This Healthy Zuppa Toscana is inspired by the popular Olive Garden menu item but lightened-up and made dairy free, whole30 and paleo friendly! Each bite is full of flavorful italian chicken sausage, tender potatoes and fresh kale. It’s a simple yet satisfying dinner to keep you warm on the chilly nights!
Helloooo soup season! Transparently, I’ve been eating soup for at least a month but now that we’ve experienced our first 40 degree days (and 30 degree mornings), it feels like we are inching closer to the *official* start of soup season. There’s nothing like a cozy soup to keep you warm on chilly days!
And what better way to kick off soup season than with an Olive Garden copycat recipe!? Zuppa Toscana is all the rage and for good reason. It’s hearty, creamy, cozy and surprisingly simple. Luckily you don’t have to go to an Olive Garden to enjoy this soup because you can make it at home for cheaper and with healthier ingredients.
My Healthy Zuppa Toscana recipes incorporates many of the same elements as the classic, but uses chicken sausage instead of pork, coconut milk instead of heavy cream and goes wayyy heavier on the kale than the potatoes. It’s naturally gluten free, dairy free, Whole30 and paleo-friendly so quite literally everyone can enjoy it. Hope you love this one as much as we did!
Why You’ll Love this Healthy Zuppa Toscana
- This is a Copycat Olive Garden recipe but made a bit healthier.
- It comes together quickly with a handful of simple ingredients.
- This recipe is completely gluten free, dairy free, Whole30 and paleo-friendly!
- It’s cozy and comforting without weighing you down.
- This makes for great leftovers to enjoy for lunch throughout the week.
- This recipe makes a few healthy swaps to reduce the fat content.
What You Need to Make this Healthy Zuppa Toscana
- Bacon: Traditionally, zuppa toscana is topped off with some bacon bits for a crunchy texture and of course that smoky, delicious flavor. Feel free to omit this or substitute turkey bacon for a lighter option.
- Spicy or Mild Italian Chicken Sausage: The main protein source here is spicy italian sausage but we’re using chicken sausage instead to make it a bit lighter. Make sure you buy RAW chicken sausage and remove the casings if it came in links.
- Avocado Oil: Just a bit of oil to sauté the onion in.
- Onion: You’ll need 1 medium-sized yellow onion, diced.
- Garlic: Heavy on the garlic here.
- Yellow Potatoes: I used 1 lb of yellow potatoes but you can increase it to 1.5 lbs if you want a heartier soup. I prefer to peel mine, but that’s optional.
- Chicken Stock: Stock is pretty much the same thing as broth but is a little higher in protein so that’s why I like using it. Feel free to substitute beef or veggie broth.
- Kosher Salt, Black Pepper & Red Pepper Flakes: No measurements for these spices…just use your judgement!
- Kale: You’ll need 6 cups of chopped kale which for me was about 1 head. I used Lacinato (“dino”) kale but normal curly kale works too.
- Canned Coconut Milk: To make this recipe dairy free, we’re using full-fat canned coconut milk instead of heavy cream. It’s rich and creamy and you can’t even taste any coconut flavor!
- Arrowroot Starch: This helps to thicken the soup slightly. Feel free to substitute cornstarch.
- Lemon Juice: This is not usually included in zuppa toscana (as far as I know) but I think all soups need a little bit of an acid!
How To Make this Dairy Free Zuppa Toscana
Crisp up the Bacon Bits:
Bring a large pot or dutch oven to medium heat. Once hot, add in the chopped bacon and let it cook until crispy – this took about 6 minutes for me. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the pot and transfer it to a paper-toweled lined plate. Remove excess bacon grease from the pot.
Brown the Chicken Sausage:
Then, add chicken sausage to the pot and break apart into small pieces with your spatula. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, or until browned through. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken sausage from the pot. Set aside.
Sweat the Onions,
Next, add avocado oil to the pan. Then, add diced onion and season with kosher salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes or until starting to turn translucent and tender. Add in garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
Add Potatoes & Broth, Bring to a Boil:
Then, add the chicken sausage back to the pot along with the potatoes, chicken stock, salt, pepper & red pepper flakes to taste. Increase heat to bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Add in Kale & Coconut Milk:
Stir in the kale followed by the coconut milk and the arrowroot starch slurry. Allow the soup to cook for 5 minutes or until the kale is wilted. Finish it off with the lemon juice and more salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.
