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whole30 + keto zuppa toscana soup in a white bowl on a white background
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5 from 20 ratings

Whole30 + Keto Zuppa Toscana

This Whole30 + Keto Zuppa Toscana Recipe is only 8g net carbs! A low carb creamy Italian sausage, bacon + kale soup. No potatoes!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 6
Calories: 526
Author: Natalie

Ingredients

  • 1 pound mild Italian sausage
  • 8 slices of bacon chopped
  • 1 yellow onion chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic grated or finely minced
  • 5 cups chicken stock
  • 1 pound turnips peeled and cut into bite size pieces
  • 10- ounce bag frozen cauliflower rice thawed and all water squeezed out using a nut milk bag or dish towel
  • 3/4 cup soaked raw cashews see notes for soak instructions
  • 1 bunch kale stems removed and chopped
  • salt + pepper to taste
  • red pepper flakes to garnish optional

Instructions

  • Heat your dutch oven (or large soup pot) over medium heat.
  • Add the Italian sausage, and break it up and brown (I like using a potato masher!). Once cooked, spoon it out into a bowl.
  • In the same pan in the leftover sausage drippings, cook the chopped bacon until crispy. Spoon onto paper towels to drain.
  • Remove all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat. Add the onions, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  • Pour in the chopped turnips and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes until the turnips are fork tender.
  • In your high speed blender, add the frozen cauliflower rice, soaked cashews, and ladle in 1 cup of the hot cooking liquid from the soup. Blend on high until completely pureed. Add back in to the soup. This will thicken it and make it creamy.
  • Pour back in the sausage and kale. Cook another 5 minutes until the kale is bright green and tender. Taste for salt + pepper. (Sometimes I'll even add back in some of the bacon renderings for more flavor if needed. Great fat macros for keto!)
  • Remove from the heat. Add back in the bacon just before serving so it stays crispy.
  • Serve warm, garnished with red pepper flakes if desired.
  • Leftovers will keep in an airtight container refrigerated for 5 days, or frozen for 6 months. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warm.

Video

Notes

Instant Pot Instructions: Use The saute function to cook the sausage + bacon per the above recipe. At step 6, close the instant pot to sealing and pressure cook for 4 minutes. Do a quick release and follow the rest of the recipe.
Slow Cooker Instructions: Follow steps 1-5. For steps 6, add the onions, garlic, turnips, sausage + chicken stock to your slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours. Then follow steps 7-11.
Soaking Cashews: To soak the cashews, you can soak overnight in 3 cups room temperature water on the counter. Or you can do a quick soak, and soak the cashews in 3 cups boiling water for 1 hour. Drain after soaking.
Cashew Substitute: If you don't want to use cashews, you can substitute 1/2 cup (or more to taste) of the following: canned coconut milk, original flavor Nutpods, Silk dairy free heavy cream, or if you're ok with dairy you can use heavy cream. I personally find canned coconut milk gives this soup a coconut flavor, which is why I prefer cashews. These substitutions will effect the nutrition information, so adjust if needed. Heavy cream is the lowest carb option!
Turnips: I love using turnips as a low carb substitute. They hold up the best when cooking with the most neutral flavor! You could also use rutabaga, but that will give it a bit more of a sweet potato flavor profile. Radishes are my 3rd favorite substitute option. No need to peel the radishes. If you're ok with carbs, obviously potatoes work too! Same quantities for all substitutions. Make sure they're cut into bite size pieces.
Sausage: You can use hot Italian sausage if you like it spicy!
Kale: You can use any kind of kale, my favorite is lacinto kale.
Bacon: Make sure your bacon is sugar free if making this during Whole30.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 526 | Total Carbs: 10.3g | Protein: 20.8g | Fat: 44.8g | Fiber: 1.8g | Net Carbs: 9g