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Bringing back another childhood staple, a Whole30 Zuppa Toscana 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 and carb load on *all the yummy things*. In fact, when I ran Cross Country back in the day, Olive Garden was our day before meal 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, in fact, is a true full meal.
Here 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 my teen years. The flavor from the ground sausage really does all the talking along with the rich and creamy texture of the soup (by thickening it with Arrowroot flour + using dairy-free creamer!)
I think this is going to be a total crowd-pleaser and I hope you guys enjoy it as much as me and my family!
For other soups and stews, check out this recipe round-up. Plus, be sure to try my Sausage, Fennel, and White Bean Soup.
Whole30 Zuppa Toscana
Ingredients
- 2 strips bacon, diced medium
- 1 cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 lb hot Italian sausage (if you buy it in the links, you can remove from casing) (chicken or turkey sausage is okay to use, also!)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp arrowroot flour
- 32 oz. carton of chicken broth
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 cups peeled russet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 4 cups chopped lacinato kale, ripped from stem (or one bunch)
- 1 cup Nut Pods Original Dairy-Free Creamer
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (or the juice of 1 lemon)
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until bacon is just crispy. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. While reserving the bacon fat in the the pot.
- Add onion, garlic, salt, pepper and sausage into the pot. Cook, breaking up meat with back of spoon, until cooked through, or no longer pink. About 4-5 minutes.
- Add arrowroot into the sausage mixture and stir until well incorporated into the meat mixture. While stirring, slowly pour in chicken broth. Bring the soup to a boil.
- Reduce heat to simmer, add the italian seasoning, chopped kale and potatoes. Cook, covered, until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
- When the potatoes are tender, remove the lid from the pot and stir in the creamer, nutritional yeast, and lemon. Cook for 5 more minutes, simmering uncovered, just to mend the flavors and the cream.
- Serve in bowls topped with the cooked bacon bits. Enjoy!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This soup is SO delicious and comes together pretty quickly! Thanks for another amazing recipe, Alex!
Question: I used half and half (instead of the non-dairy creamer) but omitted the lemon juice since I was afraid it would curdle the milk – do you know if would be okay to add the lemon juice?
The lemon juice should be fine, but you can always just add it to individual bowls when serving just in case.
Deeeeeelicious! Since our family loves beans, I made it with half the amount of sausage and added a can of white kidney beans. I will also use half the amount of salt next time.
That’s a great addition. Your family may love this recipe as well.
Do you think coconut milk would work in place of the nut pods creamer? Thanks!
Yes! It does!
Can you swap Spinach for Kale? I don’t normally have Kale in the house but always have spinach
This is probably my absolute favorite recipe of yours. I have made it over a dozen times and my family loves it. Since we don’t eat bacon often, I usually omit it, but I don’t feel like I’m losing out on any flavor because all the other ingredients pack so much flavor. It’s a great winter soup, but I even love eating it in the summer.
So glad you love it!
Could you use pancetta (to avoid having to dice;)
Yes, that would definitely work. Pancetta can sometimes be saltier so just keep note to taste and add salt as needed.
Can the creamer be replaced w heavy whipping cream? If so, how much?
The same amount! it works great with heavy cream!
This is my all time favorite soup. It hits the spot every single time. This is a recipe I recommend to friends all the time.
Alex, I love this soup! I know the recipe states it is for 4 people, but can you tell me what a serving size would be? Cups or Grams.
Thanks.
Wow. Second time making this and I cannot believe how much my husband and I love this. The entire time we’re eating it all we talk about is how much we love it, lol! Thank you for this incredible recipe!!
Can you use baby kale instead?
sure!! will be just fine here.