Vegan Zuppa Toscana Soup

This creamy, potato & sausage remake of the popular Olive Garden soup is absolutely fantastic but without all the dairy! How can this be done? Take a look for yourself and give this recipe a try. I promise your tastebuds will love it. If you just prefer the dairy-free recommendations, subsitute with mild or hot ground Italian Sausage instead of vegan meat crumbles. Cook in a skillet until browned and follow the rest of the recipe.

Vegan Zuppa Toscana Soup

serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tbs plant-based butter (recommend Earth Balance)

1 pkg MorningStar Italian Sausage Crumbles (vegan)

1 small yellow onion, finely diced

6 garlic cloves, minced

5 small golden potatoes, diced

4 cups Sam's Choice Vegan Protein Broth (Walmart)

1 cup water

Salt & Pepper to taste (recommend 1/2 tsp+ at least)

1/4 tsp red pepper falkes (adds heat- optional)

1/8 cup nutritional yeast

1 cup chopped kale (heaping cup)

1/2 cup Silk nondairy Half & Half (optional)

Directions:

In a soup pot, add 1 tbs butter. Add Italian sausage crumbles and fry on medium high heat about 5 minutes, stirring occassionally. Dump in a small bowl and set aside. Add 1 tbs butter back in same pot and lower heat to medium. Add onions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add potatoes and cook another 2 minutes. Then add broth, water & spices and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender. Add kale and sausage crumbles back in and cook an additonal 2 minutes. Turn off heat and add creamer if you choose. Serve with french bread & garnish with easy vegan parmesan*. You may want to add a little more water to make it less thick, especially if you warm up leftovers. As a rule of thumb, I tend to not let leftovers go past 4 days in my fridge.

Author: Stephanie Brown, dinnerpartyofthree

Easy Vegan Parmesan*: 1 cup raw cashews, 2 tbs garlic powder, 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, 1/2 tsp salt. Add to food processor and process on high until almost a flour-like consistency. Store in air tight container in the fridge.