Light Paleo Zuppa Toscana

Do you love Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden?! I sure do! This lightened up, Paleo Zuppa Toscana recipe tastes just as good and perfect for the upcoming winter months!

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Light Paleo Zuppa Toscana

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Ingredients

• 1 pound Italian Sausage
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 4 medium russet potatoes, thinly sliced (about 1/4 inch thick)
• 1/2 yellow onion, or 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 5 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• Salt & Pepper
• 2 cups of kale, chopped
• 1 can coconut milk, NOT light

Instructions

1. Place sausage in the bottom of a pot that will be large enough for your soup. Brown sausage, drain, excess grease, and place back in pot.
2. Add chicken broth and water to pot. Stir.
3. Add potatoes, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat until potatoes are cooked through (about 10-15 minutes.) Stir occasionally.
4. Add bacon, and salt and pepper (to taste)
5. Simmer for 10-15 minutes over low heat.
6. Add kale and cream about 10 minutes before serving. Heat until the soup is warm and serve!

One of my favorite things to get at Olive Garden is the Zuppa Toscana soup. I love it so much, that we served it at our winter wedding reception (even if I didn’t really eat any of the food at the reception!) So when I discovered how to make it at home, and I was even more excited. Zuppa Toscana is also a favorite of my moms, and after I shared the recipe with her, she started making it quite often. I think every time we visit, she makes it! I got the recipe from a friend, and I have no idea who her original source was, but I’m grateful. This soup is great!

Well, unfortunately, the recipe we usually use is full of cream. While we’ve been limiting dairy in Jack’s diet for awhile, he was recently put on a low-FODMAP diet by his doctor. In addition to trying to follow that as closely as possible, my doctor has put me on a dairy/gluten free diet trial. While I’m not the best at following it, we have been trying to eliminate as much dairy as possible. So, I thought I would make a few adjustments to make our favorite Zuppa Toscana dairy and gluten free — after making it, I realized it was Paleo as well! So, this Zuppa Toscana recipe is not only Paleo-diet friendly, but it’s also lightened up! Instead of using heavy cream, I used a can of coconut milk. It was definitely hearty and satisfying — Forrest and I both thought it tasted just like Olive Garden’s version.

One of the worst parts, in my opinion, of the FODMAP diet, is that it eliminates onions and garlic. Our doctor gave us a sheet saying all spices were okay, so we have been using onion and garlic powders in moderation…but it still stinks! Because of that, I actually just used the spices in this recipe, rather than actual onions and garlic. However, if you can have garlic and onions, definitely use the real thing!

Oh — use real bacon. I promise, it makes it that much better! Just be careful not to snack on it too much after you’ve cooked it.