Instant Pot Healthy Zuppa Toscana Soup

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Creamy, healthy, and flavorful to the max, this Instant Pot remake of the world-famous Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana soup is going to absolutely blow you away!

WAIT!  DON'T GO!  I know you've seen hundreds of Copy Cat recipes for this Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup and you've probably eaten it at every neighborhood soup pot luck you've ever been to, and you're probably tired of it . . . BUT HEAR ME OUT!

THIS version of Zuppa Toscana Soup has shot it's way to the top of my soup love board and I'm so excited for you to try it out!

Prior to today's creation, I had never actually made this soup myself, but had eaten it at many neighborhood get-togethers and seen rave reviews of it all over in the Instant Pot Facebook group.

But here's the thing, I didn't really get the fascination with it.  I knew it was a heavy cream based soup, but it always seemed quite thin to me and the grease streaks throughout weren't especially appealing either.

The flavor was pretty good, especially with a handful of bacon on top, but I just kept wondering, why are a third of the Instant Pots/Crock Pots at every soup pot luck I go to serving Zuppa Toscana?

Well, I decided to see if I could remake this one a bit, give it an extra punch of flavor, make it smooth and creamy all while omitting the ingredients that gave it the label of “not really healthy, but worth every calorie.”

Mission accomplished!  No heavy cream, more veggies, flavor town!

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS “BETTER THAN OLIVE GARDENS” HEALTHY ZUPPA TOSCANA SOUP

• Heavy cream be gone, HELLO Cauliflower!  Cauliflower gets steamed in a basket above the soup, pureed, then poured back into the soup to give it that thick, silky, spoonable luxuriousness
• I swapped the pork sausage for a much leaner, but definitely not less flavorful, turkey sausage.  I love the spicy kind, but if you want it more mild I suggest going with half Sweet Italian sausage and half Spicy.  This swap got rid of the grease streaks throughout the soup
• The Instant Pot makes this soup incredibly easy and fast.  Four minute cook time on this one!
• If you're on the fence with your love for kale, this might be your gateway!  Feel free to swap for spinach if you must

HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY ZUPPA TOSCANA WITHOUT CREAM

1. Brown the sausage, onions, and garlic
2. Add potatoes, stock, and seasonings
3. Add a steamer basket full of cauliflower
4. Cook for a quick 4 minutes
5. Blend cauliflower and a ladle of the soup liquid until smooth and creamy
6. Stir that creamy goodness back into the soup
7. Viola!  “Cream” soup
8. Add the kale, let it wilt in the hot soup
9. Serve!  Add a side of crumbled bacon if you really want to be knocked over

SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

TIPS FOR THE ULTIMATE ZUPPA TOSCANA SOUP

• Use Yukon potatoes!  I know russet is the most commonly used potato here, but Yukons have a more flavorful, buttery texture that adds to the rich taste of this soup
• Season!  The sausage goes a long way to make this soup flavorful, but don't be scared to add extra salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning if desired
• For a little short cut, buy pre-washed and chopped cauliflower.  I've found it really doesn't cost much more than buying a head of cauliflower, and in a time crunch, it's so nice not to make a mess breaking down cauliflower
• Because we stayed away from cream in this recipe, it freezes well!  Pour leftovers in a  freezer safe bag, and lay flat to freeze.  The flat shape helps it thaw much quicker and takes up less space in your freezer

I'm so excited for you to try this healthified, Instant Pot-ified Zuppa Toscana Soup!  Bring it to your next pot luck and plan on getting bombarded by Zuppa lovers wanting to know your secrets!

Enjoy!

VARIATIONS

• Swap spinach for kale if you're not a fan
• Swap half of the Yukon potatoes for sweet potatoes.  This adds an extra layer of flavor
• If you really don't want to bother with the cauliflower, add 1 cup of heavy cream instead

BEST SIDE DISH FOR SOUP

Since this soup contains the veg, the protein, and the dairy food groups, might I suggest bread?  More specifically, this Instant Pot Whole Wheat Asiago Rosemary Crusty Bread.  Wow, this combo is good!

EXTRA TIDBITS

WHAT DOES ZUPPA TOSCANA MEAN

Anyone else curious about this?  I was, and you never know when you might need this knowledge in a rousing trivia game.  It means “Soup in the style of Tuscany.”  There you go, you're eating like an Italian.

HOW TO SUBSTITUTE HEAVY CREAM IN SOUP

Heavy cream adds a smooth, silkiness to recipes and can be quite delicious.  But it's not the only way to get that amazing texture.

• Puree veggies: Some of my favorite vegetables to blend into soups are beans, butternut squash, zucchini, potatoes, broccoli stems, etc.  Check out Thai Butternut Squash Soup, Creamy Enchilada Soup, White Chicken Chili, and Baked Potato Soup for examples on how I do this.  In my book Master the Electric Pressure Cooker, there's an incredible Broccoli Cheese Soup you need to make ASAP if you haven't yet
• Make a roux out of a little butter and low-fat milk.  This Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice is the perfect example of this method
• Make a water and cornstarch slurry.  This works beautifully in my favorite Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
• Whipped Cream Cheese: light and airy so it's easy to mix in and adds great flavor too
• Other options include yogurt, silken tofu, and coconut milk

TOOLS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT ZUPPA TOSCANA SOUP

• Instant Pot
• Meat Chopper
• Steamer Basket

MORE INSTANT POT SOUP RECIPES

Lots of gems to be found in this soup/chili section

Instant Pot Healthy Zuppa Toscana Soup

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

A healthier version of the famous sausage, potato, and kale soup.  The flavor and creaminess is outstanding!

• Author: Marci
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 4 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x
• Category: Soup
• Method: Pressure Cooker
• Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 pound Italian turkey sausage –  (I suggest using all Spicy, or half Spicy – half Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage)
• 1 medium sweet or yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size cubes
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 4 heaping cups or 1 small head of cauliflower, chopped into large florets
• 3 cups chopped kale or spinach
• Optional for serving: extra salt and pepper, red pepper flakes, cooked and crumbled bacon

Instructions

1. Preheat the pressure cooker by selecting saute.
2. When hot, add sausage and onions and cook for about 5 minutes to brown the sausage and soften the onions.  Add garlic and stir for 1 minute.
3. Stir in potatoes, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
4. Top with a steamer basket.  Add cauliflower to the steamer basket.
5. Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position.  Cook at high pressure for 4 minutes.
6. When cooking is complete, use a quick release.
7. Place cooked cauliflower and a ladle or two of broth into a high speed blender, blend until it's a smooth puree.
8. Pour puree back into the soup and stir.
9. Press saute, add kale, and let the soup simmer for 2-3 minutes to soften the kale.
10. Serve hot topped with crumbled bacon, if desired.

Notes

• Look for Italian Turkey Sausage in the meat department area.  Look for the sausage in the casings that can be cut to allow the sausage to be squeezed out and into the pot.  Do not get precooked sausage.

Keywords: instant pot recipe, zuppa toscana soup, healthy soup

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