Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana Soup Recipe – But Vegetarian! This soup is deliciously creamy and loaded with bites of potatoes, kale, and homemade tofu sausage. This vegan zuppa toscana recipe tastes like comfort food but is actually healthy, and easy enough to prepare for a weeknight meal!
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 exactly vegan (and very unhealthy). My Vegetarian Zuppa Toscana Soup recipe is much healthier and (in my opinion) tastier than the original!
Side note: If you love creamy vegan recipes like this I have a treat coming your way soon… I’m currently working on a new cookbook! Oh oh! Lots of exciting amazing drool-worthy recipes coming up. Stay tuned as I will be dropping more information soon! ❤️
To make Zuppa Toscana vegan, instead of sausage or bacon, I marinate and bake tofu so it’s deliciously chewy and the perfect meaty bite in this recipe.
If you prefer to skip the tofu, you can use homemade vegetarian sausage or store-bought vegan sausage instead. Break up or slice the vegan sausage then cook it in a frying pan with a little oil or follow the package directions before adding to the soup.
Instead of heavy cream, there are plenty of dairy-free options you can use in this recipe. You can use store-bought vegan cooking cream, your favorite plant-based milk (make sure it’s high in fat so it doesn’t separate into the soup), full-fat coconut milk (this will add a little coconut flavor), or you My favorite, can use a homemade 2 ingredient cashew cream. (Find the cashew cream recipe in the recipe notes). Whichever plant-based milk substitute you choose, this soup comes out so deliciously creamy, you won’t believe it!
How to make Vegan Zuppa Toscana:
To slice the tofu:
Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Line or lightly grease a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix nutritional yeast, soy sauce, olive oil, smoked paprika, and garlic powder in a large bowl to make a thick paste-like sauce. Tear the block of tofu into bite-sized pieces with your fingers and add to the bowl with the spices. (No need to press the tofu first, excess water will bake in the oven). Mix the tofu pieces with the seasoning making sure all the tofu is evenly coated.
Spread the tofu slices evenly over the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, stopping to stir the tofu until the tofu is nice and brown. Once cooked, set aside until needed.
For the Vegan Zuppa Toscana Soup:
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent and beginning 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.
When the potatoes are tender, stir in the kale and most of the tofu crumbles (save some tofu crumbles for garnish) and cook for a few more minutes until the kale has wilted into the soup. (If you’re using spinach, this will only take a minute or so).
Stir in the plant-based cooking cream. If your soup is too thick, you can thin it by adding more vegetable broth or water. Serve the Vegan Zuppa Toscana hot garnished with the remaining tofu crumble and vegan Parmesan, freshly cracked pepper, or crushed red pepper flakes, if desired. See notes for make-head tips.
This Vegan Zuppa Toscana…
- Just like Olive Garden Soup (but better and vegetarian)!
- Super creamy and comforting
More delicious vegan soup recipes:
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.
Hungry!
Sam Turnbull.
Print recipe
Vegan Tuscan Soup
Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana Soup Recipe – But Vegetarian! This soup is deliciously creamy and loaded with potatoes, kale, and homemade tofu sausage. This vegan zuppa toscana recipe tastes like comfort food but it’s actually healthy, and it’s easy enough to prepare for an easy weeknight dinner!
Serving: 8 (Makes about 12 cups / 2.8L)
Calories: 260kcal
material
To shred the tofu (or see note for alternatives):
For the soup:
- 1 table spoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion to cut
- 6 cloves garlic Minced or pressed
- 4 the cup Vegetable broth
- 2 the cup the water
- 3 the middle Russet potatoes Peeled and cut into ½” cubes (5 – 6 cups per cut)
- 3 the cup Kale Coarsely chopped (or sub baby spinach)
- 1 the cup Plant-based cooking cream or high-fat plant-based milk (eg cashew cream or coconut milk, see note)
- ¾ teaspoon salt or taste
- ¼ teaspoon Bell pepper
Prevent your screen from going dark
instructions
To slice the tofu:
-
Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Line or lightly grease a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
-
Mix nutritional yeast, soy sauce, olive oil, smoked paprika, and garlic powder in a large bowl to make a thick paste-like sauce. Tear the block of tofu into bite-sized pieces with your fingers and add to the bowl with the spices. (No need to press the tofu first, excess water will bake in the oven). Mix the tofu pieces with the seasoning making sure all the tofu is evenly coated.
-
Spread the tofu slices evenly over the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, stopping to stir the tofu until the tofu is nice and brown. Once cooked, set aside until needed.
Comment
Proceed to: If you plan to make this soup ahead of time, prepare the soup as directed but do not add the tofu to the soup. Let it cool then store the soup and tofu separately in the fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, reheat the soup, then add the tofu during the last few minutes of cooking. Separating the tofu when storing the soup will ensure that the tofu stays deliciously chewy and retains its rich brown color.
Oil Free: If you want to make this oil-free, omit the olive oil in the tofu and replace it with vegetable broth or aquafaba. When making soup, skip the oil and use water or broth instead.
Tofu Substitutes: If you prefer to skip the tofu, you can use homemade vegetarian sausage or store-bought vegan sausage instead. Break up or slice the vegan sausage then cook it in a frying pan with a little oil or follow the package directions before adding to the soup.
nutrition
Worship: 1 Servings (recipe makes 8 servings) | Calories: 260kcal | Sugars: 26g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 2g | Monounsaturated fats: 5g | Sodium: 902mg | Potassium: 658mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2885IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 3mg