This Keto Zuppa Toscana is a low-carb version of your favorite, famous Tuscan style sausage soup! Pour yourself a warm bowl of creamy broth filled with savory sausage, crispy bacon, spinach, and our secret keto ingredient — radishes! My family LOVED this recipe — and we didn’t miss the carbs one bit!
Easy Keto Zuppa Toscana Recipe
This healthy Zuppa Toscana is one of my favorite keto soup recipes because it is super delicious AND extremely easy to make. It’s a great comforting meal that’s perfect for busy evenings. After a bit of prep time, this soup simmers on the stove — hands-off! — and is ready to serve in just about 30 minutes.
If you’ve been to the Olive Garden restaurant, you might have tried their famous Zuppa Toscana. Their classic version is made with spicy Italian sausage, fresh kale, and russet potatoes in a creamy broth. It’s delicious, of course, but we all know that potatoes are too high in carbs to be eaten on the keto diet.
So, my keto version of Zuppa Toscana makes a few ingredient swaps to keep the recipe low carb. You won’t miss the potatoes — I promise!
If you are looking for other comforting keto soups, check out this yummy Creamy Keto Pumpkin Soup and this Low-Carb Broccoli Cheese Soup!
Ingredients in Keto Zuppa Toscana
This keto version of Zuppa Toscana takes its inspiration from the classic Olive Garden version, but makes a few ingredient substitutions to keep things low-carb.
It starts with a savory base of mild (or spicy Italian sausage) and crispy bacon. Then, we’ll saute onion and garlic in the bacon drippings. Add some chicken stock, and simmer the veggies. Finally, add in the cream and cheese.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for Keto Zuppa Toscana:
- Italian sausage. Choose mild or spicy, depending on your preference.
- Bacon. Be sure to choose a brand without added sugar.
- Onion and garlic
- Chicken stock, beef stock, or bone broth.
- Radishes. Yes, really! When cooked they taste just like potatoes.
- Fresh Spinach, or kale
- Heavy Cream
- Parmesan Cheese
Zuppa Toscana with Radishes
Okay, let’s talk about the secret ingredient in this soup: radishes. I know what you’re thinking, it sounds a little strange.
Now, I don’t particularly care for raw radishes. That’s why I was so surprised when I found out that cooked radishes taste like potatoes when you roast them in the oven or simmer them in a soup. They truly do soak up all the yummy flavors of the soup, and their cooked texture is just like a cooked potato.
Before I told them, my family had no idea I used sliced radishes instead of sliced potatoes in this recipe.
All that said, if you don’t like the idea of radishes in this dish, you could substitute cauliflower florets or sliced turnips. Just know that the carb count will be slightly different.
How to Make Low Carb Zuppa Toscana
This keto soup recipe is very easy to prepare, and you can make in all in one pot. I love the ease of one-pot recipes on a busy weeknight, don’t you?
To start, brown the sausage in a large, heavy Dutch Oven. Use a wooden spoon to break it up as it cooks. Once it’s browned, remove it from the pan and set it aside.
Next, cook the bacon. Once it’s nice and crispy, remove it from the pan and set it aside. (If you want to keep the bacon crispy, keep it set aside and add it to the soup right when you are ready to serve it. If you add it back into the broth with the sausage, it will get soft again — but it will still taste great.)
In the drippings from the sausage and the bacon, saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes until they are translucent and soft.
Pour in the chicken stock, and simmer the radishes and spinach until they are nice and tender. about 15-20 minutes.
Finally, add the heavy cream and Parmesan, and stir well to incorporate. Serve warm.
Variations on Keto Zuppa Toscana Soup
Like I mentioned before, you can use other vegetables to replace potatoes in the traditional version of Zuppa Toscana. I like to use radishes, but you can just as easily use sliced Daikon, bite-size cauliflower florets, or sliced turnips.
Instead of spinach, you can use kale, swiss chard, or even turnip greens. If your bunch of radishes came with the greens, you can even add those in.
For a dairy-free version, you can sub out the heavy cream for either almond milk or coconut milk. The coconut milk will give it a slight coconut taste, though. Your favorite nut milk will likely work.
How to Store or Freeze Keto Zuppa Toscana
If you have leftover soup, you can store it well-covered in the fridge for 3 days.
You can also freeze keto Zuppa Toscana, if you like. Thaw the soup in the fridge overnight and reheat the soup on the stove. More often than not, if you freeze soups with dairy, the dairy will separate from the soup. So, if you are making this soup in advance and you know you are going to freeze it, I recommend adding the cream and cheese to the soup after you have frozen and reheated it.
Making Zuppa Toscana in the Slow Cooker
You can adapt this recipe to make in a slow cooker, too. You’ll still want to brown the sausage and the bacon in a skillet, first. Then, add the rest of the ingredients (except for the heavy cream and cheese) to the slow cooker, and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours. Add the heavy cream and cheese at the end, and mix well.
More Keto Soup Recipes
For more keto soup recipes, check out these:
- Creamy Keto Pumpkin Soup
- Low-Carb Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Easy Keto Chili without Beans (Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Recipes)
Keto Zuppa Toscana
This Keto Zuppa Toscana is a low-carb version of your favorite, famous Tuscan style sausage soup! Pour yourself a warm bowl of creamy broth filled with savory sausage, crispy bacon, spinach, and our secret keto ingredient -- radishes!
Ingredients
- 8 oz mild Italian sausage
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bunch of radishes, sliced (about 6-7 large)
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups fresh spinach (or kale)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided
- 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- In a large Dutch Oven over medium heat, brown the sausage. Use a wooden spoon to break the sausage up as it cooks. Once cooked, remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the bacon drippings, saute the onion for 3-5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Add back the sausage, bacon , and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, and add the radishes. Cook for 15 minutes, until tender. Add the spinach, and simmer 1-2 minutes more until the spinach is wilted.
- Add the heavy cream and 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese. Stir well to combine. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt, pepper, and red pepper if desired.
- Serve with more parmesan cheese on top, if desired.
Notes
I like to hold back some of the crispy bacon to use as a garnish at the end. You can add it all back into the broth if you prefer, but it will lose its crispiness.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 435Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 980mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 21g
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. Carb count will vary with different ingredients and brands. It should not be considered as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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