• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Keto Recipes
  • blog
  • Shop
  • About Me
    • Contact

Patrick Maese logo

Home » Courses » Soup » Zuppa Toscana

February 21, 2020 By Patrick · 7 Comments

Zuppa Toscana

Slow cooked keto Zuppa Toscana with a creamy cauliflower broth, Italian sausage, wilted kale, roasted cauliflower florets and garnished with crispy pancetta.

Keto Zuppa Toscana with crispy pancetta and grate Parmigiano-Reggiano

This is a dish popularized by Olive Garden Italian Restaurant. I’m not sure it exists beyond the restaurant chain but it’s a favorite of many. It traditionally has a creamy broth and prepared with russet potatoes. My low carb version swaps the potatoes with roasted cauliflower florets to give it the same familiar texture.

I’ll admit, I’ve never actually tried the Italian chain’s soup prior to going keto. When I first started a low carb/keto way of eating I quickly found the keto Zuppa Toscana was a super popular option with several recipes already in existence. I made it countless times, using varying methods, before eventually settling into my own version of the soup. I figured since so many recipes were already available, I never rushed to publish my own. However, since this is one of my top favorite meals, I knew I had to get it down to share with everyone.

A few notes on Ingredients

Bowls of keto Zuppa Toscana with bacon and parmesan cheese
Keto Zuppa Toscana with bacon

One of the distinguishing components to this soup is its broth base. The common version is prepared with potatoes. This gives it that thick and creamy consistency. To achieve a similar consistency I slow cook riced cauliflower over a long period. This allows the cauliflower to break down and thicken the soup. Moreover, to bring back the texture and flavor, I add roasted cauliflower florets to provide that additional mouth-feel. It’s a wonderful combination of texture and flavors which is why it remains one of my favorite dishes.

As far as ingredients go, if you prefer your soup really spicy, use two pounds of ground spicy sausage. However, since not everyone in my household likes it spicy, I’ll use one pound of mild and another pound of spicy. This gives you a nice balance of flavor without being over powering (I always add red pepper flakes on mine anyway). Also if you’re not a fan of kale, feel free to swap it out with spinach, just be sure you’re removing the tough stems of either option. Finally, while pancetta is preferred, you could easily substitute your favorite bacon. Either option is great for a salty and crispy finish.

Print Pin
5 from 3 votes

Keto Zuppa Toscana

Slow cooked keto Zuppa Toscana with a creamy cauliflower broth, Italian sausage, wilted kale, roasted cauliflower florets and garnished with crispy pancetta.
Course Soup
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  • 8 oz pancetta diced
  • 2 lbs ground Italian sausage Spicy or mild (or both)
  • 14 oz riced cauliflower
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 4 large garlic cloved minced
  • 48 oz chicken stock
  • 12 oz cauliflower florets
  • 1 bunch kale leaves de-stemmed and torn into bite sized pieces
  • 1.5 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano grated
  • 1 pinch salt & white pepper

Optional Garnish

  • Parmigiano-Reggiano grated
  • Italian Parsely chopped
  • red pepper flakes

Instructions

  • In a large saute pan over high heat, fry the diced pancetta till cripsy and set aside for later garnish.
  • Season the ground pork with salt and pepper and brown in the saute pan. Cook the pork, leaving a little pink, then remove from pan and set aside.
  • Using some leftover rendered fat from the pork, saute the diced onions and riced cauliflower for 4-5 minutes with a pinch of salt & pepper, then add garlic and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
  • Return the ground pork to the pan, add 48oz of chicken stock and simmer for 3-4 hours. The riced cauliflower will break down and thicken the broth over the long simmer.
  • An hour before serving, pre-heat oven to 425°F and toss cauliflower florets with a little oil. Roast cauliflower in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown. Add roasted cauliflower and torn kale leaves to soup base and continue to cook for 15-20 minutes.
  • At the very end, add heavy cream and Parmesan Cheese to soup. Stir to combine. Taste & season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.
  • Serve with crispy panchetta and additional grated parmesan cheese. Red pepper flakes and Italian parsley are also great optional garnish.

Notes

You can substitute bacon in place of pancetta, about 5 slices.  In addition, if you’re not a fan of kale, you can use spinach leaves instead. 
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Patrick Maese (@patrickmaese)

Filed Under: featured Tagged With: cauliflower, italian food, keto, keto soup, keto zuppa toscana, ketogenic, low carb, soup

Related

Previous Post: « Protein Flat Bread
Next Post: Mint Chocolate Cheesecake Bars »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Katy says

    March 6, 2020 at 2:43 pm

    5 stars
    Best soup I have ever made. Seriously absolutely delicious. Thank you!!!

    Reply
    • Patrick says

      March 6, 2020 at 2:50 pm

      Thank you so much for your feedback Katy! It’s been a favorite of mine for so long but finally got around to writing yo the recipe. So glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  2. Pam says

    September 10, 2020 at 6:56 am

    Yum! I am making this tonight…

    Reply
    • Patrick says

      September 10, 2020 at 12:12 pm

      Let me know how it turns out!

      Reply
  3. Pam says

    September 10, 2020 at 7:28 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious. Worth the time, you don’t have to do anything but simmer it. I used spinach and thickened just a little more with xanthan gum…Husband is on his second bowl!

    Reply
    • Patrick says

      September 10, 2020 at 9:57 pm

      Yay! That’s wonderful to hear! I also love the addition of a thickener to make it heartier. Yum!

      Reply
  4. CELENE says

    November 2, 2020 at 2:48 pm

    5 stars
    This is delicious!! I used a bag of frozen chopped kale. Simmering the cauliflower rice is such a great idea. It gives this soup wonderful texture.

    thank you for sharing!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Howdy Y’all!

I share ketogenic based recipes, dishes and food options that I enjoy preparing for friends and family (but really mostly for me). From appetizers to desserts, you'll find low carb, high fat options to maintain a successful ketogenic diet and lifestyle.
Find out more →

Elsewhere

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS

Load up on new recipes, exclusive goodies + more

get exclusive content straight to your inbox.

Footer

Stay Connected

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS

Instagram

Services

  • Partnerships (coming soon)
  • Shop
  • Contact

Website Info

  • Privacy Policy
  • FTC Disclosure
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2023 Patrick Maese on the Cookd Pro Theme