Vegetarian Zuppa Toscana Soup

Zuppa Toscana with beyond Italian Sausage and Kale

Vegetarian Zuppa Toscana Soup

Creamy Vegetarian Zuppa Toscana soup recipe with crispy beyond Italian sausage and kale. A favorite American creation, the most popular copycat soup from the Olive Garden restaurant. It simply translates as "Tuscan soup" and not an authentic Italian soup like a ribollita is.

Course Soups

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Italian soup, potato soup, zuppa toscana

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Servings people

Calories 380kcal

Author CiaoFlorentina.com

Ingredients

3-4 links Beyond Italian Sausage sliced
2 lb yukon gold potatoes sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 yellow onion diced
6 cloves garlic minced
7 cups vegetable stock or water
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 tsp olive oil
5 sprigs thyme
1 leaf bay
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp red chili flakes or to taste
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
4 cups Lacinato kale baby kale, spinach or broccoli
sea salt to taste

Cashew Cream

1 cup raw cashews
1 cup filtered water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Cashew Cream

Add the raw cashews and water to a powerful blender and process until creamy smooth. If your blender isn't that powerful make sure to soak the cashews in hot water for 20 minutes. Drain then blend with one cup of filtered water until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until needed.

The Soup

Preheat a heavy bottom pot over medium flame. Add the olive oil and Italian sausage and pan sear for a few minutes until golden brown. Transfer the crispy sausage to a bowl and keep warm.
Add the onion and red chili flakes to the sausage drippings and cook a few minutes until translucent. Stir in the fennel and garlic, cook until you can smell its fragrance then pour in the white wine to deglaze.
Use a flat wooden spoon and scrape all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan until the wine has evaporated.
Add the sliced potatoes, thyme, bay leaf and smoked paprika then pour in the veggie stock. Bring to a simmer, add the nutritional yeast and a pinch of sea salt. Cook for about 5 to 10 minutes until the potatoes have softened but still hold their shape. Check after 5 minutes and keep a close eye on them.
A couple of minutes before the potatoes are ready add the chopped kale. Give everything a good stir then mix in the cashew cream. Simmer another minute or so until the kale has wilted and the soup is creamy.
Add the cooked Beyond sausage back into the soup, adjust seasonings and serve hot with freshly cracked black pepper on top.

Instant Pot Method

Set your Instant Pot to the high sauté setting. Add the olive oil and Beyond sausage slices and sautee a few minutes until golden brown. Add the onion and red chili flakes and continue cooking until the onion is translucent. Pour in the white wine and scrape all the little brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Cook until the wine has evaporated.
Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, thyme and smoked paprika. Add the sliced potatoes, veggie stock and nutritional yeast.
Select manual setting, adjust pressure to high and set time for 4 minutes. Once finished cooking quick-release pressure according to the Instant Pot manufacturer’s instructions.
Stir in the cashew cream together with the kale. Cook one or two minutes until the kale has wilted. Adjusting seasonings to taste with sea salt and black pepper and serve.

Notes

To make this soup lower in calorie you can use a mix of golden potatoes and cauliflower florets.
If you prefer your soup extra thicker you can mix 1 tablespoon of tapioca with the cashew cream or whatever plant based milk you decide to use here.
An authentic Tuscan soup is traditionally made with cannellini beans, carrot, celery + day old bread. There's also a red version of the soup that features tomatoes alongside zucchini or potatoes.

Nutrition