Healthy Zuppa Toscana (DF, GF)

This Healthy Zuppa Toscana features loads of veggies including carrots, sweet potatoes, and kale. This creamy, hearty, and delicious soup is naturally gluten free and dairy free.

We’re borrowing flavors from the beloved Olive Garden® original–Zuppa Toscana soup, and boosting the nutrition.

Why Is It Called Zuppa Toscana?

“Zuppa Toscana” is translated to “Tuscan soup” or “Tuscan-style soup” which is full of veggies, potatoes, beans, and spices. So, while this is certainly not an authentic Tuscan-style soup, it’s a more nutritious “copycat” of Olive Garden’s® famous Zuppa Toscana.

Try out this Healthy Zuppa Toscana recipe, which is part of our collection of favorite soup recipes. Click here to see all the recipes in the collection.

Healthy Zuppa Toscana

This slow cooker Zuppa Toscana Soup is a favorite in my home. And, when we’re in a time crunch, this Easy Zuppa Toscana is our go-to (ready in less than 30 minutes!) dinner.

One of the most common questions I get on those two recipes is how to make the soup without dairy. And another frequently asked question is how to make it a little more nutritious. So, a few weeks ago, I set out to create a more nutritious version, and ended up with this recipe. To say we’re totally hooked would be an understatement–this soup is delicious!

In this recipe, we leave out the bacon, increase the amount of veggies, swap white potatoes for sweet potatoes, and replace the heavy cream with coconut milk. It’s naturally gluten and dairy free, but certainly not lacking any flavor!

Making Zuppa Toscana Healthy and Tasty

While I’ve swapped out many of the ingredients for slightly more nutritious options, the one ingredient I couldn’t find a swap that was worth it for the flavor trade-off is the sausage. 

Yes, Italian sausage is higher in fat and sodium, but it also provides essential vitamins, minerals, and a good amount of protein per serving. I don’t recommend any substitutes for the sausage, as the flavors are very integral to the soup especially with all the other healthful swaps we’re making. Italian-style sausage made with ground turkey comes close, but I have to say, in this recipe, you need the real thing.

Healthier Zuppa Toscana Tips

• Use robustly flavored chicken stock or broth. The more flavor in the broth, the more flavor in the soup! We love Swanson® chicken broth (not sponsored) best in this skinny version of Zuppa Toscana.
• Healthy Zuppa Toscana has no bacon in it, which is why we add in some smoked paprika. You’ll get that hint of smoky flavor without any bacon.
• We tried this soup with almond milk, and definitely preferred coconut milk. You can make it with milk or cream, but it will no longer be dairy free.

Managing the Sweetness

This Healthy Zuppa Toscana is on the sweeter side due to the sweet potatoes and coconut milk. To balance out the sweet, the recipe calls for adding a touch of red pepper flakes along with smoked paprika. Using spicy sausage is another way to add some heat which will nicely balance against the sweet.

If something other than coconut milk, use half-and-half or heavy cream instead of the coconut milk. (Soup will no longer be dairy free). (I wouldn’t consider this soup to be overwhelmingly coconut flavored, but you can taste the coconut.)

What To Serve With Zuppa Toscana

• a good crusty baguette or crusty artisan bread (like this no-knead bread), homemade dinner rolls, or soup crackers
• a big vegetable-filled salad: Olive Garden salad, garden salad, Italian salad
• some kind of fruit side salad: this winter fruit salad or grapefruit salad
• additional veggies try roasted broccoli or roasted Brussels sprouts on the side

More Nourishing Soup Recipes:

• Vegetable Soup with basil pesto
• Black Bean Soup with sweet bell peppers
• Chickpea Soup with red lentils
• Easy Tomato Soup with canned tomatoes
• Chicken Curry Soup with coconut milk

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5 from 1 vote

Healthy Zuppa Toscana

By Chelsea Lords

Healthy Zuppa Toscana is a creamy, hearty soup loaded with veggies like carrots, sweet potatoes, and kale. Naturally gluten- and dairy-free, it’s as healthy as it is delicious!

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Equipment

• Large pot

Ingredients

1x2x3x

USMetric

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 cup diced yellow onion
• ▢ 1 cup diced carrots
• ▢ 1 pound ground Italian sausage mild or hot—see note 1
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• ▢ 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ▢ 2 tablespoons flour or GF flour to keep GF
• ▢ 5 cups chicken broth like Swanson
• ▢ 4 cups peeled and chopped sweet potatoes 3 medium
• ▢ 2 tightly packed cups shredded kale
• ▢ 1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk full-fat, see note 2
• ▢ Parmesan cheese optional, see note 3

Instructions 

• Add oil to a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in diced onions and carrots. Sauté 5–7 minutes or until soft and fragrant. Press to edges of the pan. Add Italian sausage to the center. Season with the salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes (if using). Cook, crumbling as you go, until browned. If there is more than 1 tbsp grease, drain off excess (see note 4).
• Add minced garlic and sprinkle flour over everything. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Very gradually add the chicken broth, while stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan. Once all broth is added, add in sweet potatoes and increase heat to high. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low (cook at a gentle simmer). Cover with a lid and simmer for 15–20 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
• Remove the lid and add shredded kale and coconut milk; stir through. Simmer until kale is wilted, another 3–5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Remove from heat, ladle into bowls, and use a zester to grate a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top if desired (Parmesan cheese has dairy). Enjoy!

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: This soup is on the sweeter side from the sweet potatoes and coconut milk, so I balance it with red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, and spicy sausage. If you don’t like spice, use mild sausage—but note the soup will be on the sweeter side. If using sausage in casings, remove from casings first.

Note 2: I highly recommend full-fat coconut milk for the best flavor and texture—it’s richer and thicker than lite. If you don’t enjoy the subtle coconut flavor, use half-and-half or heavy cream instead (but soup will no longer be dairy-free).

Note 3: Parmesan cheese is a totally optional topping, so leave it out for dairy-free soup. If using, I recommend grating it with a zester, which gives it a great texture and allows the cheese to melt beautifully into the soup.

Note 4: Drain off all but 1 tbsp of the sausage drippings. At the end of preparing this soup, if there is still too much grease for your liking, allow the soup to cool for 15–20 minutes. The grease will rise to the top and you can gently skim it off the top.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 543kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 1410mg | Potassium: 946mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 25854IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 145mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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