Low Carb Keto Zuppa Toscana Soup recipe is packed with flavor from crispy bacon, Italian Sausage, spinach and tender cauliflower all in a rich, creamy broth.
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The season of soup is here! It’s time to indulge in all the comfort food.
Oh wait, you’re cutting carbs? Trying to follow a keto friendly diet? I feel ya. Doesn’t it seem like all the comfort foods involve carbs somehow?
This past month we’ve had a nutrition challenge at our local CrossFit box. And while I wish I could report that I rocked it, I’m here to say, I failed. I didn’t prepare for this challenge as much as I should have, you know, planning some low carb meals!
Here’s the thing. Carbs and CrossFit go hand in hand. I truly believe I need carbs for all my muscle gains and endurance. However, I tend to choose the wrong carbs. Pastries, donuts, bread, haha!
One thing I do love though is chili and soup. And you may remember this Olive Garden Copycat Zuppa Toscana Soup recipe from a few years back. It’s SO good.
I had to figure out a way to make it CrossFit diet friendly. I mean, keto friendly. Ha, I mean waist management friendly. You know what I mean!
Here’s how I made an indulgent comfort food, like Zuppa Toscana Soup into a keto friendly dinner.
You may first be asking yourself:
What is a Keto diet
First, keto stands for ketogenic. A ketogenic diet is a low carb, high fat diet. You may be familiar with Atkins, it has many similarities.
The goal of a ketogenic diet is to drastically reduce your carbohydrate (carb) intake and instead consume fats. By reducing your carbs it puts your body into a state of ketosis. Basically, your body becomes quite efficient at burning fat for energy. Which is why many Crossfitters and athletes go on this diet.
It also has other great health benefits, that you can read about somewhere besides this little food blog, haha!
What foods should I avoid on a keto diet
First, the obvious. Wheat-based grains or starches. Like rice, pasta, cereal.
Beans: no chickpeas, peas, beans, lentils, legumes
Fruit: pretty much all fruit except berries (but those are only in small portions)
Potatoes and other root vegetables. No sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, etc.
Stay away from sugary foods, most condiments and sauces as they tend to have sugar and unhealthy fats.
Alcohol. WAHHHHHH.
What foods should I eat on a keto diet
Proteins such as fish, beef, chicken, eggs are all good to eat.
Vegetables that grow above ground like broccoli and cauliflower are acceptable! Also, leafy greens like spinach and kale (which is great for today’s low carb keto soup recipe)!
Avocado, nuts, and seeds are also good choices and make great snack options.
High fat dairy. Praise God at least there is something good about a keto diet, haha. Hard cheeses, high fat cream, and butter get the thumbs up!
Stevia is an acceptable keto-friendly sweetener.
How to make Keto Zuppa Toscana Soup
Unlike a traditional zuppa toscana soup, you’ll want to replace some of those high carb ingredients in today’s recipe.
Start by swapping out the potatoes by using cauliflower. Yes, you’ll know it’s not a potato when you eat it. But, zuppa toscana soup is packed with flavor, and the cauliflower absorbs some of that flavor while also providing a great substitute for potatoes.
Using a large soup pot (like this dutch oven), brown your sausage and bacon together. I chose a mild Italian sausage (without the casings) and a thick sliced bacon. I chopped the bacon BEFORE cooking it to help speed up the process of cooking, and making it easy to assemble and eat.
Add in beef bone broth (or beef stock or beef broth) to your cooked sausage and bacon. Why bone broth? I choose bone broth because it contains collagen which is GREAT for my joints (remember: CrossFit). It sounds gross, but it essentially tastes the same as beef stock or regular beef broth. You could also use chicken broth, chicken stock, or chicken bone broth instead of the beef flavor. Or vegetable broth for that matter. I found that the beef broth has the richest flavor for today’s soup!
Next, add onions, garlic, and cauliflower. For the cauliflower, try to remove as much of the stem as possible, for best flavor. I used one whole head of organic cauliflower.
Cover your dutch oven and cook for about 15 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender. Add in heavy cream and spinach. Yes, the true Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup recipe contains kale. But you guys, I just don’t like the flavor of kale. If you love it, use it. I chose spinach instead because my family LOVES this veggie!
Serve this soup with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and enjoy!
To make this soup, you’ll need:
- 1 lb mild Italian sausage
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 head cauliflower
- 32 oz beef bone broth (or beef stock)
- 1 small onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups fresh spinach (or kale)
- salt and pepper, optional
- crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- shredded parmesan cheese
- Large dutch oven
FAQ on Keto Zuppa Toscana Soup
Q: Can I make this recipe in the slow cooker or instant pot?
