Fennel seeds, herbs, and red pepper flakes give this healthy, vegan Zuppa Toscana a sausage-like flavor without all the fat and cholesterol.
It’s been a big week here in the FatFree Vegan household. First of all, last Saturday we got a new family member! If you’re a Facebook follower or NewsBites reader, you’ve already been subjected to the cuteness that is our still unnamed kitten. But in case you’ve missed one of my press releases, here’s the story:
On Friday, CARA, the no-kill animal shelter where my daughter volunteers, posted a photo on Facebook of a kitten that was the spitting image of our Leda, who died of cancer 5 years ago. When I read that this kitten had been rescued from an abusive situation, I just knew we should take him in–despite the fact that we already have 4 cats and a blind dog. I filled out an adoption application, not really thinking that I had a chance because a lot of people on Facebook were interested.
Honestly, I had practically forgotten about the application (which I had filled out without my husband’s knowledge) until the next morning when I got a call from CARA saying that we had been approved. Having a daughter who is a hard-working volunteer makes all the difference! I said we needed to meet the kitten first (I actually needed a little time to work on the husband), so we arranged to come in to the shelter that afternoon.
My daughter E accompanied me, and it was love at first sight. 7-week-old “Downton,” as the shelter called him, was playful and friendly, despite his traumatic experiences. I learned that he had wandered up to a man’s door, starving and dehydrated, and the man had picked him up and thrown him across his yard. Fortunately, some neighborhood kids saw it happen and took him to a neighbor who loves cats. She called CARA, and they got him to a vet. He was in such bad shape that he wasn’t expected to live through the night. But the vet put him on an IV, and he slowly began to recover. It took two weeks before he was eating on his own and ready to be adopted. I am so thankful to CARA and the vet for saving this precious life!
“Downton” has settled in and is slowly winning over the other cats. The three of us can’t agree on a name, however, so right now he’s known as The Kitten. I’m sure that will change, but it’s hard getting 3 people with different ideas about the naming of cats to agree.
The second happy happening this week was that Jackson, Mississippi, finally got a Whole Foods Market. I’ll admit that I was a little conflicted about this. I love our local natural food store, Rainbow Grocery, and hope that the competition won’t be too much for it. The new Whole Foods was packed with people all week, and since it’s one of their smaller stores, it was difficult to really shop. I went in the second day they were open and couldn’t get to everything I wanted to. I spied these tiny potatoes across the produce department, but there were so many people crowded around them that I couldn’t get close:
I meant to go back for them but forgot. When I got home, I kept imagining how good they would be in a sort of healthed-up, veganized version of the Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana I’d seen on lots of blogs. So I braved the crowds at Whole Foods again the next day, bought two bags of tiny potatoes, and signed over my paycheck for the second time in one week. I guess I wasn’t as conflicted as I thought!
Anyway, I’ve never been to Olive Garden and never had their soup, which seems to contain sausage, bacon, and heavy cream–a heart attack in a bowl. So I doubt this really compares, but to me, it was incredibly delicious for something so simple. I had it for both lunch and supper yesterday, and I’m one of those people who hates to eat the same meal twice in a row.
Fennel seeds, herbs, and red pepper flakes give it a sausage-like flavor without all the fat and cholesterol. My tiny potatoes, many about the diameter of a nickle, I threw into the pot whole, but bite-sized chunks of any kind of potatoes will do. Half of a 12-ounce bag of pre-sliced kale (another Whole Foods purchase) cooked down enough to make this a moderately brothy soup (which is what I was craving), but feel free to increase the amount of kale and add extra seasonings, too.
Zuppa Vegana: Italian Potato, Bean, and Kale Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped onion (1 large onion)
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 8 cups vegetable broth– OR water plus 6 bouillon cubes or equivalent see note
- 1 pound small potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 cups cooked pinto, borlotti, or other beans drained, or 2 15-ounce cans pinto beans, drained
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 6- inch piece fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed)
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
- 6-10 ounces chopped kale (about 8-12 cups) stems removed
- 1/2 cup plain unsweetened non-dairy milk OPTIONAL
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast OPTIONAL
- additional seasonings to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large, non-stick soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions and a tablespoon or so of water and “steam fry” until the onions soften, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the broth, potatoes, beans, and herbs (oregano through pepper flakes). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until potatoes are just tender, about 15 minutes.
- Add the kale, cover, and cook 5 – 10 minutes, until kale is tender but still bright green.
- OPTIONAL: For a creamier broth, remove about 1/2 cup of the potatoes and a little of the soup broth. Place them in the blender along with the non-dairy milk and nutritional yeast. Blend until smooth. Add blender contents to soup and stir well.
- Check seasonings, adding salt, pepper, and additional herbs to taste. Cook for a few minutes to heat through. Remove the rosemary stem before serving.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
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Enjoy!
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Esther J
Oh, this is a very tasty soup!
