Vegan Zuppa Toscana

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana soup recipe- but veganized! This soup is lusciously creamy and loaded with potato, kale, and homemade tofu sausage bites. This Vegan Zuppa Toscana recipe tastes like comfort food but is actually healthy, and easy enough to prepare for a weeknight dinner!

Olive Garden has a fan-favorite vegan soup called "Zuppa Toscana" which simply translates to "Tuscan Soup". This soup is traditionally made with sausage, bacon, and lots of heavy cream, making it not at all vegan (and also very unhealthy). My vegan Zuppa Toscana soup recipe is so much healthier and (in my opinion) even tastier than the original!

Side note: if you love creamy vegan recipes like this I've got a treat coming to you soon... I'm currently working on a new cookbook! Woot woot! Lots of exciting amazing drool-worthy recipes to come. Stay tuned as I'll be dropping more info soon! ❤️

To make Zuppa Toscana vegan, instead of sausage or bacon, I marinate and bake tofu so that it becomes deliciously chewy and is the perfect meaty bite in this recipe.

If you prefer to skip the tofu, you can instead use homemade vegan Italian sausage or a store-bought vegan sausage. Break up or slice the vegan sausage then cook it in a frying pan with a bit of oil or follow the package instructions before adding it to the soup.

Instead of heavy cream, there are lots of dairy-free options that you can use in this recipe. You can use a store-bought vegan culinary cream, your favorite plant-based milk (make sure it is high in fat so that it doesn't split in the soup), full-fat coconut milk (this will add a slight coconut taste), or you can use my favorite, a homemade 2 ingredient cashew cream. (Find the recipe for cashew cream in the recipe notes). Whatever plant-based milk option you choose, this soup comes out so lusciously creamy, you won't believe it!

How to Make Vegan Zuppa Toscana:

For the tofu crumbles:
Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Line with parchment paper or lightly grease a large baking sheet.
Mix the nutritional yeast, soy sauce, olive oil, smoked paprika, and garlic powder in a large bowl to make a thick paste-like sauce. Use your fingers to tear the block of tofu into small bite-sized pieces and add them to the bowl along with the seasoning. (No need to press the tofu first, the excess water will bake out in the oven). Mix the tofu pieces with the seasoning making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated.

Spread the tofu crumbles evenly over the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, stopping to stir the tofu every now and then until the tofu is tofu to be nice and browned. Once cooked, set aside until needed.

For the vegan Zuppa Toscana soup:
In the meantime, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion turns translucent and begins to brown, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth, water, and potatoes to the pot and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 8 - 15 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender.

Once the potatoes are tender, stir in the kale and most of the tofu crumbles (set aside some tofu crumbles for garnish) and cook a few minutes more until the kale wilts into the soup. (If you are using spinach this will only take a minute or so).

Stir in the plant-based culinary cream. If your soup is too thick, you can thin it by adding more vegetable broth or water. Serve Vegan Zuppa Toscana hot with the remaining tofu crumbles and a sprinkle of vegan parmesan, freshly cracked pepper, or crushed red pepper flakes, for garnish, if desired. See notes for make-ahead tips.

This Vegan Zuppa Toscana is...

• just like Olive Garden's soup (but better and vegan)!
• Super creamy and comforting

More delicious vegan soup recipes:

The Best Vegan Lasagna Soup
Easy Vegan Potato and Corn Chowder
Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup
Tuscan Vegetable Soup

If you try this recipe let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.

5 from 25 votes

(click stars to vote)

Vegan Zuppa Toscana

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana soup recipe- but veganized! This soup is lusciously creamy and loaded with potato, kale, and homemade tofu sausage. This Vegan Zuppa Toscana recipe tastes like comfort food but is actually healthy, and it's easy enough to prepare for an easy weeknight dinner!

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 50 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr

Servings: 8 (makes about 12 cups/ 2.8L)

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Ingredients

 

½1x2x

For the tofu crumbles (or see notes for substitutes):

• ▢ 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce, (gluten-free if preferred)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1 block 12oz/ 350g extra-firm tofu, drained (no need to press it)

For the soup:

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 yellow onion, chopped
• ▢ 6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• ▢ 4 cups vegetable broth
• ▢ 2 cups water
• ▢ 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into ½" cubes (5 - 6 cups once chopped)
• ▢ 3 cups kale, roughly chopped (or sub baby spinach)
• ▢ 1 cup plant-based culinary cream or a high-fat plant-based milk, (such as cashew creamy or coconut milk, see notes)
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

 

OnOff

For the tofu crumbles:

• Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Line with parchment paper or lightly grease a large baking sheet.
• Mix the nutritional yeast, soy sauce, olive oil, smoked paprika, and garlic powder in a large bowl to make a thick paste-like sauce. Use your fingers to tear the block of tofu into small bite-sized pieces and add them to the bowl along with the seasoning. (No need to press the tofu first, the excess water will bake out in the oven). Mix the tofu pieces with the seasoning making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated.
  
• Spread the tofu crumbles evenly over the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, stopping to stir the tofu every now and then until the tofu is tofu to be nice and browned. Once cooked, set aside until needed.
  

For the soup:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion turns translucent and begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
  
• Add the broth, water, and potatoes to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cook for 8 - 15 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender.
  
• Once the potatoes are tender, stir in the kale and most of the tofu crumbles (set aside some tofu crumbles for garnish) and cook a few minutes more until the kale wilts into the soup. (If you are using spinach this will only take a minute or so).
  
• Stir in the plant-based culinary cream. If your soup is too thick, you can thin it by adding more vegetable broth or water. Serve hot with the remaining tofu crumbles for garnish. See notes for make-ahead tips.
  

Notes

Plant-based culinary cream: these days, many stores carry vegan creams made from ingredients such as oats or cashews which are great for cooking and using in this recipe. Another option is full-fat coconut milk (the kind in the can), but note the soup will have a coconut taste. You can also use your favorite plain plant-based milk, just make sure it is one that is high in fat so that it doesn't split in the soup. My go-to: I usually make homemade cashew cream by blending 1 cup of raw cashews with 1 cup of water in a high-powered blender until completely smooth and creamy. If you do not have a high-powered blender before blending the cashews you will first want to soften the cashews by boiling them for 10 minutes and rinsing them with cold water. Add the softened cashews to the blender with fresh water. 

Make-ahead: if you're planning to make this soup ahead of time, prepare the soup as directed but do not add the tofu to the soup. Allow it to cool then store the soup and tofu separately in the fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, heat the soup, then add the tofu in the last few minutes of cooking. Separating the tofu when storing the soup will ensure that the tofu stays deliciously chewy and keep its rich brown color.

Oil-free: if you want to make this oil-free, omit the olive oil on the tofu and substitute it with vegetable broth or aquafaba. Omit the oil when making the soup and instead do a water or broth sauté.

Tofu Substitute: If you prefer to skip the tofu, you can instead use homemade vegan Italian sausage or a store-bought vegan sausage. Break up or slice the vegan sausage then cook it in a frying pan with a bit of oil or follow the package instructions before adding it to the soup.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving (recipe makes 8 servings) | Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 902mg | Potassium: 658mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2885IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 3mg

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Author: Sam Turnbull

Cuisine: Italian

Course: Soup

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