Home » Recipes » Easy Healthy Dinners » Soups » Copycat Low Carb Zuppa Toscana Soup
By: Krista
- GF
- KF
- LC
- P
Jump to Recipe·
63 Comments
·
Rating★★★★★ 5 from 20 votes
This Copycat Zuppa Toscana Soup recipe is loaded with sausage, bacon, cauliflower and kale. Made in the Instant Pot and full of flavor, this low carb recipe is paleo and keto friendly. Guaranteed to be a hit!
Table of Contents
- Copycat Zuppa Toscana Soup
- A Healthier Version of Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana
- Get the Recipe
Copycat Zuppa Toscana Soup
The question I have been asking myself as of late.
Where has the Instant Pot been all my life?
Like, for real! I am really having to restrain just not doing all Instant Pot recipes the rest of the year.
Especially after making this Zuppa Toscana Soup!
On a side note. Making soup when it is literally 99 degrees outside. Yeah, it just doesn’t seem to fit.
Can it get cooler already? PLEASE!
I guess that’s the life of a food blogger. Making all things pumpkin in May and hamburgers or grilling recipes in January. haha.
A Healthier Version of Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana
Any ways. Back to the point, this amazing Low Carb Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup!
Have you ever been to Olive Garden?
Once of their more popular soups is this Zuppa Toscano Soup which is a creamy italian sausage soup filled with kale and potatoes (or sometimescannellini beans). It’s absolutely delicious and super hearty.
I’ve actually tried to make it in the past but it didn’t come out right and was super greasy. But this time I tweaked a few things and couldn’t get enough of this soup and neither could my family. I definitely plan on making it a couple times this fall.
As I was making this recipe, I learned a couple things about my dear old Instant Pot:
- The Saute Mode is awesome. It gives you that sear so you don’t miss out the flavors!
- It takes a while for the pot to “come to temperature” when in Pressure Cook Mode. (which can make recipes a little deceiving at times.) So make sure to plan for extra time.
- Do NOT put your fingers or head over the little pressure release valve. Steam will get you and it’s hot.
- Make sure you have your Instant Pot in an area where the steam can go. Not under a cabinet or under a light.
I say all this from experience! 🙂 If you stick to those things you’ll be golden!
My favorite part about this recipe is the cauliflower. I was honestly going back and forth on whether I should use potatoes or cauliflower to make it low carb. I’m so glad I went with the cauliflower, it makes this soup different and I love how the cauliflower goes so well with the spiciness of the sausage and bacon.
I also intentionally added the kale after the pressure cooking stage because I think it helps keep the texture of the kale a little better.I guarantee this soup will be one of those recipes you’ll want to make when you want to cozy up under a blanket. It’s so comforting and seriously gives me all the feels! Plus is low carb, dairy free, gluten free and keto! Woot Woot.
Bon Appetit friends!
Low Carb Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 20 reviews
- Author: Krista
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
This Copycat Zuppa Toscana Soup recipe is loaded with sausage, bacon, cauliflower and kale. Made in the Instant Pot and full of flavor, this low carb recipe is paleo and keto friendly. Guaranteed to be a hit!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb. mild sausage, removed from casing
- 4 strips bacon, diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 carrots, sliced into coins
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 cups chopped up kale
- 1 can coconut milk
Instructions
- Turn your instant pot onto the sauté setting.
- Add sausage to the pan and brown for 3-4 minutes. Breaking up with a wooden spoon so the sausage is in smaller chunks.
- Remove sausage from the pan using a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate.
- Next add bacon to the pan and saute for 3-4 minutes, until browned.
- Once browned add onion and garlic to the pan. Saute until translucent. Then add sausage back to the pan along with the carrots, red pepper, cauliflower, chicken stock, thyme, basil and red pepper flakes. Give it a stir.
- Cancel the Saute Mode.
- Put the cover on and turn to Pressure Cooker Mode. Set for 10 minutes. The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.
- After the cooking cycle ends do a quick pressure release for the steam. When the pin in the lid drops, open the lid.
- Cancel the Pressure Cooking mode. And turn on Saute mode.
- Add coconut milk and kale to the pot. Stir everything together and saute for 5 minutes uncovered.
- Serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
- Calories: 261
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 665 mg
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 33 mg
Filed Under:
- Easy Healthy Dinners
- Gluten-Free
- Instant Pot
- Keto
- Kid Friendly
- Low Carb
- Lunch
- Paleo
- Pork
- Soups
Want More Healthy Soup Recipes?
