Brrrr....it's January and it's COLD here in NE Ohio! That means it's healthy comfort food time...that means soup weather! If you are looking for the perfect soup to make, this Skinny Zuppa Toscana Soup will warm you right up. It's made lighter by substituting pork sausage with turkey sausage and cream with evaporated skim milk, but has got all the flavor of the Olive Garden original, in a better for you version!
I've said this many times before, I used to not be much of a soup person. I know, I know...I'm blaming it on the fact that growing up canned condensed soup was pretty much what having soup meant to me.
When I got married and had a family of my own, I started making homemade soups, because soup in the wintertime was something my husband begged for! (Heck, I think he'd be good with soup all year round!)
That's when I discovered homemade soup is just SO MUCH BETTER than what I had thought soup was all those years!
Today, I have an extensive library of homemade soup recipes to choose from, but I'm always on the lookout for new and interesting recipes to add. This recipe for a healthy Zuppa Toscana soup is my hand at making an Olive Garden Copycat recipe with less fat and calories than the original.
That's when I discovered homemade soup is just SO MUCH BETTER than what I had thought soup was all those years!
Today, I have an extensive library of homemade soup recipes to choose from, but I'm always on the lookout for new and interesting recipes to add. This recipe for a healthy Zuppa Toscana soup is my hand at making an Olive Garden Copycat recipe with less fat and calories than the original.
Is Toscana soup healthy?
I've had the Olive Garden version at the restaurant and really enjoyed it! But, it's full of heavy cream and fatty pork sausage and CALORIES....lots and lots of calories. So I wouldn't call the Olive Garden Toscana soup healthy. But this healthier version of Zuppa Toscana replaces some of the heavier ingredients with more figure friendly ingredients making the end result better for you!I think this version tastes just as good as the restaurant's, but it's a tad better for the waistline. You can enjoy a hearty 2 cup serving for around 200 calories.
My family really enjoyed this soup. No one could believe it was a healthier version of the original!
Winter is sticking around for a few more months, so there's plenty of time to give this one a try! :) I know I'll be making it again soon!
Yield: 8 servings
Skinny Zuppa Toscana Soup
prep time: 10 Mcook time: 40 Mtotal time: 50 M
Skinny Zuppa Toscana Soup is made lighter by substituting pork sausage with turkey sausage and cream with evaporated skim milk, but has got all the flavor of the Olive Garden original, in a better for you version!
ingredients:
- 1 pound turkey Italian Sausage, raw, bulk
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cups sliced (1/4 ") red potatoes, with skin
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp (or more or less to taste) crushed red pepper
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or two cloves of fresh minced garlic)
- 1/2 - 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 4 cups fat free, low sodium chicken stock
- 1 -12 oz. can evaporated skim milk
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 4 cups kale torn into bite sized pieces
- kosher salt, to taste
instructions:
How to cook Skinny Zuppa Toscana Soup
- In 5-6 quart dutch oven or stock pan, brown the turkey sausage on med-high heat. Drain any excess oil, if needed. Add in onion and saute for about 6 minutes or until onion becomes translucent. Add the potatoes to the pot and stir to combine
- Add in black pepper, crushed red pepper, garlic powder and oregano and cook for about 1 minute. Add in the chicken stock, scraping up any brown bits that have formed on the bottom of the pan, bring to boil, then turn down to simmer. Simmer until potatoes are fork tender (for me, it was about 20 minutes).
- Once potatoes are fork tender, add in the evaporated milk and the half and half. Continue to simmer.
- Add in the kale and push into broth. Continue to cook until kale is tender. Taste for salt and adjust if needed. Serve hot, ladled into bowls.
Calories
246.91
246.91
Fat (grams)
7.94
7.94
Sat. Fat (grams)
2.43
2.43
Carbs (grams)
24.20
24.20
Fiber (grams)
3.09
3.09
Net carbs
21.12
21.12
Sugar (grams)
4.75
4.75
Protein (grams)
19.89
19.89
Sodium (milligrams)
1571.65
1571.65
Cholesterol (grams)
57.95
57.95
Nutritional Information provided is an estimate.
Copyright © 2015 Renee's Kitchen Adventures
Pin Skinny Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden Copycat Recipe)!
*Note: This recipe for Skinny Zuppa Toscana Soup first appeared on Renee's Kitchen Adventures in January 2015. I've updated the post to include more information and republished it because it's an excellent Olive Garden Copycat recipe with fewer calories than other copycat recipes and a great soup to serve in the Fall and Winter!
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love, love creamy warming and full of flavor soups and that is exactly what this is! glad the wait for your recipe is over! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's really very good! Hope you give it a try sometime!
DeleteI love this soup! I make a "skinnier" version too, and it's just as good as the restaurant version IMO. Pictures make me want it right now!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kim!! I hope you give it a go and let me know what you think! :)
DeleteI'm so glad you made this recipe "skinny"! It's one of my favorite soups! Yum!
ReplyDeleteyeah, all that cream isn't good for anyone! lol
DeleteI love everything about this recipe. This looks so perfect for this time of year - even looks like it would freeze well. This has got to taste so good!
ReplyDeleteI didn't have any left over to freeze, but I agree with you that it would do well!
DeleteI love this slimmed down recipe! Turkey sausage is so tasty. Pinned so I can try this soon!
ReplyDeleteIt's really a perfect replacement for pork!
DeleteMmmmm! This sounds and looks so good. It's a must try for sure.
ReplyDeleteI hope you do! Thanks!
DeleteI could eat soup for every meal. And with this skinny recipe I don't have to feel guilty!
ReplyDeleteYes! You get a nice big serving for about 200 calories!
DeleteI want a bowl of thisi right now. I will be making this in the future!
ReplyDeleteI hope you like it!
DeleteAH! this sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteI've never had that soup at Olive Garden, but this looks very tasty! I'll have to try it. I was never a fan of soup growing up either (probably for the same reason). Once I discovered the goodness of homemade soup, there was no looking back. I love it and am always on the lookout for delicious new soup recipes to try!
ReplyDeleteLove me some Zuppa Toscana! I've made a lightened version very similar to this. So good.
ReplyDeleteI can eat soup 365 days a year - soup lover here! But I am looking away from the onions on top! :P
ReplyDeleteI love that this is lighter, I am eager to try it! I was never a soup person either until I made homemade and now I am converted as well. The canned stuff just isn't as good!
ReplyDeleteCan you substitute almond milk for the evaporated milk and half/half??
ReplyDeleteI've never done it, but you can give it a try. Almond milk has come a long way over the years and is a great substitute for milk in many recipes.
DeleteI know this is an old post, but OMG this is awesome! Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your review!
DeleteHow many servings and do you have the sugar and saturated fat content?
ReplyDeleteHi benfam6! I've updated the recipe card above to include the information you are looking for. Hope this helps!
DeleteI’m in Oklahoma and can’t find Italian turkey sausage, do you think Italian chicken sausage would work, do you suggest the
ReplyDeletehot or mild sausage? Have you ever substituted spinach for the kale?
Hello! Both substitutions for the sausage and the kale will work fine! As to the degree of heat you like in your sausage, that's totally up to you! Come back and let us know how it turned out!
DeleteI just came across this. Probably the best soup I've ever made. Huge thanks.
ReplyDeleteHello! Thanks for your review and I'm so pleased you enjoyed this recipe! Lots more soup recipes on this website too! Just go to recipes and search soup.
Delete