The Olive Garden classic Zuppa Toscana recipe remade to be dairy free and Whole30 compliant. This creamy soup relies on nutrient dense cauliflower and cashews for it’s creamy base, but is loaded with the classic flavors and textures of the original sausage, kale and potato soup!
Contents
A Whole30 Zuppa Toscana Recipe
This recipe has been photographed 4 times now! It’s so good, I keep wanting to improve how it looks.
The first time I ever made this soup, it was -14 F outside, and the snow was falling so hard that I had no light left once the pot was ready to photograph.
I’ve served this soup at large gatherings, and while no one can quite guess what the base is made of, there’s a concensus that this version is better than the cream-based version.
My secret: cauliflower cashew cream.
Super easy to make. Soak cashews overnight, and drain. If you don’t have time for this step, simply soak them for an hour in very hot water.
Steam cauliflower, and then puree in a blender with the cashews until a very smooth cream sauce is formed. This cauliflower cashew cream is a perfect base to make any cream-based soup healthier.
Sausage, Potatoes and Kale
The main ingredients in this soup are sausage, potatoes and kale = winter soup heaven!
These are all healthy ingredients in themselves. What makes the restaurant version of this so high calorie is the fat laden cream base.
I lighten this version up by using chicken sausage, but if you prefer pork sausage, go with that.
If you’re wanting to make this soup Whole30 compliant, be careful about the sausage that you choose. I buy mine from Whole Foods — simple ingredients, just sausage, spices and sea salt. Plus, it has so much flavor.
I adore kale in soups because it’s such a hearty green. It maintains a somewhat firm texture, even after being cooked down for quite a while.
Tips for Creamy Sausage Potato Kale Soup
- The flavor of this soup comes primarily from the chicken sausage– so you need to use a good sausage that you enjoy. I’ve been making this with Whole Food’s Italian chicken sausage (from the meat counter), and it’s amazing.
- AÂ bowl of the Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana packs in a total of 1100 calories! Yikes. And that’s a “starter”? This soup comes in at 300 calories for a large bowl, and is packed with protein, vitamins A and C, calcium and iron.
Whole30 Zuppa Toscana
Ingredients
- 6 cups cauliflower roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup cashews soaked overnight, drained
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound Italian chicken sausage or sub pork
- 6 cups water or chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon vegetable bouillon omit if using chicken stock
- 1 1/2 pounds potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 bunch kale lacinato or curly kale
- sea salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Soak cashews overnight, and drain when ready to use. If there isn't time for this step, soak cashews in boiling water for an hour.
- Steam cauliflower over medium to medium high heat for 15 minutes.
- Add steamed cauliflower and cashews to a blender with 1/2 cup water. Process until mixture is very smooth and creamy, about 1 minute in a Vitamix or similar blender, or 2-3 minutes in a standard blender.
- In a soup pot, add olive oil, and chopped onion and garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes over medium heat until onions are softened, but do not brown the onions (it turns the creamy white base brown).
- Add sausage, and continue to sauté until sausage starts to brown, about 5-7 more minutes.
- Add water and vegetable bouillon or chicken broth.
- Add peeled potatoes, cut into diced sized cubes. Bring to a boil, and continue to simmer for another 15-20 minutes.
- Destem the kale, and add to cook for the last 5 or 10 minutes.
- Mix in the cauliflower cashew cream. Season with sea salt and pepper, if necessary. The sausage adds a lot of flavor so additional seasonings aren't necessary.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Other Whole30 Soup Recipes:
- Coconut Thai Chicken Zoodle Soup, by The Endless Meal
- Creamy Tomato Basil Soup, by Sunkissed Kitchen
- Roasted Butternut Turkey Chili, by Sunkissed Kitchen
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This soup looks so good! Exactly what you need on a cold winter day to warm yourself up. Yum!
I loved eating this soup during the holidays. I’m excited to try the cauliflower/cashew nut base in other cream soups. What a wonderful gift of health. Thank you, Michelle!
Thanks Wendy 🙂 I really do love that base– I have a Cream of Mushroom Soup, and a Corn Chowder also on here that also use the same cauliflower/cashew trick.
Looks delicious. Is it possible to make this in the crockpot? Thank you for this recipe and your help.
Absolutely! To make this in the crockpot, just brown your onions, garlic and sausage, and then add to the pot with the broth and potatoes. Once it’s had some time to cook, add the cashew/cauli cream and kale and let it simmer another 30 minutes or so. Would make your house smell amazing! I adore this soup and we make it often during the winter.
I absolutely love this! I made it for the first time and was skeptical with how the cashew and cauliflower cream would turn out but holy cow!!! I’ll never make it any other way again. thanks for this!
I am so glad you loved it! I never liked cream soups before I came up with this trick — and my family who does like cream based soups insists this is better than the original 🙂 I also have recipes that use the same cauliflower-cashew cream for Corn Chowder and a Creamy Chicken and Rice soup! Thanks for letting me know you loved it!
Garlic isn’t listed in the ingredient list. How much is called for?
Thanks Tracy! I will add it in. I would use 3 cloves — but more or less to your taste!
Would this work with oven roasted cauliflower rather than steamed?
Sure! Just try to get the cauliflower soft without browning it — the silky white color of this soup is beautiful if you don’t brown the onions or cauliflower!
Made this soup for first time today. Smells wonderful and is very quick and easy to prepare