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    Home » Healthy Soups & Chilis » Healthy Zuppa Toscana

    Healthy Zuppa Toscana

    Published: Dec 29, 2022 · Modified: Jan 27, 2024 by Tammy Overhoff

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    This 5-star Healthy Zuppa Toscana Soup is a lightened-up Whole30 version of the popular Olive Garden favorite. Each bite in this dairy-free Zuppa Toscana soup includes lean Italian turkey sausage, creamy potatoes, and hearty kale; it’s delicious and better than the restaurant version.

    close up view of zuppa toscana in a bowl.

    I have mentioned this before, but I worked as a waitress at the Olive Garden long ago (in another life). Those were fun times filled with lots of salad, breadsticks, and yummy food.

    Pasta Fagioli, Healthy Baked Ziti, Healthy Chicken Parmesan, Healthy Fettucine Alfredo, Baked Eggplant Parmesan, Baked Turkey Meatballs, and Healthy Artichoke Spinach Dip are healthier copycat versions of my favorite Olive Garden recipes. And you’d never know these are lightened-up recipes because each one is delicious.

    Today, I’m sharing a Whole30 and Paleo version of the popular Zuppa Toscana.

    Jump to:
    • Reasons you’ll love this recipe.
    • Ingredients
    • How to Make Healthy Zuppa Toscana Soup
    • Serving suggestions
    • Cooking Tips
    • Variations
    • Storage Tips
    • More Healthy Soup Recipes
    • Healthy Zuppa Toscana
    • Did you make this recipe?

    Reasons you’ll love this recipe.

    • Easy to prepare. Everything goes into one soup pot!
    • Nutritious. This healthy Zuppa Toscana soup is filled with lean protein, high-fiber kale and potatoes, and a dairy-free creamy base made without heavy cream or half and half. It’s also gluten-free Paleo, Whole30, and, with a couple of swaps, Keto-friendly.
    • Delicious! This copycat Zuppa Toscano consistently gets 5-star ratings from readers! It’s super tasty without all of the fat and calories.
    • Make-ahead. This creamy potato sausage soup can be made on Sunday for the week or frozen for a quick lunch or dinner later on.

    Ingredients

    Here are all the ingredients you’ll need to make a pot of this tasty, healthy Zuppa Toscana soup. For the full instructions, see the recipe card.

    ingredients to make whole30 zuppa toscana.
    • Italian turkey sausage. You can either purchase ground Italian sausage or poultry links. If you get links, then remove the casing before using the sausage in the recipe. 
    • Onion and cloves of garlic. The starting foundation for this healthy Zuppa Toscana.
    • Dried basil, oregano, and thyme. This seasoning blend adds the perfect layer of flavor to this soup. You can also use a teaspoon of this homemade Italian seasoning mix.
    • Crushed red pepper flakes. This gives the soup a nice spicy kick.
    • Potatoes. A classic Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana soup uses russet potatoes. However, Yukon gold potatoes, also called yellow or butter, are my favorite to use in this soup recipe. I’ve used both many times, and I prefer yellow over russet because they have a creamier buttery texture. Russets tend to get grainy. However, both will work.
    • Unsweetened coconut milk. Instead of heavy cream or half and half, I used unsweetened coconut milk. It adds the perfect creaminess to this soup without the extra saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories. Use the coconut milk found in the dairy section not the canned coconut milk.
    • Fresh kale. You can purchase cleaned and chopped kale bags from the produce section to save time. If you buy whole kale leaves, then clean the leaves thoroughly and remove the stem before chopping. You can also use frozen kale. Here are my instructions for freezing kale if there are leftovers.

    How to Make Healthy Zuppa Toscana Soup

    Start by heating olive oil in a large soup pot on the stove top and cook the Italian sausage over medium-high heat until it is no longer pink. Use a large spoon or spatula to break the sausage into small pieces as it cooks. Because you’re using poultry sausage, you won’t need to drain any grease. 

    Add the onion, garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, and crushed red pepper flakes to the sausage and cook for 5 minutes or until the onion and garlic start to soften.

    italian turkey sausage in a soup pot.
    onions, garlic, and seasoning with the italian sausage in a soup pot.

    Stir in the potatoes, chicken broth, and coconut milk and bring to a boil.

    Then reduce to a simmer over medium heat until potatoes are fork tender – this takes about 15-20 minutes. Give the soup a taste, and then add in the salt.

    chicken stock and coconut milk in soup pot with the other soup ingredients.
    zuppa toscana cooked down.

    Stir in the kale and cook for another 15 minutes or until the kale is tender. Season with more salt and black pepper if needed. Serve hot!

    kale added into the soup pot.
    kale cooked down into the zuppa toscana.

