This copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana soup is so hearty and comforting. Zuppa Toscana is packed with kale and potatoes and topped off with a creamy broth. I’ve given this recipe a healthy makeover so that it’s vegetarian and vegan friendly. Zuppa Toscana soup is sure to warm you up on chilly nights!

We’ve finally gotten the soup weather I’ve been longing for. I’ve got my chunky sweater on and soup on the stove. It feels like the holidays are upon us. I make a cozy pot of soup at least once a week and always love trying new ones. I love soup not only because it’s so warming on cold days, but it’s an easy one-pot meal that’s easy to make healthy and inexpensively.

One soup the Internet has been going crazy over lately is Zuppa Toscana. Zuppa Toscana translates to “Tuscan Soup” in Italian. I don’t think Zuppa Toscana is actually an authentic Tuscan recipe, however. Zuppa Toscana was created by Olive Garden and apparently has a huge fan base. I had to see what all the fuss was about so I checked out Olive Garden’s ingredients and recreated a healthier version at home.

The bulk of Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana is potatoes and kale. Potatoes and kale are two of my favorite winter ingredients so I was sold. The next ingredients however were a little more iffy. Zuppa Toscana traditionally gets its bold flavors from bacon and Italian sausage, and its creaminess from heavy cream. Those ingredients were easy to make plant based. Canned coconut milk is a great substitute for heavy cream and you can’t taste any hint of coconut. I’ve tried this soup with full fat coconut milk and lite, and both worked just fine. Though I’m not a big fan of faux meats, there is an Italian sausage made by Field Roast that I really love and often add to my veggie lasagnas. Just keep in mind they are not gluten free if you’re sensitive to gluten.

Though I wrote this recipe as a true copycat for Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana, I wanted to share another way to make it that’s completely sausage-free. The next night I made this vegetarian and vegan Zuppa Toscana again, but replaced the veggie sausage with chickpeas. Yes, sometimes while I’m working on a recipe we eat versions of the same dish several nights in a row. I’m not sure which version I will make again first, but I’m leaning toward the chickpea Zuppa Toscana. The chickpeas create a cleaner flavor and texture, in my opinion, while the Italian sausage imparts more flavor. If using chickpeas instead of sausage the only change you’ll need to make is to add more seasoning to the soup itself. Double the Italian seasoning and garlic, and add more salt and pepper.

Zuppa Toscana is incredibly quick and easy to make. Some people make it in the slow cooker, but it’s so fast to make on the stove, I don’t see any reason to slow cook it. Top it off with some Parmesan or nutritional yeast (a great source of vitamin B-12 with a cheesy flavor) and dig in. Zuppa Toscana soup is also budget-friendly. I was able to make this one-pot dinner for my family for about $10 when I made the chickpea version! Who says eating well has to be expensive?

Don’t miss the short Zuppa Toscana video tutorial!



