How many calories is Zuppa Toscana?

Zuppa Toscana is a hearty Italian soup made with sausage, kale, potatoes, and cream. It’s a popular soup at Olive Garden restaurants. But with all those hearty ingredients, just how many calories are in a bowl of this delicious soup?

What is Zuppa Toscana Soup?

Zuppa Toscana is a classic Tuscan soup. It features cubed potatoes and kale simmered in a savory broth with Italian sausage and heavy cream. The soup has a wonderfully thick and creamy texture thanks to the potatoes breaking down and the cream. It’s rich, hearty, and utterly delicious.

The recipe originated in the Tuscany region of Italy, where kale and sausage are very common ingredients. The soup has since become popularized by Olive Garden, which serves their version of Zuppa Toscana. It’s one of their most popular soups.

In addition to potatoes, kale, sausage, and cream, Zuppa Toscana recipes can contain ingredients like:

• Onion
• Garlic
• Chicken or vegetable broth
• White wine
• Italian seasoning like oregano, basil, parsley, and red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper
• Parmesan cheese

The ingredients come together to make a rich, hearty, and comforting soup perfect for a cold day. The flavors combine the creamy, savory, and slightly spicy in one bowl.

Calories in Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden

Since Zuppa Toscana is so commonly associated with Olive Garden, let’s start by looking at the calorie count of their version. According to Olive Garden’s nutrition information, one serving of their Zuppa Toscana contains:

• 270 calories
• 18 g fat
• 13 g protein
• 19 g carbohydrates
• 790 mg sodium

Olive Garden serves their soup in regular and lunch portions. The regular bowl contains 270 calories while the lunch portion contains 200 calories.

So in summary:

• Regular bowl Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden: 270 calories
• Lunch portion Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden: 200 calories

Calories in Homemade Zuppa Toscana

The calorie content can vary more widely for homemade Zuppa Toscana since recipes differ. The specific ingredients and portion sizes you use will impact the calories per serving.

To give a rough estimate, one serving of homemade Zuppa Toscana likely contains between 200-400 calories. Here are some examples:

Zuppa Toscana Recipe	Calories Per Serving
Simple Tuscan Soup by Cookie and Kate	207 calories
Zuppa Toscana by Spend with Pennies	276 calories
Crockpot Zuppa Toscana by Cafe Delites	387 calories

As you can see, calories range from just over 200 per serving to almost 400 per serving depending on the specific recipe.

Some factors that increase the calories in Zuppa Toscana include:

• Using more sausage
• Using heavy cream instead of milk
• Increasing the amount of oil
• Using more potatoes
• Topping with lots of shaved parmesan cheese
• Serving larger portion sizes

Lighter versions can be made by doing things like:

• Using turkey sausage or vegetarian sausage instead of pork sausage
• Using milk instead of cream
• Reducing the amount of oil
• Going easy on the cheese topping

So for homemade Zuppa Toscana, the calories can range quite a bit depending on the specific recipe. But a typical serving will contain around 200-400 calories.

Nutrition Facts of Zuppa Toscana

Now that we’ve looked at the calories in Zuppa Toscana, let’s examine some of the nutrition facts:

• Fat: Zuppa Toscana is relatively high in fat, mainly due to ingredients like sausage, cream, and oil. Olive Garden’s version contains 18g fat per serving, while homemade can range from 10-25g per serving depending on recipe.
• Protein: The protein comes mainly from the sausage. Olive Garden’s has 13g per serving. Homemade may range from 10-15g depending on amount of sausage.
• Carbs: Carbs are mainly from the potatoes. Olive Garden’s has 19g per serving. Homemade recipes generally range from 15-30g.
• Sodium: Zuppa Toscana is fairly high in sodium, averaging from 700-1000mg due to the sausage, broth, and cheese. Olive Garden’s has 790mg per serving.
• Fiber: The kale and potatoes provide a good amount of fiber. Expect 3-5g per serving.

Nutrients will also come from the kale, onions, garlic, and any other vegetables in the soup. The cream adds calcium.

Is Zuppa Toscana Healthy?

Based on the nutrition facts, is Zuppa Toscana actually healthy for you?

