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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.
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.