A: Well, given that today’s recipe only takes 30 minutes to cook, why mess with a good thing. If you try it in the crockpot or pressure cooker, send me message or leave me comment so the other readers know!
Q: Can I freeze the extra soup?
A: Yes! Freeze in ziploc freezer bags or airtight freezer safe containers. Thaw in refrigerator overnight, and heat in microwave or saucepan until desired temperature.
Q: What do I serve with keto friendly zuppa toscana soup?
A: These Keto Everything Bagels are perfect for dunking in your soup if you’re missing bread!
If you love today’s Low Carb Zuppa Toscana Soup, I’ve got a few more recipes I think you’ll enjoy!
Forget the Chinese takeout, make your own Sausage Egg Roll Skillet at home! It’s low carb and the perfect, easy weeknight dinner recipe!
Creamy Keto Tuscan Soup recipe is one of my new favorite soups. Skip the cauliflower and add in some roasted red peppers for a dish of this comfort food!
The best keto paleo chicken noodle soup! This low carb chicken soup recipe is super easy with just 8 ingredients and 10 minutes prep time.
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MORE SOUP RECIPES:
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Tomato Tortellini Soup
- Pizza Soup Recipe
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe
- Cheeseburger Soup
- Lasagna Soup
- French Onion Soup
- Pasta e Fagioli Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- MORE Easy Soup Recipes
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Keto Zuppa Toscana Soup
Low Carb Keto Zuppa Toscana Soup recipe is packed with flavor from crispy bacon, Italian Sausage, spinach and tender cauliflower all in a rich, creamy broth.
Ingredients
- 1 lb mild Italian Sausage
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon
- 32 oz Beef bone broth (or beef broth)
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 head fresh cauliflower, diced
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups fresh spinach (5 oz package), or kale
- salt and pepper, optional
- crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- shredded parmesan cheese for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Using a large soup pot (like this dutch oven), brown your sausage and bacon together. Cut your bacon into bite sized pieces to make it easier to cook.
- Once your meat is cooked, add in beef bone broth, onions, garlic, and cauliflower. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender.
- Once the cauliflower is softened, add in heavy cream and spinach (or kale). Cook for about 5 minutes, until spinach (or kale) is soft.
- Serve with a spinkle of parmesan cheese and a pinch of salt, pepper, and/or crushed red pepper flakes. ENJOY!
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- Wusthof Classic 6-Inch Chef's Knife
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 531Carbohydrates: 12gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 34g
All I can say is WOW! So flavorful and the cauliflower was perfect as a potato replacement. I used kale and loved it and look forward to trying it with spinach. Thank you for such a delicious recipe!
You’re welcome 🙂
This soup is amazing! Does anyone know if you can freeze it?
I made a soup very similar to this and froze some of it in individual servings. When I thawed it, the creamy part looked a little weird and grainy, but by the time I warmed it in the microwave, it smoothed out and looked (and tasted!) just like I remembered it from 6 weeks earlier. I would have no problem with freezing it again in the future. In fact, I’m slow cooking a 6-quart batch right now, so will need to freeze some, even though it smells wonderful and I could eat some for every meal!
Pretty good! I definitely added waaaaay more spinach than suggested (maybe half a pound as it gets smaller with heat). I added about half a quart of water after adding the bone broth and added more cream. I like soups that are veggie packed. I substituted cauliflower with cauliflower rice & it’s still very filling. I used spicy cajun sausage that I cut into smaller pieces with the bacon. I also added a cup or so of shredded cheese. I’m really trying to get lots of fat in for keto. It’s easy for me to over due it with protein. I think the added fats and spinach makes this very filling. Thanks for the recipe! I have loved this soup and this was my first time making it on keto.
We’ve made this before and used italian sausage. We are going to make again tonight with leftover bratwurst. 🙂
I absolutely love this Soup, I have made it a few times already and today, once again!
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Best regards,
Ioana
Made this tonight and it came out amazing! It’s a keeper. Even if you don’t do keto it’s a great dish. Raved about it on my Facebook page , Thanks
Made this tonight and it was delicious! And I am very picky, I require great flavor, this delivered! I have to admit that I did add a 1/2 teaspoon each of thyme and rosemary. I love experimenting with herbs. This just added depth of flavor!
This is the soup we go to time and time again! We don’t change a thing because it’s perfect just the way it’s written!
Sorry, meant to post that on the main page, not as a reply directly to you.
How can this be 12 carbs per serving? I calculate approx 12 per the entire pot
That’s what I’m saying. I’m not sure how a bowl could be that many carbs. The spinach has fiber but the recipe says zero as well.
