This keto Zuppa Toscana perfectly encapsulates the classic flavors of the famous Olive Garden soup! It's so hearty and satisfying it can be a meal by itself, and it provides tons of nutrients to power your brain. You'll only need one pot to make this keto Zuppa Toscana that is so flavorful the whole family will ask for more! 

It has been cold here the past couple of weeks, and cold weather makes me crave soup. As much as I love soup, I run into one problem - most soups aren't satisfying by themselves. I leave the dinner table still hungry, and so do my husband and kids who, like me, eat like linebackers.

This soup is for the families that east like a football team! It is hearty and satisfying, and incredibly delicious.

What is Zuppa Toscana?

Zuppa Toscana literally translates to "Tuscan soup". Made popular by The Olive Garden restaurant, it combines bacon, ground Italian sausage, potatoes, Tuscan kale, and parmesan to make a soup that is hearty and intensely flavorful. Zuppa Toscana was the darling of The Olive Garden's "soup and salad" lunch special. People just had to figure out how to make Zuppa Toscana at home because it was a favorite at the restaurant!

So how did I make Zuppa Toscana keto? Easy! By replacing the potatoes with cauliflower rice, this Keto Zuppa Toscana is full of all the classic flavors but without the carbs, and with clean ingredients and a whole lot of nutritious veggies. That means that this keto Zuppa Toscana is full of good stuff to fuel your brain!

How will the ingredients in keto Zuppa Toscana boost brain function?

• Low Carb Food is Good Mood Food: Meals that are rich in protein, healthy fat, and slow-burning carbs from vegetables keep blood sugar steady. By replacing the potatoes typically found in Zuppa Toscana with cauliflower rice, this recipe does exactly that! The cauliflower rice and kale provide lots of vegetables in the most delicious way, while the bacon, Italian sausage, bone broth, and parmesan cheese provide protein and healthy fat. Yes, I said healthy fat - half of the fat in bacon and pork is monounsaturated fat, which is called a "healthy fat" because it is widely known to help fight inflammation. 
• Cauliflower and Kale Contain a Special Compound with Amazing Benefits: A unique feature of cruciferous vegetables like kale and cauliflower is a compound called sulforaphane. Research has shown that this compound has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capabilities [source, source]. It may even help the brain produce new brain cells, a process that keeps the brain “young” with the help of something called Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (“BDNF”) [source]. Perhaps these benefits are why research has shown sulforaphane to be helpful for everything from Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia to depression and autism [source, source, source, source,]!
• Lots of Nutrients to Make Neurotransmitters for a Balanced Mood: Our mood, motivation, relaxation, and focus are governed by tiny substances called neurotransmitters, which are made from amino acids in protein. The bacon, Italian sausage, and chicken bone broth in this keto Zuppa Toscana provides an abundance of the amino acids used to make the neurotransmitters that can help with feelings of focus, motivation and contentment [source]. This keto Zuppa Toscana also contains a long list of micronutrients that are needed to convert amino acids to neurotransmitters. The B-vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6, B12 and folate), vitamin C, and vitamin A are abundant in this recipe along with the minerals iron, zinc, and magnesium [source]. This recipe really is packed full of nutrients to fuel your brain!

Recipe steps, ingredients & tools

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Steps to make Keto Zuppa Toscana

Step 1: Gather your ingredients. Slice the bacon crosswise into ¼-inch pieces.

Step 2: Start cooking! Cook the bacon until it is browned and the fat is rendered. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the Italian sausage (remove from casings if using Italian sausage links) and cook, breaking the sausage into small pieces with a spatula. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside along with the bacon. Keep the fat that has rendered out! Add the chopped onion to the rendered fat and cook until softened. Add the minced garlic for the last few minutes and cook until the onions and garlic are softened and aromatic. 

Step 3: Add the cauliflower rice, chopped kale, and Italian seasoning. Mix until well incorporated and cook until softened. Now it's time to add the bacon and Italian sausage back to the pan!

Step 4: Add the chicken broth and bring the soup to a low boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes to let the flavors marry. Remove from the heat and add the parmesan cheese and cream.