    Serving suggestions

    This Whole30 Zuppa Toscana soup is a meal in itself, but if you want some different sides, then try these ideas:

    • Gluten free Caesar salad or another green salad.
    • Roasted broccoli, Italian roasted veggies, or roasted asparagus.
    overhead picture of healthy zuppa toscana in bowls.

    Cooking Tips

    • Leave the skin on the potatoes. I’ve made it both ways, and both are tasty. Make sure to clean the potatoes thoroughly to remove any dirt or debris.
    • Adjust the spice level. If you like a spicier soup, add extra crushed red pepper flakes. You can also control the spice by using either mild or hot Italian poultry sausage. Remember that using hot Italian sausage, you might not need crushed hot pepper flakes. It depends on how spicy you want the soup.
    • Adjust the consistency of the soup. If the soup seems too thin, mash up some potatoes to thicken it up. On the flip side, if it starts to thicken up as it sits, you can stir some chicken broth to loosen it up.

    Variations

    • If you don’t want to use kale, then baby spinach, Swiss chard, or other greens will work fine as a substitute.
    • You can also use almond or other non-dairy milk, but coconut milk provides a creamy texture; the others don’t. Or swap in dairy milk or half and half if you don’t need a dairy-free soup.
    • To create keto-friendly Zuppa Toscana recipes, swap in cauliflower florets for potatoes.
    • For extra flavor, add in bacon or pancetta. Cook 4-6 slices of bacon, remove it from the pan, and set it aside. Crumble it once it cools. Drain most of the bacon grease, cook the sausage, and continue with the rest of the recipe. After the soup cooks, stir in the bacon, saving some to sprinkle on top.
    • Instead of turkey sausage, you can use pork sausage, ground chicken, or ground turkey. Of course, keep in mind this will change the soup’s flavor.
    • Bulk up the veggies. You can add celery, carrots, and other vegetables to this soup.
    close-up view of healthy zuppa toscana.

    Storage Tips

    Zuppa Toscana gets better by the day, so it’s a great soup to make on Sunday for lunch or dinner all week. Or freeze it to have dinner ready for later on.

    • For the week. After the soup cools, place it into an airtight container and refrigerator for up to 4 days. I like to use individual containers to keep portions under control and also so I can quickly heat and eat.
    • For the freezer: I’ve frozen this Zuppa Toscana recipe numerous times. I’ve never had a problem with the coconut milk separating or curdling.
    • After the soup cools, place it into containers leaving an inch from the top for expansion. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. I also love to use Souper Cubes 1-cup portion silicone trays to freeze this and other soup recipes. You can get more tips in my how-to-freeze soup tutorial.

    More Healthy Soup Recipes

    If you are looking for a couple of more healthy and delicious soup recipes, take a look at this list:

    • Cheeseburger Soup
    • Buffalo Chicken Soup
    • Pizza Soup
    • Healthy Potato Soup
    • Broccoli Cheese Soup
    • Healthy Stuffed Pepper Soup
    • Chicken Tortellini Soup

    See all of my healthy soup recipes.

    Olive Garden Zuppa toscana

    Healthy Zuppa Toscana

    This 5-star Healthy Zuppa Toscana Soup is a lightened-up Whole30 version of the popular Olive Garden favorite. Each bite in this dairy-free Zuppa Toscana soup includes lean Italian turkey sausage, creamy potatoes, and hearty kale; it's delicious and better than the restaurant version.
    5 from 26 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: dinner recipe, Soup
    Cuisine: American, Italian
    Keyword: healthy zuppa toscana, olive garden zuppa toscana, paleo zuppa toscana, whole30 zuppa toscana, zuppa toscana
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8 people
    Calories: 310kcal
    Author: Tammy Overhoff

    Equipment

    • 5 1/2 quart dutch oven or soup pot

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 pound ground Italian turkey or poultry sausage or 6 links with casings removed
    • 1 medium onion chopped
    • 6 cloves garlic finely minced. You'll get about 2-3 teaspoons of minced garlic.
    • 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
    • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
    • 2 lbs yellow or russet potatoes skins removed and cut into bite-sized pieces.
    • 4 cups chicken broth
    • 2 cups unsweetened coconut milk (carton) you can substitute any milk, half and half, or cream.
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 3-4 cups chopped kale
    • salt and black ground pepper

    Instructions

    • Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot and cook the italian sausage until no longer pink. As it's cooking use a spoon or spatula to break into small pieces.
    • Add the onion, garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, and crushed red pepper flakes to the sausage and cook that for 5 minutes or until the onion and garlic start to soften.
    • Stir in the potatoes, chicken broth, and coconut milk and bring to a boil and then simmer until potatoes are soft – this takes about 15-20 minutes.
    • Give the soup a taste, and then add in the salt.
    • Stir in the kale and cook for another 15 minutes or until the kale is tender.

