Zuppa Toscano

About

Our Keto take on zuppa toscana is loaded with low carb veggies, aromatic Italian sausage, heavy cream and topped with crispy bacon to serve. This flavorsome low carb soup provides a hearty dose of Keto friendly fats and is filling enough to provide a satiating meal in itself. Perfect for a warming winter lunch or light dinner option.

Can I Make This Dairy-Free?

We have swirled our Keto zuppa Toscana with heavy cream to add richness, depth and an extra boost of Keto friendly fats. If you are avoiding dairy, you could simply substitute the heavy cream for coconut cream. Alternatively, you can omit the cream entirely. The soup will still be filling and delicious with the flavor of low carb vegetables, sausage and crispy bacon.

Can I Use An Alternative Protein?

Zuppa Toscana is typically prepared with sausage meat and crispy bacon pieces. We understand however, that this may not be appropriate or suitable for all diets. If you would rather avoid using pork, the soup would work very well with chopped rotisserie chicken or even ground beef. If you are using precooked chicken, then simply add to the stock and simmer until piping hot through. Please be sure to adjust your macros accordingly to account for any changes made to the original recipe.

Ingredients

4 medium link – breakfast size italian sausage
2 cups organic tuscan kale by organics
4 cup chicken broth, bouillon or consomme, ready-to-serve can
2 slice – 6" long bacon
1 small zucchini
1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 medium – 2 3/5" diameter tomato
1 medium – stalk – 7 1/2" to 8" long celery stalks
1 teaspoon hot chili pepper, dried, without seeds
½ cup heavy cream
½ small white onion

Instructions

Squeeze the sausage meat from its casings into bite-sized chunks. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over a medium heat. Add the sausage meat pieces. Cook the sausage until browned all over. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set to one side.
While the sausage meat is cooking, add ½ tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet over a medium/high heat. Add the bacon, cook through until golden and crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set to one side. Once cool enough to handle, crumble into bite-sized chunks.
Finely dice the onion and thinly slice the garlic. Dice the tomato, celery and zucchini. Add the prepared vegetables to the saucepan that cooked the sausage meat. Sweat gently for 2-3 minutes until just tender, adding additional oil if the pan is a little dry.
Add the chili flakes and stock to the saucepan. Bring up to a gentle boil then reduce to a simmer. You may use an alternative stock if desired, such as vegetable. You may also adjust the level of spice to suit your personal preference. You can season with salt and pepper if needed, this will depend on the level of seasoning already in your stock.
Return the sausage pieces to the saucepan. Continue to simmer for a further five minutes. The sausage meat should be hot through and the vegetables tender.
Tear the kale leaves into the soup. Cook through briefly until the leaves are just wilted. Remove the soup from the heat and stir through the heavy cream.
Divide the soup between four individual serving bowls. Top each bowl with the crispy bacon pieces. Serve hot with Keto toasted bread if desired.