Zuppa toscana is one of my favorite soups, and this dairy free zuppa toscana makes it even easier. It’s so creamy, flavorful, and the kale addition makes it feel a little healthy. The instructions below include both stovetop and instant pot directions! Zuppa toscana can be made a few different ways, but at its heart it’s a creamy soup with potatoes, sausage, and kale. I also add a few slices of bacon for flavor and I think you could even substitute the meat with white beans if you add some extra seasonings! Typically this soup uses heavy cream, and I have seen dairy-free versions that use coconut milk, but personally I don’t love the coconut flavor with this soup. And I love coconut! I use one of my favorite methods to make a creamy soup without any cream.
The first step of this zuppa toscana recipe is to take a cup and a half of cashews and cover them with one cup of boiling water. By the time you’re ready to add them to the soup, they will be soft enough to blend. Next, set your instant pot to sauté and brown your sausage and bacon. If you’re not using an instant pot, just add the sausage and bacon to a large pot on the stove. Add your onions and garlic and cook another minute or two before adding the chicken broth, potatoes, oregano, basil, thyme, and pepper. Place the lid on your instant pot and set to high pressure for 5 minutes. If using the stovetop method, simmer for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Once the pressure releases, stir in the kale until it’s wilted. Pour the cashews and water into a high speed blender and blend until very smooth. Add this to the instant pot as well and stir. Taste and add more salt as needed, and serve with crusty bread.
When the kids have soccer practice in the evening, I love coming home to a soup like this dairy free zuppa toscana that’s ready to go in the instant pot or slow cooker. We have been rained on at many practices and there is no better time to tuck into a warm bowl of comfort than after a rainy evening of soccer practice while I wrangle the other kids! This is one recipe that you’ll want to make again and again. And the heavy cream? You won’t even miss it. This homemade cashew cream adds the perfect richness to the soup and the healthy fats from the nuts make it even better.
- 1½ cups raw cashews
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 lb. Italian sausage
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- ½ large yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 3-4 Yukon gold potatoes, chopped
- ½ tbsp. dried oregano
- 2 tsp. dried basil
- ½ tsp. ground dried thyme
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 2 tsp. cornstarch
- 1 bunch kale, stems removed, cut into small pieces
- Place cashews in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup and pour one cup of boiling water over it. Set aside.
- For the Instant Pot: Set your instant pot to sauté. Add sausage and bacon and cook until sausage is browned, breaking into pieces as it cooks. Add onion and garlic and cook for a few more minutes.
- For the stove top: Place a large pot on the stove over medium heat and cook the bacon and sausage until browned, breaking into pieces as it cooks. Add onion and garlic and cook for a few more minutes.
- Add chicken broth, potatoes, oregano, basil, thyme, and pepper. Stir to combine.
- For the Instant Pot: Set to high pressure for 5 minutes. Manually or naturally release pressure when it's done cooking.
- For the stove top: bring the soup to a simmer for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- While the soup is cooking, pour the cashews, water, and cornstarch into a high speed blender and blend until very smooth.
- Set the instant pot to sauté and add kale. Stir to wilt the kale. Add the cashew cream and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt if needed. For the stove top, simply add the kale and cashew cream once the potatoes are tender!
- Serve with crusty bread, enjoy!
Like what you see? Pin it here!
[…] make this dairy-free cream of mushroom soup stay extra creamy, we are using one of my favorite heavy cream […]