On the plus side, Zuppa Toscana provides fiber, vitamins, and minerals from all the vegetable ingredients like kale, onions, and garlic. The cream adds calcium to the soup. It can also be quite filling thanks to ingredients like the potatoes and sausage.

However, it is a higher calorie and higher fat soup. Some versions are also very high in sodium. The cream and full-fat sausage do add more saturated fat than you would get in a broth-based soup.

Overall, Zuppa Toscana would be considered relatively healthy in moderation as part of an otherwise balanced diet. A few tweaks can make it a bit healthier:

• Use reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• Use turkey Italian sausage instead of pork
• Use 2% milk instead of heavy cream
• Increase vegetables like kale or spinach
• Go easy on oil, cheese, and salt for topping

Portion control is also important when eating a higher calorie soup like Zuppa Toscana. Consuming giant Olive Garden style bowls multiple times per week could lead to excess calorie intake. But when enjoyed occasionally in sensible portions, Zuppa Toscana can absolutely be part of a healthy diet.

Low Calorie Zuppa Toscana

If you’re looking for a lower calorie Zuppa Toscana, there are some easy ways to lighten it up:

• Use reduced sodium chicken broth instead of full sodium
• Use turkey Italian sausage instead of pork
• Use 2% milk instead of heavy cream
• Increase low calorie vegetables like kale, spinach, zucchini
• Use less oil for cooking
• Limit cheese and potato portions
• Skip bacon or pancetta

Here is an example of a lighter Zuppa Toscana recipe and its nutrition info:

Low Calorie Zuppa Toscana

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb turkey Italian sausage
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
• 3 russet potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 4 cups chopped kale
• 1/4 cup 2% milk
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook sausage until browned and crumbled. Remove sausage.
2. Add onion and garlic to pot. Cook for 5 minutes until soft.
3. Add broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
4. Add kale and sausage back to pot. Cook 10 more minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in milk and parsley.
6. Season with salt, pepper, and additional parsley as desired.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving (1 cup):

• 168 calories
• 4g fat
• 11g protein
• 21g carbs
• 473mg sodium

By using leaner ingredients and limiting higher calorie items like cream and cheese, you can make a tasty Zuppa Toscana that still has great flavor but is under 200 calories per serving.

Zuppa Toscana Calories with Bread or Breadsticks

At restaurants like Olive Garden, Zuppa Toscana is often served with breadsticks or garlic bread. This can significantly increase the overall calorie count of the meal.

Here are the approximate calories when paired with bread:

• 1 regular bowl Zuppa Toscana (270 calories) + 2 olive garden breadsticks (140 calories) = Total 410 calories
• 1 regular bowl Zuppa Toscana (270 calories) + 1 slice garlic bread (180 calories) = Total 450 calories

As you can see, adding in the bread can increase the calories by 150-200 calories. To keep the meal lighter, limit bread to 1 slice or 1-2 breadsticks maximum.

Tips for Lightening Up Zuppa Toscana

Here are some tips to lighten up Zuppa Toscana while keeping all the tasty flavor:

• Use reduced sodium chicken broth
• Use turkey Italian sausage instead of pork
• Use 2% milk instead of heavy cream
• Increase low cal vegetables like kale, spinach, zucchini
• Use less oil for cooking
• Limit cheese and potato portions
• Use just a touch of pancetta or bacon instead of a lot
• Be sparing with salt, pepper, and butter for finishing
• Serve small portions in shallow bowls

With just a few simple substitutions and reductions, you can easily slash calories and fat without sacrificing taste.

Conclusion

Zuppa Toscana is a hearty Italian soup that typically ranges from 200-400 calories per serving. Olive Garden’s version clocks in around 270 calories for a regular bowl. Homemade recipes vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. The soup gets most of its calories from sausage, potatoes, oil or cream, and cheese. While delicious, it is relatively high in calories, fat, and sodium compared to broth-based soups. There are many ways to lighten it up with lower calorie ingredients and preparation methods. Overall, Zuppa Toscana can be enjoyed as part of a healthy diet in moderation and when appropriate portion sizes are exercised.