Thai Chicken Noodle Soup
Creamy Bacon Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Crock Pot Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Roasted Fennel Cauliflower Soup with Bacon
DON’T MISS A RECIPE ->
FACEBOOK|TWITTER|PINTEREST|GOOGLE+|BLOGLOVIN|INSTAGRAM
You might also like...
Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Cucumber Sandwiches
Cranberry Chicken Salad
Pecan Crusted Salmon
Review and rate this recipe!
63 comments on “Copycat Low Carb Zuppa Toscana Soup”
JQ
Jan 16, 2024 at 10:46 AM
Our absolute favorite recipe! I use hot sausage instead and have made this time and time again! So delicious!!
Reply
Krista
Feb 20, 2024 at 10:37 PM
YES! So glad to hear!! Love that you use hot sausage too!
Reply
Nancy
Jan 11, 2023 at 2:11 PM
Saving to do in the slow cooker. I may sub low-fat evaporated milk for the coconut milk and spinach for the kale for our taste preferences. Thanks!
Reply
Krista
Jan 19, 2023 at 1:03 PM
I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Reply
Hailey
Feb 18, 2022 at 5:41 PM
Always LOVE this recipe. It’s become a year-round staple in our home. You can definitely catch me eating this even on a hot summer day because it’s that good. Thank you for making an amazing dairy free version! Quick question–is the red pepper a bell pepper or different kind of red pepper? Thanks!
Reply
Krista
Feb 22, 2022 at 9:22 AM
This is one of the best compliments I can get! A recipe that becomes a staple! Yes, it is a red bell pepper!
Reply
Jaclyn Gardner
This was a big hit at our house. Didn’t have kale, so subbed in fresh spinach. We will keep this in rotation.
Reply
Krista
Dec 29, 2021 at 10:42 AM
This soup is a staple in our house! I am glad it was a hit in yours!
Reply
Laurin
Jul 27, 2021 at 11:00 AM
Zuppa Toscana is one of my favorite soups that is so easy to make, but it’s so unhealthy! lol I recently started cutting back on my carbs, so coming across this recipe was golden! I tweaked your recipe; I only use lean ground turkey, seasoned with Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes, onions, garlic, veggie stock, coconut cream, kale, and I roast my cauliflower before adding it into the soup. I season with salt to taste and nutritional yeast in the end to get that nice cheesy flavor. Thank you so much for your low carb recipe!!!
Reply
Krista
Jul 27, 2021 at 3:54 PM
I am so happy this recipe fit what you were looking for!! Thank you for the 5 Star Review!
Reply
Marie
Feb 6, 2021 at 3:49 PM
Hello, love this recipe! Do you know if it freezes well? Thank you!
Reply
Krista
Jul 22, 2021 at 5:10 PM
Oh yeah. So glad you love it! I haven’t frozen it yet. But honestly because there’s coconut milk in it I don’t think it will. As least the texture won’t be the same and the kale might get kinda slimy upon reheating.
Reply
Jen
Jan 3, 2021 at 10:09 AM
This is an extremely tasty recipe but for me the pressure cook time was too long – the carrots, pepper and cauliflower turned to total mush and I’d prefer to have a bit of substance left in them. Will definitely make again but with a few minutes off of the pressure cook time!
Reply
Krista
Jan 20, 2021 at 9:49 PM
Glad you liked the flavor and are able to tweak to your liking. 🙂
Reply
Lily Yee
Dec 22, 2020 at 6:43 PM
Very good. I made it tonight and made a few alterations because I didn’t want to run out to the grocery store. I skipped the red pepper cuz I didn’t have one; subbed 1/4 c dried minced onions (rehydrated) for chopped yellow onion cuz I didn’t have one. I also subbed 16 oz baby spinach, lightly chopped, for the kale.
Reply
Kirsta
Mar 12, 2021 at 2:07 PM
I love when you can adjust a recipe to what you have one hand!
Reply
Heather
Dec 5, 2020 at 11:48 PM
This soup is one of the best soups I have ever had! I didn’t have cauliflower, but I added some sliced golden baby potatoes. I made it on the stove because I haven’t joined the IP train yet! Thanks for the wonderful recipe! Everything I’ve made from your site I have loved!! Great job!!