I made it with a pound of peeled and diced russetts and about 6 oz of frozen spinach (both what I had on hand). I also bumped up the fennel seeds and basil (another 1/4 t each), and for the creaminess, I blended the potatoes, almond milk, and nutritional yeast (2 T instead of 1), but I also added a 1/4 cup of soaked cashews to that. I know, the fat, quelle horreur (for some), but so good.
Thanks for another one, Susan, and I hope you’re recuperation is coming along.
Be well. 🙂
Patricia
Another amazing soup! This time my meat-loving husband said he wouldn’t mind this soup once a week – SHOCKER!
Personally, I’ve been on a soup kick for a couple of weeks now and am ready to try some of your non-soup recipies!
So happy to have found guidance in my new vegan journey.
THANK YOU!
Kayla K. Pins
As an Olive Garden employee for four years in college, I can testify that this soup is spot on, minus heart attack! I’ve tried to recreate it, but it’s the fennel seed that pulls it all together. This will be a new favorite in my house. Thank you!
pat
I just want to share my experience with this soup. I’ve tried many of your recipes and this one is by far my most fave. I would have never thought to use fennel and it adds such a wonderful flavor! And to make the soup even faster, I put the kale in the cuisinart so I don’t have to chop it. It comes out in rather small pieces but it is still very tasty. Some day when I have more time, I’ll chop it like you have it featured in your lovely pix. I found some cannellini beans for cheap one day so I threw those in. Yummy! Highly recommended recipe. Easy and delicious. Thanks!!
Maria
I love looking at Loki’s picture almost as much as I love your soup.
I have made it several times with all kinds of potatoes, and all kinds of greens. It is an easy winner! And now we have Spring onions to go in it! Happiness in a bowl, even for my fussy 14 year old. Thank you for all your help with MY life, Susan. Many good wishes your way.
Chrissy
I’ve been Pescatarian for about 8 years, but recently made the decision to become vegan. Your blog is an absolute inspiration! I’ve been using a lot of your recipes in the past weeks, and I have to say that you’ve nailed it when it comes to low fat, flavorful dishes.
sunshinebuster
Made this tonight. Delicious. It does taste as or better than Olive Garden’s soup. It was my favorite soup there. I didn’t have Kale in the house so I use collard green. Couldn’t figure out how to add this to my recipes so I saved it to my phone.
nancy
Do you have a recipe in your archives that uses the spice “Old Bay”…..i know it’s for seafood but i just love the taste of it. thanks, nancy
Susan Voisin
Yes, I have several that use Old Bay to give a seafood-like flavor. Check out the first 3 or 4 at this link.
Layne Madrid
This recipe is amazing! I’ve been using your sites for a few years now and oddly our vegetarian family now lives in Mississippi too. Nice to know we are not alone!
Mary
Thanks for posting this recipe. I made this tonight and my husband said it was one of the best soups that I had ever made. That’s a winner! I did add a teaspoon of miso when I was sautĂ©ing the onions and garlic. I like the richness that miso adds. I also used organic Better than Bouillon vegetable in the same ration that you added. Great recipe!
Michele
Susan, I made this soup last night, gobbled up two bowls and woke up this morning thinking about it! Seriously the best soup I’ve ever had, hands down! I made it as is for myself, but will probably add some sauteed Tofurky Italian sausage for my omnivore hubby next time.
Thanks so much for all that you do, your site is my go-to for healthy recipes!
Chery
With all the kale, will this soup freeze ok? It’s super delicious but it yields A LOT…
I didn’t have fennel seeds at hand, but since I made my own stock with the green top of fennel (anise), it still came out great.
Susan Voisin
Glad you liked it! It should freeze fine. The texture of the kale may change a tiny bit, but since it’s already cooked, it won’t make a big difference.
Sara
Hi Susan, I’ve made this soup before and I love it, but I’m wondering if you have any suggestions for making it in the crock pot? Thanks!
Sue
This is one of my favorite soups. The aroma and taste is perfect. I make it at least once a week for my breakfast at work. Very feeling. Only thing I left out was the broth. I just use water for a more potato taste. Love your blog.
Debbie
Hi Susan,
Awesome recipes! first time I have been on your site but am going to continue to checkout your recipes in the future.
And I hope your kitten is doing well. Good to know I am not the only one who takes in more cats when you really have enough already! Sometimes you have to as you know they deserve a good home 🙂
Debbie
Carol
This dish was fabulous. I wanted something less soupy and more stewey do I just decreased the amount of broth by about 40%. The milk and yeast fillip at the end made it over the top delicious.
Maya
Just made this. The fennel is such a great touch! I also loved the blended nut milk/potato/nooch. Thanks!
Hadas
I realize this recipe is over a year old but I made it last night and it is so flavorful! I don’t love fennel in general but it is just the right amount for this soup. I subbed thyme for rosemary (which I didn’t have) and used chickpeas in place of pinto. Thank you!