    Video

    Notes

    ** The coconut milk in this recipe is a carton of coconut milk, not canned. You can find it in the dairy section next to milk.
    ** serving size is about 1 1/4 cups.
    Storage Tips
    For the week. After the soup cools, place it into an airtight container and refrigerator for up to 4 days. I like to use individual containers to keep portions under control and also so I can quickly heat and eat.
    For the freezer: I’ve frozen this Zuppa Toscana recipe numerous times. I’ve never had a problem with dairy separating or curdling, and I think this is because it includes more broth than dairy. 
    After the soup cools, place it into containers leaving an inch from the top for expansion. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. I also love to use Souper Cubes 1-cup portion silicone trays to freeze this and other soup recipes. You can get more tips in my how-to-freeze soup tutorial.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1g | Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 216mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g

    Did you make this recipe?

    Have you tried this Healthy Zuppa Toscana Recipe? I can’t wait to see it! If so, I’d love for you to rate this recipe and leave a comment below. We all learn from each other’s experiences. Also, it would be awesome if you could share a picture on Instagram and tag it #organizeyourselfskinny.

    Sharing is caring!

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    Dinner Recipes, Healthy Dairy Free Recipes, Healthy Gluten-free Recipes, Healthy Paleo Recipes, Healthy Soups & Chilis, Healthy Whole30 Recipes, Recipes

    About Tammy Overhoff

    Hi, I’m Tammy Overhoff, a busy mom, wife, and entrepreneur. I am the owner, author, and recipe developer here at Organize Yourself Skinny. Since 2011 Organize Yourself Skinny has become a trusted resource for clean eating recipes to meal prep, reviews, and lifestyle hacks to help you fit healthy habits and routines into your busy schedule. Check out my online shop Reset & Flourish for all of my eBooks, Guides, and Bundles!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kathy says

      October 15, 2014 at 2:07 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious! M new favorite for me. I used hot Italian pork sausage and omitted the red flakes. Magnificent!!!

      Reply
    2. Molly Pinon says

      October 15, 2014 at 9:03 am

      5 stars
      I made this one for my husband and it was an absolute hit. The recipe was easy to follow and turned out IMO better than Zappa Toscana from Olive Garden – Thank you for posting this one. I will definitely be making this one again.

      Reply
    3. darlene says

      October 02, 2014 at 4:42 pm

      5 stars
      I made this yesterday for my brother who had pancreatic surgery a month ago I substituted omion powder for onions and garlic powder for the garlic and he loved it and wanted the rescipe . It was so good! Thank you for the lighter version of Zuppa Touscana.

      Reply
    4. Jyl says

      September 25, 2014 at 1:16 pm

      5 stars
      I made this yesterday and it was delicious! The only thing I changed was the turkey sausage. My grocery store was out and I couldn’t bring myself to buy the regular sausage links (21g of fat per link! YIKES) so I just bought the ground turkey (98% fat free) and it was still good. Thank you sharing, I’ll definitely make it again!

      Reply
    5. suzanne says

      September 24, 2014 at 11:10 am

      I make a very similar recipe only I slice up raw cauliflower, looks like little sliced potatos, and throw them in the pot the last 10 minutes. They keep a firmness and are still yummy the next day.

      Much more than 10 minutes and they add a sweetness to the soup that I dont like.

      Reply
    6. Lisa E says

      September 20, 2014 at 10:24 pm

      This was so good, we spiced it up much more for our taste profile. Definitely a new recipe in our rotation!

      Reply
    7. Nicole says

      September 17, 2014 at 8:37 pm

      5 stars
      I absolutely love this recipe! Have made it twice already! But how much is 1/7th of the recipe? A cup? A cup in a half?

      Reply
    8. rosie says

      September 10, 2014 at 11:45 am

      Thanks! I’ve still got kale in the raised bed, and a huge bag in the freezer. Everything on hand except the sausage. So, this goes to the top of my list once I finish freezing and canning from the garden. I’m really enjoying your blog!

      Reply
      • Margaret Schenck says

        October 25, 2014 at 4:11 am

        5 stars
        hi this recipe sounds delicious but I’m asking about the kale in your freezer. can kale be frozen fresh is there anything I need to do to it before freezing it I bought the only kale I could find and it was a super large bag and I would like to use only half of it so freezing would be ideal how do you freeze kale Thanks

        Reply
        • Tammy Kresge says

          October 25, 2014 at 7:59 am

          Yes you can just throw kale into a freezer bag and freeze. I do it all the time and it works great.