Reply
Krista
Mar 18, 2021 at 10:59 AM
Love your substitutions and made it work! Thank you for coming back for more recipes to try out!
Reply
Tricia
Sep 29, 2020 at 2:33 PM
I made this today and it is DELICIOUS! Have you tried freezing it? I have 2 full quarts that I know I won’t get to all of it in the next couple of days. I hate to waste it – do you think it will freeze well?
Reply
Krista
Jul 22, 2021 at 7:16 PM
Hey Tricia, So glad you LOVE it! I would recommend not freezing it. The combo of the coconut milk and kale and not going to reheat very well. But you could definitely try it and see how it goes.
Reply
Joan
May 4, 2020 at 7:16 AM
So easy, so tasty. The mild sausage version is great…but I tend to use spicy Italian sausage just to give the soup a little more heat. One of my favourite soups to make.
Reply
Krista
Mar 17, 2021 at 8:31 AM
Love the idea of spicy sausage! I love a touch of heat!
Reply
Courtney
Apr 16, 2020 at 6:07 PM
Can you use a crock pot or regular pot if you don’t have an instant pot?
Reply
Krista
Jul 23, 2021 at 11:11 AM
Yes you can definitely do that. You’ll just have to cook the meat before adding it to the crockpot
Reply
Annie
Mar 22, 2020 at 4:29 PM
We’ve made this several times. This will be in our rotation of meals forever. I cook most of the time, but never dreamed of us preferring this version over a potato one. We love this and it’s full of flavor!
Reply
Krista
Feb 8, 2021 at 3:01 PM
Soooo much flavor! I love it when a new recipe is added to the rotation!
Reply
Lex
Mar 22, 2020 at 12:21 PM
Can this soup be frozen?
Reply
Krista
Jul 23, 2021 at 11:40 AM
I would recommend not freezing it. Reheating it will change the texture of the kale (mushy) and it also has coconut milk which might get lumpy.
Reply
alan
Jan 18, 2020 at 5:59 AM
nice and tasty soup it is. thanks for sharing this soup recipe.
Reply
Kayla Jensen
Jan 9, 2020 at 7:00 PM
BEST SOUP I HAVE EVER HAD. And I eat and make A LOT of soups!!!
Reply
Bridgette
Dec 14, 2019 at 9:35 PM
My two favorite kitchen appliances are my air fryer and IP, so, I always on the hunt for healthy AND flavorful recipes to make in them. In planning my meals one day, I knew that the holidays usually pack on the pounds for me, so I wanted to find a good soup for lunch that would be healthy and filling and I discovered this recipe. THIS SOUP IS DELICIOUS!! Even my most picky eaters (including my steak and potatoes husband) loved the soup! This will definitely a staple in my home. Thanks for sharing!!
I omitted the red pepper because I didn’t have any. And use low sodium chicken broth so I could add (or not) my own salt. I also used spicy Italian sausage, Italian seasoning, heavy whipping cream instead of coconut milk, and I bought cauliflower florets in a bag from the produce section and used 1/2 the bag.This so
Reply
Marki Haynes
Nov 23, 2019 at 6:21 PM
Hot Italian sausage kicked it up a notch. Hubs loved it. Our new favorite soup. ❤️❤️
Reply
Krista
Feb 7, 2020 at 12:39 PM
woohoo!! Yup we just made it the other day. Love this one!
Reply
Marcus Miller
Nov 18, 2019 at 3:30 PM
I bought sweetened condensed coconut milk is that the right stuff?
Reply
Krista
Feb 10, 2020 at 8:54 PM
NO! Just plain coconut milk. You can find it in the international or asian food aisle.
Reply
Lynn
Nov 17, 2019 at 3:08 PM
This is delicious, I like it better with the cauliflower than the Olive Garden soup with potatoes. I was concerned that the coconut milk would give it a coconut flavor but it is delicious and I did not detect any coconut flavor, just creamy deliciousness. I will be making this again
Reply
Krista
Feb 11, 2020 at 10:52 AM
I know right!! It’s like magical what happens in that instant pot!
Reply
Marsha
Sep 3, 2019 at 9:34 PM
Can this be modified for slower cooker?
