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Low Carb Keto Zuppa Toscana Soup Recipe

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 Keto Zuppa Toscana Soup  packed with 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…..

Zuppa toscana soup being ladled out of pot.

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!

Bowl of Low Carb Zuppa Toscana Soup with cauliflower and spinach.

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

Yield: serves 6

Keto Zuppa Toscana Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Once the cauliflower is softened, add in heavy cream and spinach (or kale). Cook for about 5 minutes, until spinach (or kale) is soft.
  4. 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.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount 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.

Did you make this recipe?

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About Aimee

Aimee is a dessert lover (specifically rice krispie treats), workout enthusiast, self-taught foodie, and recipe creator.

Learn more about Aimee.

Affiliate Disclosure:**There may be affiliate links in this post! By clicking on them, or purchasing recommended items I may receive a small compensation. However, I only recommend products I love! Thank you for supporting Shugary Sweets! See my disclosure policy for more info**

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Posted on November 7, 2018

Comments & Reviews

  1. The recipe as written is very tasty. It doesn’t seem balanced to me. Too much Cauliflower, not enough Green. When I made it the second time I used 1/2 the cauliflower and 3 times the greens. (Broccoli Rabe ) I also used spicy Italian sausage, instead of mild, chicken stock instead of beef bone broth and 1 cup of coconut cream instead of 1/2 c. Heavy cream. I also cooked bacon first then put it on the soup when serving it so it would remain crisp. No matter how crispy bacon starts off, it gets soggy in the course of cooking soup

  2. This was good but nutrition info must be way off.
    I just calculated a rough estimate using the ingredients list (leaving out negligible items like garlic, onion, salt, pepper). And came up with 465 calories and 5 net carbs per serving if you divide everything by 6 servings.

  3. I don’t eat pork or beef so I made this with Turkey bacon & chicken spicy sausage with lo-sodium chicken broth. Oh my gosh, it doesn’t have the amount of Fat as the traditional, but the taste is amazing. I added kale ilo spinach. So good! Added a little olive oil to brown sausage & bacon as doesn’t render the fat like pork bacon & sausage.

  4. This is delightful! I cooked the bacon and sausage first in the oven and used the residual fat to roast a head of garlic, the onions and the cauliflower on a sheet pan. I transferred the bacon, sausage, roasted cauliflower and aromatics to the bone broth that had been warming in the Dutch oven and then added the spinach and heavy cream. So filling and delicious – thank you for sharing!

  5. Great recipe for fall. Made an extra batch so I can freeze some for dinner on busy days. I subbed out the cream for 2 cups of coconut milk because a dairy free low carb approach to eating makes me feel much better 🙂

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