Making Zuppa Toscana

Last week, Hims and I decided to try Olive Garden again, as neither of us had been to one in five years or more. I hear all the comments about it being “industrial Italian”, but we figured it was worth a try after all this time. Picky Me liked what I had. I’m glad it’s not something we’d choose to do on a regular basis; I’d eat myself silly! (Garlic breadsticks, I’m lookin’ at you…)

I ordered the Zuppa Toscana, having never tried it before but curious. Oh… dear… I loved it so much I went home and looked up the recipe, and wound up making it last night using the recipe I found on food.com, with a few tweaks like turkey sausage. I don’t cook that much, so was happily surprised when this stuff came out heavenly! So, so good.

My first try at Zuppa Toscana

And grateful I didn’t figure out the Weight Watchers PointsPlus cost for a bowl of the stuff until afterwards, because at 14 points per serving, I don’t think I’d have enjoyed it quite so much! It was definitely points-worthy, I admit. Now I’ll have to work on a lighter version: experiment with something other than heavy whipping cream, or perhaps less than the called-for cup, maybe less potatoes. (Of course, I could always just leave the sausage for Hims, and that would cut out a lot of the points right there!) When I do figure out a lighter version, I’ll be sure to post the recipe – and the results! – here.