It looks amazing 😉Reply
Krista
Sep 15, 2019 at 9:52 PM
Yes, definitely. You’d just have to saute the bacon and sausage before hand then add everything into the crock pot and cook on HIGH for probably 2-3 hours
Reply
Marsha
Aug 11, 2019 at 10:40 PM
Can this be modified for slow cooker? It looks yummy 😋
Reply
Krista
Feb 11, 2020 at 1:53 PM
Yes, absolutely. You’d just saute the meats on the stove and then throw everything in the slow cooker. I’d cook for 2-3 hours and then add the coconut milk and kale, cook an additional 30 minutes.
Reply
Melissa
May 19, 2019 at 12:41 AM
I made this recipe and it’s some of the best soup I’ve ever had! The cauliflower goes perfectly with this recipe. This is my second time making it. The hubs loves it too.
Reply
Helen
Mar 12, 2019 at 6:25 PM
Love the soup!!
Reply
Kim
Feb 10, 2019 at 7:50 PM
Could I use frozen caulirice? Would I add it at the end?
Reply
Krista
Apr 25, 2019 at 8:32 PM
yes, you definitely could and yes add it in at the same time you would the kale
Reply
Alexis
Jan 30, 2019 at 3:25 PM
How many oz is the can of coconut milk?
Reply
Krista
Apr 25, 2019 at 8:50 PM
the can is 13 oz.
Reply
Rachel
Jan 24, 2019 at 10:43 AM
I made this a modified it a bit, added fennel and swiss chard and subbed the coconut milk for heavy cream and it was amazing!!! I took the leftovers to work to share and everyone was raving about it! Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe!
Reply
Elizabeth
Jan 5, 2019 at 8:26 PM
I just made this recipe, and it is amazing! I put a little extra red pepper flake for an extra kick. 😉 I can’t get enough!
Reply
Sandra
Dec 14, 2018 at 1:09 PM
Thanks for sharing your version of this soup – I am excited to try it, but will make a few modifications myself (e.g., my husband doesn’t like coconut milk, and I may do 1/2 sliced potatoes). 2 things to point out – First, good for you for adding the kale at the end, if you cook soup with the kale it may be more bitter. Second, I was unable to print the recipe because there are these buttons on the left side that block everything. Maybe you can correct this for future visitors?
Reply
Krista
Apr 29, 2019 at 3:07 PM
Hey Sandra! Thank you so much! I can’t wait to hear what you think of the recipe and hopefully you were able to print. I have since updated the sharing button location to be not as obtrusive. Sorry about that.
Reply
Christie
Sep 28, 2018 at 3:50 PM
Is it possible to make this without the coconut milk or is there something I can substitute?
Reply
Krista
Jul 23, 2021 at 12:19 PM
Yes, you could sub it with regular milk, half and half or even heavy cream if you’d like. I would use 1 cup.
Reply
Joanne Estrada
Sep 10, 2018 at 1:20 PM
I am trying low carb foods for my daily meals. This one looks really good. I will try this.
Reply
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert
Sep 9, 2018 at 10:15 AM
This looks incredibly delicious! I love this! looks so good!
Reply
Carrie R
Sep 8, 2018 at 12:19 PM
I am loving that this soup is healthy, yet hearty! Perfect for when those fall temps finally hit here. 🙂
Reply
Dee
Sep 8, 2018 at 11:34 AM
I love using my instant pot for soups! I can’t wait to try this out!
Reply
Chrissie Baker
Sep 8, 2018 at 2:01 AM
yessss! This is the perfect recipe for me. Looks VERY tasty!
Reply
Cathy
Sep 7, 2018 at 4:05 PM
Seriously one of our favorite soups! This looks amazing!
Reply
Jules Julian
Sep 7, 2018 at 10:36 AM
This looks delish…but sadly no insta pot for me yet. How long to cook in a crock pot after sauteing do you think? 4 hours on low setting, or 2 hours on high?
Thanks!Reply
Krista
Jul 23, 2021 at 12:27 PM
Hey Jules, yes you could do this in the crock pot for sure. I would cook the meats on the stove and then throw everything into the crockpot (minus the coconut milk and kale) for 2 hours on high. Then add them in the last 30 minutes.
Reply
Jenn
Sep 7, 2018 at 10:00 AM
I seriously want to eat my screen right now! This soup looks phenomenal and I love that I can use my IP to make it!!
Reply
Jacque Hastert
Sep 7, 2018 at 9:25 AM
I love that this soup is keto friendly. It sounds like a hearty, healthy, and delicious soup.
Reply