Serve topped with more parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Substitutions & Ingredients

• Be sure to minimize pesticides and preservatives in your Keto Zuppa Toscana by using the cleanest ingredients you can find. This means Italian sausage made of ground pork and seasonings only (no soy protein isolate or preservatives like BHT), no-nitrate bacon, and organic kale (since was recently added to the EWG's Dirty Dozen list).
• Can't find ground Italian sausage? No problem, Italian sausage links can be used instead. Just ensure that they're raw instead of fully cooked and slice the casings to remove the meat before cooking.
• Curly or lacinato (Tuscan) kale both work well for this recipe. Use whichever you prefer, just make sure to remove the large stem before chopping the kale. Frozen chopped kale can be used in lieu of fresh kale. About 12-16 ounces of frozen kale seems to do the trick.
• I use frozen cauliflower rice from Costco to make this recipe. It is very affordable, and it saves me from having to clean up the mess created by grating a head of fresh cauliflower. A lot of supermarkets sell frozen and fresh cauliflower rice now. I recommend making this recipe as easy as possible by buying cauliflower rice! If using frozen cauliflower rice, either set it on the counter to thaw for about 30 minutes or cook it halfway in the microwave before adding it to the soup.

Tools

I use my 8-quart ceramic-coated cast iron dutch oven to make this soup. It is perfect for recipes like this, but any large pot will do. You will also need a sharp knife to chop the ingredients. I love my J.A. Henkels knives, but you can see some other options in my post about kitchen tools here.

Keto Zuppa Toscana 

This keto Zuppa Toscana perfectly encapsulates the classic flavors of the famous Olive Garden soup! It's so hearty and satisfying it can be a meal by itself, and so flavorful the whole family will ask for more. Even better, you'll only need one pot and it provides tons of nutrients to power your brain! 

Other recipes you'll love

• Lamb Meatballs with Saffron Cauliflower Rice
• Low Carb Jicama Hash Browns
• Easy Keto Everything Bagel Chicken Salad
• Low Carb Buffalo Blue Cheese Spaghetti Squash
• Roasted Red Pepper Chili

5 from 8 votes

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Keto Zuppa Toscana

This keto Zuppa Toscana perfectly encapsulates the classic flavors of the famous Olive Garden soup! It's so hearty and satisfying it can be a meal by itself, and it provides tons of nutrients to power your brain. You'll only need one pot to make this keto Zuppa Toscana that is so flavorful the whole family will ask for more! 

Course Dinner, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 8

Calories 375 kcal

Author Laura Duffy

Ingredients

• 1 lb Italian sausage
• 4 slices bacon
• ½ onion chopped (about 1 cup)
• 4 large cloves garlic minced (about 2 tsp)
• 1 bunch kale chopped (about 8 cups)
• 12 oz cauliflower rice thawed, raw or lightly steamed
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning heaping
• 8 cups chicken bone broth (see notes)
• ¼ cup whipping cream
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese plus more for garnish
• 2 tsp salt less/to taste, if using chicken broth with salt

Instructions

1. Cut bacon crosswise into ½ inch pieces. Cook over medium/low heat until crispy. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2. Add Italian sausage to the pan and break into small pieces while cooking. When it's broken up and cooked through, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon. Set it aside with the cooked bacon.

3. Add the chopped onion to the fat that rendered from the bacon and sausage. Cook for a few minutes, until soft. Add the minced garlic and cook another minute.

4. Add the Italian seasoning, salt, cauliflower rice and kale and cook for another few minutes, until the vegetables are softened and the Italian seasoning is aromatic.

5. Add the cooked sausage and bacon back to the pan, followed by the chicken bone broth. Stir and bring the soup to a low boil. Let simmer over low heat for at least 5 minutes for all of the flavors to marry.

6. Turn off the heat. Add the grated parmesan cheese and cream and stir until smooth.

7. Serve with more grated parmesan on top, if desired.

Recipe Notes

**This makes a very hearty, thick soup. For a more "brothy" soup, add another 1-2 cups of broth.

Nutrition Facts

Keto Zuppa Toscana

Amount Per Serving

Calories 375 Calories from Fat 261

% Daily Value*

Fat 29g45%

Saturated Fat 12g75%

Trans Fat 1g

Cholesterol 72mg24%

Sodium 1368mg59%

Potassium 373mg11%

Carbohydrates 6g2%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 24g48%

Vitamin A 944IU19%

Vitamin C 31mg38%

Calcium 189mg19%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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