will be so good in this cold weather.

  29. Jeanie

    Amazing soup! My husband and I LOVE this soup. It warms you up on these cold January days and it is just as good the next day. The last time I made it, I added cauliflower for a little extra crunch.

  30. Lisa

    I have lost count of the number of times I have made this. It is my favourite soup – but it is an occasional treat only! Jeffrey doesn’t make any claims about it being healthy lol!
    Sometimes I add sundried tomatoes if we have them

  31. Linda

    OMG This is absolutely divine. I just got an IP and watched your video on how to use it…awesome. tonight I made your Sausage and Spinach Soup. You made everything so very easy…from grocery shopping to video. It was beyond outstanding in flavor. You made me feel like i can cook again. (I was beginning to think the only thing i could do well was Compost Lasagna🥴.
    And even the suggestion of crusty bread…yum,yum,yum.👍

  32. Ros

    made this in a crockpot. it was super delicious and I didn’t even add the potatoes!! used drained canned spinach..and about 4 cups chicken broth…..a big hit. thank you!!

  33. Cat G.

    Hubby and I made your soup today. lt was our first ever pressure cooker meal. Absolutely delicious! Hubby said it was the best soup he has ever had! We had fun making it together. Thank you for the recipe! So easy and definitely a keeper!

  34. Ros

    My boyfriend requests this atleast once a month. Made with kale and spinach. Both delicous, skip the potatoes and sherry. Added crispy bacon and cauliflower this time. Perfect recipe, thanks so much!

  35. Keon Robertson

    I’ve made this soup about a dozen times and it. Is. Wonderful. My parents are visiting me tomorrow and it’s cold and rainy here (in Austin!) so we’ll be celebrating with this magnificent soup. Keon

  36. Michelle

    This soup is absolutely amazing! Just bursting with flavor! I’ve had several people tell me it’s the best soup they’ve ever had. When we have soup days at work, they are disappointed if I bring anything else. My son loves it so much, he’s making it for his roommates today for finals week in college. It’s a total winner with me, my family and friends!

  37. George

    Thanks so much for this soup recipe. I bloomed the oil and butter with some red pepper flakes. Didn’t add the salt because didn’t have any. Needless to say it was outstanding!!!
    Your a winner thanks for all you do

  38. CT

    Sausage is incredibly expensive where I live (Ontario Canada), also adds a LOT of salt, can be very fatty, and often has fillers. I’ve started using plain lean or extra lean ground pork (usually cheaper than ground beef) for these kinds of soup.
    Voila! No need to take out of the casing, cheaper, less fat and salt, and I can add salt and hot spices to taste.
    I make a similar tortellini soup – must try this one with potatoes and cream cheese.
    Thanks!

  39. Ilene

    5 cups of garlic or chicken broth–this ingredient is confusing? Five cups of garlic? Or chicken broth? Which is it/? LOL Because that’s a lot of garlic!!! (Maybe needs to be re-worded for the “recipe reading challenged”.
    Can’t wait to try this! The reviews have convinced me!!

    • Jeffrey

      Ha – Garlic base is a flavor that Better Than Bouillon offers. You mix 5 teaspoons of it with 5 cups of water and you have 5 cups of garlic broth! My lighter blue book also has a recipe for garlic broth in it. That said, you can use any flavor broth.

      • Jeanette Schutz

        Jeffrey, I did the 5C of BTB garlic and it was awful!! So SALTY! I cooked the Sausage and Shells and ended up throwing most of it out. Please warn about the salt factor. Otherwise both recipes are great.

        • Jeffrey

          Jen – I think you may have done this wrong. It’s 5 TEASPOONS of the Better Than Bouillon base + 5 cups water to equal 5 cups of broth. 5 CUPS of the base would be way way WAY too much.

  40. Belinda

    😍 This was AMAZING!!! Made the soup this evening and it quite possibly is the BEST Instapot recipe I’ve ever attempted. I had a stove top recipe version of the tuscana soup this is going into the recycling bin, ever to be replaced with this much simpler and tastier dish.
    Thank you so much for posting this recipe, I love it and it will be added to the highly respected and honored catalog of ‘Mom’s Recipes from the Internet’ binder. My hubby used to work at OG back in the late 90’s …. he said this IS better than theirs! Kudos!! 🙂

  41. Suz IP Queen

    I made this with Jeffrey’s boursin cheese recipe and it was wonderful. I only used 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage and thought it was the perfect amount for the 1 1/2 lbs. potatoes. Will keep this in the permanent rotation. Thanks, Jeffrey!

  42. Mark Tipton

    Made it pretty much as directed but made these changes.
    I used sweet Italian chicken sausage. MUCH less fat and sodium.
    I added a couple of chopped Campari tomatoes.
    I used your copy cat Boursin cheese.
    I made a slurry of cornstarch as I thought the soup was thin.
    I used small gold potatoes….
    Also tossed in some red pepper flakes.
    Used white wine and 1/2 and 1/2
    Made in my 8qt, I have enough to freeze about half of it.
    Made in my

  43. Tara

    This soup is AMAZING! I made it today. I know it’s not quite soup weather yet but OMG was it worth it. I make a lot of different soups and this ranks in my top three! Thank you for all your awesome recipes.

  44. Sandy

    I’m no fan of OG so I have no point of reference. That said, why would I ever want to since I’m no fan of OG to begin with? My son hates soup. He ate 3 bowls full and raved about this Sausage and Spinach soup. He got up the next morning which was a Saturday and asked for it for breakfast, 11:30. He had eaten most of the potatoes the night before and asked me to cook the other half of the 3 lb. bag. When I took the soup out the fridge, there was a thick layer of solidified fat on top which I scraped off. I didn’t think the leftovers would be very good since the potatoes weren’t cooked in the soup and most of the fat was scraped off. Well it was as delicious as the night before.
    Going forward, I’ll make it the night before I serve it so that I can
    scrape the fat layer off. There was quite a bit of fat that was scraped off and well worth it to me.
    This is just about the very best soup I have ever had and certainly the best I’ve ever made. Thank you so much , Jeffrey, for this and all the delicious recipes you’ve shared.

    • Jeffrey

      I am so happy to hear this!!!! While I admit I love the fat when it’s reheated into the soup, scooping it off is fine.

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