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Bringing back another childhood staple, try my Whole30 Zuppa Toscana, a copycat rendition of Olive Garden’s delicious soup. The only thing that I am missing is the endless breadsticks and salad!
Growing up in Celina, Texas, my friends and I would always drive up to Frisco (the closest city to us) so that we could dine at Olive Garden together. In fact, when I ran cross country back in the day, Olive Garden was our restaurant of choice when we went to big meets out of town. Our Coach would take us to Olive Garden so we could feast before we’d run our little hearts out the next day. We loved it.
Being the soup lover that I am, I loved getting the Zuppa Toscana as my appetizer, even as a child. I loved it’s rich, creamy broth with the chunky potato and sausage filling. It’s one of those soups that really can be full meal.
In this Whole30 Zuppa Toscana recipe, I’ve recreated one of my childhood favorites while also keeping it dairy-free and gluten-free. It’s still simple to make and just as satisfying as it was during my teen years. The flavor from the ground sausage really does all the talking along with the rich and creamy texture of the soup, which is thickened with arrowroot flour and dairy-free creamer!
ingredients:
- Bacon
- Hot Italian Sausage
- Yellow Onion
- Garlic
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Arrowroot Flour
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
- Italian Seasoning
- Lacinato Kale
- Russet Potatoes
- Dairy-Free Creamer
- Nutritional Yeast
- Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
step-by-step:
step one: cook the bacon
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until bacon is just crispy, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Reserve the bacon fat in the the pot.
step two: cook the sausage
Add the sausage, onions, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook, breaking up meat with back of spoon, until cooked through and no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes.
step three: build the soup
Add the arrowroot flour and stir until well incorporated. Stirring constantly, slowly pour in chicken broth, then bring the soup to a boil.
step four: add the kale and potatoes
Reduce heat to simmer. Add the Italian seasoning, chopped kale, and potatoes. Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
step five: finish the soup
When the potatoes are tender, uncover and stir in the creamer, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice. Cook for 5 minutes, simmering uncovered, just to let the flavors meld.
step six: garnish and serve
Garnish with the cooked bacon bits, serve, and enjoy!
recipe faqs:
Let the soup cool completely, then transfer it to airtight containers or freezer bags, leaving some space for expansion. Label and date the containers before placing them in the freezer.
To thaw, move the container to the refrigerator and let it defrost overnight; for for a quicker option, use the microwave’s defrost setting. Further reheat the soup or stew in a pot on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it reaches a simmer, or microwave it in intervals, stirring in between, until heated through.
You can add 1 to 2 cups more broth to rehydrate the soup, as needed, and get it to the desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Yes! If you haven’t eliminated dairy from your diet, you could make this with half-and-half or heavy cream.
The hot Italian sausage gives the soup a little bit of a kick, but it’s not too spicy. You could always use mild Italian sausage instead if you’re worried about the heat.
I think this Whole30 Zuppa Toscana is going to be a total crowd-pleaser and I hope y’all enjoy it as much as me and my family do!
looking for more soups recipes? try these!
Chickpea and Farro Soup with Escarole
Whole30 Zuppa Toscana
Ingredients
- 2 strips bacon, diced medium
- 1 pound hot Italian sausage
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion (from about 1 small onion)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot flour
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 4 cups chopped lacinato kale, stemmed (from about 1 bunch)
- 2 cups peeled and cubed russet potatoes
- 1 cup dairy-free creamer
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until bacon is just crispy, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Reserve the bacon fat in the the pot.
- Add the sausage, onions, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook, breaking up meat with back of spoon, until cooked through and no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the arrowroot flour and stir until well incorporated. Stirring constantly, slowly pour in chicken broth, then bring the soup to a boil.
- Reduce heat to simmer. Add the Italian seasoning, chopped kale, and potatoes. Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
- When the potatoes are tender, uncover and stir in the creamer, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice. Cook for 5 minutes, simmering uncovered, just to let the flavors meld.
- Garnish with the cooked bacon bits, serve, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What can I sub the hot Italian sausage for if I can’t find one that’s compatible?
I made this! It’s delicious! A friend sent the recipe. Where is the cookbook for these recipes? Making it this weekend for friends!
Hi Sonja, So glad you loved the recipe. This particular recipe is just here on my blog; but I do have a cookbook with more delicious recipes inside as well!
https://thedefineddish.com/thedefineddishcookbook/
In her new book:
https://thedefineddish.com/the-comfortable-kitchen/
The perfect comfort food!
This is delicious. I didn’t add any creamer, or nutritional yeast and used regular flour (as I’m not on whole 30). But it is so yum!
Delicious flavor.
Soooo good! Mine probably isn’t properly Whole 30 because I had to work with what I had or could find so my creamer was non-dairy, but just coffee mate regular and I had to use corn starch for arrowroot powder, but taste wise, I don’t think it changed it and it was amazing!!! (I also prefer sweet sausage but that’s just my super sensitivity to spice)
I’ve made this so many times that I owe it a review at this point! Probably my favorite soup ever. It is so soooo delicious, easy, and fast enough for a weeknight. I don’t follow Whole30 so I use heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, and cornstarch and it is just perfection.
I love Zuppa Toscana and have tried many different recipes! This is my favorite by far! You never fail, Alex! 👏
Hi there—just wondering if you think frozen kale would work? There seems to be a run on fresh kale right now at my grocery store. New year, new me, maybe? 😂 Love this recipe SO much.
Absolutely!
Could you make this in an instant pot?
I am sure you can! I haven’t done it yet so im not positive on timing. You’ll still want to brown the sausage on saute function, then add the broth/potatoes and cook on Manual high preessure for 10-15 mins or so. Then stir in nutpods at the end.
This was SO good! I didn’t have nut pods on hand so I used a mixture of 75% coconut milk and 25% almond milk. The flavor and texture were still amazing! Dreaming about leftovers tomorrow. I have not been disappointed by a recipe of yours yet! Thank you for making Whole30 so delicious!
Thank you!!
Can I make this ahead a day and store in my fridge? Any tips?
yes! this recipe just keeps getting tastier by the day if you store in fridge.