Lynne
I think the main reason I saved this recipe was the cute potatoes. Embarrassing, I know. When I saw them at Whole Foods, I bought them. Again with the embarrassment! Having loved everything I’ve tried on your site, Susan, I decided to make this last night even thought for some reason, I didn’t think it would really appeal to me. Wrong! It’s wonderful! I used the 7-minute pressure cooking method (thanks Jen), 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (thanks Steven), less water (thanks Carol), and Rancho Gordo Good Mother Stallard beans. Incredibly delicious!! Thanks Susan!
NMcbee
I LOVE this recipe and so many others here (anything with black-eyes peas, I am southern after all!). Several I have on the menu to make in upcoming weeks to freeze for a surgery. But my point in all of this is to say thanks for your efforts, thanks for your creativity, thanks for helping me have a delicious way to maintain a 100 lb weight loss, and thanks for your heart (see story above). Clearly the latter you have gifts to your daughter (as I believe my Mother did for me through her love and generosity.
plasterers bristol
This was really good. Thanks for sharing this. Top marks.
Simon
joy
Susan this soup is amazing! I used white beans instead of pinto and it still turned out great!!!
Colleen
This soup is delicious! I added 1-2T Genmai Miso and a couple of chopped sundried tomatoes and some salt and pepper. The flavor is complex and layered. I love your recipes because they are savory.
We also regularly cook your Healthy Hashbrown Casserole, often adding extra kale!
Thank you, Susan!!
Erin Vargas
Tried this last night and it was divine! The fennel seeds gave it such a great flavor. I served it to guests and it was a hit! It looked just like the photo and was a beautiful hearty meal for us. I love all your recipes. I will be making this again.
Anthony
I love kale because they are so healthy for our health. Thank you for your sharing!
Alyssa McCord
This was AMAZING! I made my veggie stock and cooked my beans so there was no sodium in it at all. I put a small sprinkling in my own bowl. The only change I made was cashew cream instead of milk and 4 tbs nutritional yeast.
Danielle
I’ve made this twice and it’s really delicious. It’s one of those soups where you keep wanting there to be more broth even though there’s a lot of broth.
I used a vegan stock powder recipe I found on the Facebook McDougall Friends site. I also didn’t add beans as I’m not extremely fond of them and I also didn’t have any in the house! Since I didn’t add salt to the stock powder or beans, I added some salt and also some low sodium soy sauce.
Thanks for sharing your recipes.
Sunny
To cut down on the sodium intake in this recipe, you could always try this recipe. — and a It makes great use of veggie peels & scraps, it tastes amazing & there’s hardly any salt. I use it when making mashed potatoes, soups, pasta. it’s perfect.
http://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/2016/05/03/make-vegetable-broth-veggie-scraps/
Nancy
I’ve read through most of the comments and don’t think I saw this….can I just swap out the kale for spinach (I have a distinct aversion to kale). Also…with the back story – kitten should be called (obviously) Cara.
Susan Voisin
Yes, you can use spinach or any green you like. You can just add spinach right at the end since it doesn’t require extra time to cook.
P.S. This is an old post, and we wound up calling the kitten Loki. He’s lived up to the name!
Holleah
Made this soup tonight. Very very good. I’m pretty new to the vegan lifestyle and was missing my zuppa something awful. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Will definitely make it again.
Kim
Very good, Susan! i added a bit of carrot, and a small wedge of white cabbage thinly sliced to ‘make it mine’ . I pureed the 1/2 c. tater and used 3 tbsp of nutitional yeast. YUM!!! Served up well with homemade black bean burgers I popped some sweet potato into and that with red papper jelly and avocado when served on the potato bun. Thanks for a great dinner. i needed the boost for the vegan slump I am in!
Missy Ortiz
I made this soup this evening for dinner. I didn’t have basil, so I used dried oregano leaves and cumin for the herb part. Pink Himalayan salt and pepper…no milk substitute at all, just a heaping scoop of nutritional yeast! I added kidney beans and carrots but everything else, I followed your way. Wow! So delicious and warm and hearty! Thank you for this recipe! 🙂
Jojo
I am a picky eater — especially when it comes to soups. Yet I found this dish to be quite delicious, filling, and super easy… So much so that I wish I had made a double batch.
I used cannellini beans, and also ‘regular’ yellow potatoes cut into chunks with the skin left on. (I tend to think if russett potatoes are subbed, the skin likely needs to be removed before cooking because it’s tougher than the skin on the yellow type; just my two cents.) 🙂
I did not have rosemary onhand (either), so used dried parsley instead.
I DID include the optional unsweetened (unflavored) almond milk, and also the nutritional yeast. This made it thicker/creamier, and I highly recommending using one or both if readily available .
I HATE onions, so left them out (which also saved a step.)
I look forward to making this again in the very near future!
Jessica
How would you modify this for the Instant Pot?
Susan Voisin
You can use the sauté setting for step 1. Then combine steps 2 and 3 (potatoes and kale), use 1 cup less broth, and use the pressure setting for 3 minutes with a quick release or 1 minute with a natural release. Then use sauté for the rest of the recipe. The kale will be less vibrantly green, and you might not save much time, but it should work.
Dianna
I love this soup. I have made it for several years and I still love it. Thanks for adding the WW points to it.