    9. Laurie says

      June 29, 2014 at 1:16 pm

      This is the first time making this recipe, easy to follow instructions. I omitted the red pepper flakes and used Tuscan spice blend with sweet Italian sausage. Smells amazing.

      Reply
    10. Lori says

      June 05, 2014 at 9:31 pm

      5 stars
      YUM! It smells amazing simmering on my stove right now! I added extra red pepper flakes to make it spicy! I can’t wait to try it!

      Reply
    11. Mary says

      May 21, 2014 at 7:40 pm

      Very good. I would add note not to worry about exact amounts, etc. I added more broth and only one c 2% milk (all I had). Simmered only five min after kale added because I like it crunchy. Thank you for posting!

      Reply
    12. Marissa says

      April 23, 2014 at 9:12 pm

      5 stars
      Really great. My boyfriend wanted us to try to make his favorite Olive Garden soup, and I was hoping to find a recipe that used milk instead of cream. This recipe was perfect. We used lean pork sausage instead turkey. Great flavors, loved the texture of the broth.

      Reply
    13. Julie says

      April 16, 2014 at 5:24 pm

      5 stars
      I made this last night and my hubby and I both love it! There wasn’t any left to freeze. Next time I will double the recipe and have some to freeze. Thank you for the good healthy recipe!

      Reply
    14. Nancy says

      April 14, 2014 at 5:03 pm

      5 stars
      So delish. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    15. Melissa says

      March 20, 2014 at 11:45 am

      can we substitute spinach?

      Reply
      • Mary Beth says

        April 07, 2016 at 12:47 pm

        5 stars
        Have done that with success, as my family does not care for kale.

        Reply
    16. Roberta Davis says

      March 09, 2014 at 12:09 pm

      The recipe reads 7 servings, but how much is a serving? Is it a cup, two cups? I want to use the nutrition information but need to know the portion size. Thanks for all you do! Can’t wait to try this.

      Reply
      • Georgianne Watling says

        September 20, 2015 at 10:09 am

        Hi. I was looking for kale recipes and came upon your website.

        Tried the kale soup last nite and it was delicious and easy to make. I will definitely be trying some more of your recipes!!

        PS funny thing is I am from Buffalo!

        Reply
        • Tammy Kresge says

          September 21, 2015 at 11:30 am

          Awesome!! Love my fellow buffalonians!

    17. rachael morcio says

      March 04, 2014 at 11:58 am

      Absolutely delicious!!! Thank you

      Reply
    18. Tria says

      March 04, 2014 at 11:44 am

      Super recipe Kale is the latest in thing.

      Reply
    19. Cecily Olson says

      March 03, 2014 at 5:10 pm

      Will the potatoes freeze okay with this recipe? I have read that they typically don’t freeze well?
      My husband is dying for me to try this!!

      Reply
      • Tammy says

        March 03, 2014 at 8:49 pm

        Yes only raw potatoes have issues freezing. try this recipe. You will love it – and so will hubs 🙂

        Reply
        • Cecily Olson says

          March 03, 2014 at 9:35 pm

          Yay!! So excited 🙂 thank you!

    20. Sharyn says

      March 03, 2014 at 4:36 pm

      Am I missing something on the nutritional info? It doesn’t have calories? I can’t wait to make it, though!

      Reply
      • Tammy says

        March 03, 2014 at 8:49 pm

        Just fixed it. Sorry.

        Reply
        • Deborah says

          January 13, 2015 at 5:20 pm

          do you have the sodium count on this?

      • Lynn says

        November 15, 2015 at 7:46 pm

        Nutrition Information
        Serving size: 1/7 of recipe Calories: 316 Fat: 11 Carbohydrates: 34 Fiber: 3 Protein: 20

        Reply
      • William says

        January 16, 2016 at 5:34 pm

        Nutrition Information
        Serving size: 1/7 of recipe Calories: 316 Fat: 11 Carbohydrates: 34 Fiber: 3 Protein: 20

        Reply
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    Hi, I’m Tammy Overhoff, a busy mom, wife, and entrepreneur. I am the owner, author, and recipe developer here at Organize Yourself Skinny. Since 2011 Organize Yourself Skinny has become a trusted resource for clean eating meal prep recipes, reviews, and lifestyle hacks to help you fit healthy habits and routines into your busy schedule. Check out my online shop Reset & Flourish for all of my eBooks, Guides, and Bundles!

    More about me →

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