Garnish, Serve & Enjoy:
Garnish with the crispy bacon bits, fresh cracked black pepper and a little bit of grated parmesan if you’re not dairy free. Enjoy!
What is Zuppa Toscana?
Zuppa Toscana is an italian recipe that directly translates to “Tuscan Soup.” However, most people know it as one of the best and most popular menu items at Olive Garden. The Olive Garden version of Zuppa Toscana features spicy italian sausage, kale and potatoes in a creamy broth. It’s simple yet hearty and delicious!
What Makes this Zuppa Toscana Healthy?
The traditional Zuppa Toscana is pretty heavy as it’s filled with several fat-containing ingredients like pork sausage, heavy cream, bacon, parmesan, etc. With that said, I wanted to create a bit of lighter version of Zuppa Toscana that’s still satisfying and filling but won’t leave you feeling weighed down.
So, this Healthy Zuppa Toscana recipes swaps in chicken sausage instead of pork sausage, uses canned coconut milk instead of heavy cream, and is heavier on the kale than it is the potatoes. This recipe is gluten free, dairy free and whole30/paleo friendly but doesn’t sacrifice on flavor or comfort!
How Should I Store Leftover Healthy Zuppa Toscana?
Soups are one of my favorite meals to make for meal prep since they keep really well, and this Healthy Zuppa Toscana is no exception! Allow the soup to cool down fully before transferring to an airtight container and storing it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To re-heat, transfer a portion to a microwave-safe dish and microwave for about 1-2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds or so. You could also heat it up in a small pot on the stove if you prefer. I would recommend keeping the crispy bacon bits stored in a separate container in the fridge so that they don’t get soggy by sitting in the soup.
Find the full recipe below. As always, please let me know if you tried it by commenting below or tagging me on Instagram, @munchinwithmaddie_.
Looking for More Soup Recipes?
- Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
- Marry Me Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
- Buffalo Chicken Chili
Healthy Zuppa Toscana
Equipment
- peeler
- large pot or dutch oven
- spatula
- slotted spoon
- plate
- paper towels
- bowl
Ingredients
- 6 oz raw bacon chopped into small chunks*
- 1 lb raw spicy or mild italian chicken sausage casings removed
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 lb yellow potatoes peeled & cut into 3/4" chunks
- 5-6 cups chicken stock **
- 6 cups shredded kale (about 5 oz)
- 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk or heavy cream
- 1 tbsp arrowroot starch or cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp of water to create a slurry
- juice from ½ lemon
- kosher salt & black pepper to taste
- red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot or dutch oven to medium heat. Once hot, add in the chopped bacon and let it cook until crispy – this should take about 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the pot and transfer it to a paper-toweled lined plate. Pour out the bacon grease from the pot.6 oz raw bacon
- Then, add chicken sausage to the pot and break apart into small pieces with your spatula. Continue cooking for about 4-5 minutes, or until browned through. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken sausage from the pot. Set aside.1 lb raw spicy or mild italian chicken sausage
- Add avocado oil to the pan. Then, add diced onion and season with kosher salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes or until starting to turn translucent and tender. Add in garlic and cook for 1 more minute.1 tbsp avocado oil, 1 medium yellow onion, 4 garlic cloves
- Then, add the chicken sausage back to the pot along with the potatoes, chicken stock, salt, pepper & red pepper flakes to taste. Increase heat to bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and allow it to simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.1 lb yellow potatoes, 5-6 cups chicken stock, kosher salt & black pepper, red pepper flakes
- Stir in the kale followed by the coconut milk and the arrowroot starch slurry. Allow the soup to cook for 5 minutes or until the kale is wilted. Finish it off with the lemon juice and more salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.6 cups shredded kale, 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk, juice from ½ lemon, 1 tbsp arrowroot starch or cornstarch
- Garnish with the crispy bacon bits, fresh cracked black pepper and a little bit of grated parmesan if you're not dairy free. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @munchinwithmaddie_ on Instagram and/or hashtag it #munchinwithmaddie.
Super easy to make and so so delicious! We loved it!
Thank you Mikayla!!
Hi! If I want to use cooked chicken sausage links (because I have those on hand,) is that fine? I was just thinking if slicing or dicing those up and browning that a little. Is that ok?
Hi Kristen! Yes, that should work! Let me know if you try it 🙂