The tool used to calculate nutrition on blogs is not always accurate. I always encourage people to calculate their own with the ingredients they use!
Made this tonight and it was delicious! And I am very picky, I require great flavor, this delivered! I have to admit that I did add a 1/2 teaspoon each of thyme and rosemary. I love experimenting with herbs. This just added depth of flavor!
I made as instructed with ingredients . My expectations were I cooked the onion in butter first and added it to the pot and then let all ingredients simmer for an hour… It was amazing 😍 definitely making again!
Best soup ever! Made two more batches the same day I made the first one!!
Do you drain all the bacon fat after the meat is cooked before proceeding?
Just made this! Not sure if there will be any left before the husband comes home. Kuddos. I was worried it wasn’t tasty enough but I was wrong. I added a bit extra red crushed pepper for a kick.
It’s good also with diced turnips instead of potatoes.
Do you drain all the bacon fat after the meat is cooked before proceeding, or do you put it in the soup (for the Zappa Toscana)?
I didn’t but ended up skimming it off the top so I would recommend taking some out.
Really enjoyed this. Lightened it up by cutting the sausage, bacon and heavy cream in half. Still delicious!
I find diced radish’s a better alternative in this soup instead of potatoes. Otherwise a wonderful recipe
Thank you for such a wonderful recipe. I made it in the IP. I used homemade beef broth. Cooked it for 9 mins in IP. I followed all your ingredients, just used basic knowledge from IP for sauté. It was so good. Thank you. I will make this again. Please keep coming up with new recipes!!!!
I’m doing f factor and loosely followed this along with my orig al I make and noticed that the fiber count was zero? How is that possible with the amount of cauliflower and kale? Could you update the fiber content please?
This is delicious. I did make a couple of minor change that does not affect the over taste but does cut the carbs a little. I used only half the head of cauliflower and substituted in 1 cup of slices fresh mushrooms as they are lower in carbs. I also put the onions and garlic in with my meats when browning instead of afterward. The broth is so rich and flavorful. Don’t add extra salt to this until you taste at the end as beef broth can get salty. Oh yeah, I did add a little extra cream at the end as well. it just seems a little watery so I added another 1/4 cup cream. When you have been doing Keto for awhile something like this taste like nectar from the gods! I will definitely be making it again. Thank you for posting!
This really does taste like Olive Gardens. Thank you
This is great for someone who is following a low carb diet, but not for someone who is following a ketogenic diet. I am alotted 13 net carbs per day, so one serving of this soup leaves me no room for error. Most keto macros will not allow for more than 20 carbs per day. Also, I don’t understand how there is no fiber in this. Both spinach and cauliflower contain fiber, which would lower the net carb amount.
This soup is freaking awesome! Keto or not, it is simply delish! I used some of my home made chicken stock, but added 2 beef bullion cubes in place of any salt…the flavor combo was amazing. I used the thick sliced bacon…it was almost like eating pork belly in the soup! The only other change was to add some Italian seasoning (about 3/4 tsp). to complement the Tuscan flavors. And don’t skip the grated Parmesan on top. Hubby is already asking for it again!
You listed rice and wheat-based… There is no wheat in rice so that would be a good option 🙂
Thanks for the recipe!
-Traci
I am making the zuppa soup now. Should I drain the sausage once it’s cooked?
I made meatballs with hot italian sausage and a bit of ground chuck. I followed the recipe and it smelled delicious and tasted great as well, right up until it said add heavy cream. I did add some heavy cream, but I felt like I could have omitted it, as I preferred the taste of of the plain beef stock. Will make this again, but without the heavy cream.
LOVED LOVED LOVED it!!! Next time I am going to add another 32oz of beef broth, only use 2 strips of bacon, drain the grease from the meat, double the cauliflower, and quadruple the spinach. I just cooked it and I stuck to the exact recipe except I put in 48oz of beef broth (all of my container) and I quadruple the spinach because it shrinks up so much. My entire family loved it!!! Will absolutely be making this again!
So great to hear!!!
I just made this last night and it was AMAZING. However, I did change one thing: instead of browning the sausage first and adding the onion and garlic, I started the whole thing by sauteeing the onion and garlic first in a 1/4 stick of butter first for about 12 minutes, then added the sausage to brown together. Sauteeing allium cuts that sulfur profile down and brings out a whole other level of flavor. Highly, highly recommended!
Soup er easy and soup er delish! I made it early in the afternoon and let it sit on the stove to cool a bit for an early supper. I can’t believe! How yummy it is
This soup recipe looks so good! I can’t wait to try this one. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I love the original version and knew I’d see this copy-cat version online. This turned out super delicious and better than the original in my humble opinion. I knew I skewed my net carb results, but I added half cauliflower, half broccoli, and a small zucchini chopped, and used chicken broth instead of beef as it’s what I had on hand. It will be on weekly meal rotation in my house from now on. Thank you for this one-pot wonder!
