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
- MORE Weeknight Dinner Recipes
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!
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!!!!