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.
Low Carb Soup Recipes
The season of soup is here! It’s time to indulge in all the comfort food.
From broccoli cheddar soup to lasagna soup, who doesn’t love to indulge in a big bowl of soup on a cold day?
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 vegetarian 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!
Plus you get to eat Crack Chicken!
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. Thank goodness, because I use that in my favorite Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew coffee!
Recipe Notes
Italian Sausage. I use the mild, bulk sausage. Use spicy if you prefer, or links with the casings removed!
Thick cut bacon. Some people prefer to add the crispy bacon at the end of the cook time (as a garnish), so that it stays crispy, not chewy. Your call.
Cauliflower. The dream vegetable that replaces potatoes in many low carb meals (like buffalo cauliflower). Can also use turnips if you prefer!
Spinach. While Olive Garden and many other people use Kale, my family prefers the taste of spinach. You choose what you love!
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
- ½ 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!
Notes
- Swap out the cauliflower with turnips instead.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 854Total Fat: 61gSaturated Fat: 25gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 34gCholesterol: 206mgSodium: 972mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 62g
*Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.
This is delicious! I usually double the recipe because the leftovers are just as good!! Thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome! Glad it was a hit!
Do I have to add heavy whipping cream?
Made this with chicken broth, half the cauliflower and half the onion, turned out great and I didn’t even miss the potatoes. I would recommend draining the fat from the meat before adding the broth
I mean, I have been on Keto for 2 years now. I’m 59 years old and I have lost 40 pounds in two years and have kept it off and it’s recipes like this that make it easy. I followed this recipe exactly as it is and it was perfect. It is soooooooo good and my non Keto husband and son LOVED it also. Great recipe. It’s a keeper for sure!!!
So happy to hear it!
Curious where the 12 carbs are coming from? The ingredient list looks like it would be less.
I am curious about that too. Doesn’t seem to add up!!! Anybody else??
With 4 servings I come up with 3.9 net carbs per serving when I calculate it with the ingredients I use.
Depending on the brands and ingredients you use, it will change the carb counts. Also, the software I use calculates it automatically, which is why I always put the disclaimer.
Are the calories and carbs in the nutritional grid per serving or per all 6 servings?? I do not get to those calories, fat and net carbs when I add the ingredients up and divide by 6.
I made this and it was very good. I used chicken broth instead and also cooked the onions and garlic with the sausage. Thank you for great recipe. I will be making again.
What is the serving size? I dont see that anywhere.
It says serves 4 at the top of the recipe if that helps!
Can this recipe be made in a pressure cooker??? anyone?
I made this for a family pre-Thanksgiving soup night for 30 people. It was a hit even over the high carb favorites. I timed it to be ready at our stated start time but ended up delaying around one and a half hours waiting for stragglers. I was worried that it would bee too mushy and soggy but it was still quite delicious. Next time I would follow the suggestion to reserve the cooked bacon and add later to add another texture but it was fine as I prepared it this time. Definitely love the parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes garnish as well.
Just made this. Not too impressed. I thought the bacon was gross. I should have used Italian sausage instead of country pork. Overall it was just missing something. I’ll try it again with out the bacon and will hot Italian sausage.
What is the serving size?
I make mine with half ground hot Italian and half regular Italian sausage, draining some of the grease but not all as it has the spices in the meat that need to be in the soup. I have never added the bacon, but may try it next time. I prefer using chicken or turkey bone broth. Love this soup. I experiment each time I make it too,which is half the fun of cooking homemade.
Absolutely delicious! I had to add more liquid (broth) because my cauliflower head was HUGE and I had more kale to use up. I will definitely make this again and again. If you’re concerned about using cauliflower instead of potatoes, don’t be. There is plenty of flavor and great texture to this soup. I did use my stick blender just a tad to thicken things up. Another reason to add more broth. Make it and ENJOY!
i am trying to add this recipe into my Carb App and there is no fat in the nutrition section.
I really enjoyed this soup on a cold Minnesota day! It took less that 20 minutes to prep. I only had Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage, so I added a little Italian seasoning. Plus, I only had half a head of cauliflower and half a bag of kale salad. Into the pot they went. Loved it and will definitely make it again. Thank you!
So anything that has fat like the sausage and bacon, you would just look up separately. Like if the bacon rendered 1/4 cup of grease, you would put what is the fat content of a 1/4 C of bacon grease into google. use the numbers there to put into carb manager or whatever app you have. Use the serving size of the sausage package as a rough estimate of how much fat will be in your cup. I know it’s not exact but will give you an idea of when something comes up short as to contents like fats, calories, carbs, etc.
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!
How long did it take to make in the crock pot?
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.
Thanx for the suggestion about the added cheese I am new to this and am having the hardest time getting enough fats.
What kind of cheese did you add, parmesan?
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!
Aimee,
I was looking for a soup to eat to break a 7 day water fast… I love Zuppa, and am a long term keto/intermittent faster (occasional longer term fasting). Found your recipe, and went shopping 5 minutes later… 45 minutes after getting home, the wife and I sat down to eat… Coming off a longer term fast, is best to eat a small first meal… The soup was so delicious, I had to force myself to stop eating… I can’t wait to get to the rest later this week… My wife absolutely loved it too! Thanks for sharing… Made it exactly as prescribed… Half/Half hot/mild sausage plus the bacon… No draining… Mmmmmm!
Happy to hear it was a hit!