Delicious! I did 2 different batches in the instant pot. One for 3 mins high pressure quick release and one for 2 mins high pressure quick release since the cauliflower got a little mushy, but was still great. Added the kale and some spinach mixed and cooked on sauté for about 5min. Worked great! Thanks!!
This soup is amazing. I made it tonight and unfortunately I can’t get enough. Thank you I will Be making this often.
Did anyone find out what the fat content is?
I just had to leave a review for this recipe. This soup is AMAZING! It’s going in my recipe rotation. You don’t feel like you’re depriving yourself at all. My husband loved it, too! Thanks for sharing!
So glad you love it!
Oh my goodness! I made this tonight and its AMAZING ❤ I added mushrooms in with my sausage and that’s the only difference I made. Absolutely delicious!!!
Thank you very much for a good recipe, I will cook it for the whole family for dinner. Thank you, it looks delicious!
I made this for the second time today and really like this soup. I doubled the recipe and used a full 1 lb package of bacon because I didn’t know what to do with the other 6 slices and bacon is delicious. For the first time I also made homemade chicken stock. I put all the skin and bones from a 10 lb package of chicken thighs in my instant pot with a large onion, head of garlic, carrot, 2 in piece of ginger, thyme, salt, peper and 3 qts water and pressure cooked for 40 minutes with manual release. Once cool, strain out solids and seperate the fat. It turned out incredible, easily one of the top 3 soups I’ve ever had.
Can you please provide the fats per serving for this recipe? That would be greatly appreciated!
How is this 4 servings? Or am I reading that wrong? Either way it was sooooo good! Definitely a keto keeper ?
Can u please tell me the fats per serving and net carbs if acailable. Thanks
Can you tell what is the fats per serving?
Approximately 42 g per serving
I just made this in my instant pot because I was using my stove to make fried chicken for my husband ?. Used 1/2 chicken breast and 1/2 # sausage. Cooked 5 minutes (will try 2 min. ) next time after sautéing. Added kale when pressure dropped and let it cook in the hot broth while I finished his meal. Also used chicken broth because that was what I had on hand. Definitely a keeper. Thanks for the recipe.
Sounds delicious!
Tonight I made this soup with chicken broth. Wow I can’t belive how good this is! Thanks for posting.
I know this is one of the most asked questions with keto recipes, but how did you get such a low carb count on this?
If I use the carb manager app or calculate it myself, the count comes out to be anywhere from 10-13 Net carbs per serving.
Sounds delicious though!
I use MyFitnessPal to calculate the carbs. I think it definitely varies by brand and exact amounts. I weighed my cauliflower and calculated that way, whereas if you’re using more or less it could really throw things off.
AND…you’re right, LOL. I just double checked my numbers, and it’s 12 per serving…I missed the one in typing. Thanks for catching it!
This soup is full of flavor and so easy! Love it 🙂
I love your creativity and I know it is only one meal, but please be careful when cutting out carbs. If you cut out too many, it can severely backfire in the immediate effects and have even worse consequences if done long-term. I love all of your recipes, and good for you for finding an exercise class you enjoy, but if I may say, I don’t think having a “diet competition” is all that healthy. There is enough of that restrictive/unhealthy diet culture in society. You are more than wonderful just as you are.
The nutrition challenge is a personal challenge, not necessarily a competition pitting us all together. And I totally get it, I agree completely that carbs are important 🙂 That said, cutting them down to natural occurring only carbs, in my evening meal has really helped me maintain my weight and feel less bloated (since I workout in the morning). 🙂
Good for you, Aimee, by listening to your body and doing what is best for you and finding a balance that provides you energy to get through what sounds like an intense exercise program. I should try not to spout off nutritional/exercise advice myself; please do not take my comments as a critique of what is working for you. My best to you and your family.
Today is such a gloomy day. This soup is exactly what I need!
Soup is always a great choice on a gloomy day 🙂
I love this keto version of the classic! Yay for cauliflower in place of potatoes! Delicious!
I LOVE the cauliflower in this soup!!!
Zuppa Toscana is my favorite! Love this recipe!
I do NOT recommend browning the sausage and bacon together… the bacon was hard to cook, and the sausage got overdone…
This soup is one of my favorites!! Making it this week for sure!
I definitely want to make this this week. This looks so yummy!
I love this version of a classic such a great idea, when you’re watching your carb intake!
I’m all about anything Keto these days! I can’t wait to make this soup!