Keto zuppa toscana
August 8, 2026 · 3 min read
Zuppa toscana is the soup people order at Olive Garden and then wonder how to keep on keto, because the classic leans on potato and sometimes a flour-thickened broth. Drop the potato, lean on the cream and sausage fat for body, and the bowl comes together at about 6g net carbs. Cauliflower florets do the potato's job — they hold their shape, soak up the broth, and go tender in the same time the soup simmers.
The flavor comes from rendering the bacon first and browning the sausage in that fat. Skip the shortcut of draining it all; a couple tablespoons left in the pot is where the richness lives.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups cauliflower florets, cut small
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3 cups chopped kale, stems removed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Steps
- Cook the chopped bacon in a large pot over medium heat until crisp, then lift it out with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the Italian sausage to the bacon fat and break it up as it browns, about 6 minutes, until no pink remains. Spoon off all but a couple tablespoons of the fat.
- Add the onion and cook until soft, about 4 minutes, then stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes for 30 seconds. Pour in the chicken broth, add the cauliflower florets, and bring to a simmer. Cook 12 to 15 minutes, until the cauliflower is fork-tender.
- Stir in the heavy cream and the kale and simmer 3 to 4 minutes, until the kale wilts and the broth turns creamy. Season with the salt and pepper, then return the crisp bacon to the pot and serve hot.
How it comes together
Makes 6 servings — read left to right; each column combines what's behind it.
PrepCut the cauliflower into small florets so they cook through in the same time the soup simmers.
| 1 lb · 455 g Italian sausagecasings removed | Brown the sausage and bacon | ||
| 6 bacon sliceschopped | |||
| 1 onionmedium, diced | Soften aromatics and simmer cauliflower | ||
| 4 garlic clovesminced | |||
| ¼ tsp red pepper flakesoptional | |||
| 6 cups · 1440 g chicken broth | |||
| 3 cups · 300 g cauliflower floretscut small | |||
| 1½ cups · 360 g heavy cream | Stir in kale and cream | ||
| 3 cups · 195 g chopped kalestems removed | |||
| ½ tsp salt | |||
| ¼ tsp black pepper |
Scaling adjusts quantities only — cooking times and pan sizes may need judgment. Grams are rounded for the kitchen.
Notes and swaps
Sweet or hot Italian sausage both work — hot sausage plus the red pepper flakes gives it the kick the restaurant version usually lacks. Spinach stands in for kale if that's what you have, though it wilts faster, so add it at the very end. For a thicker soup, mash a few of the cooked cauliflower florets against the side of the pot before the cream goes in. If you want it richer still, half-and-half won't hold keto, but an extra splash of cream will.
The macros here are an estimate. Tell Copper Keto Companion "a big bowl of zuppa toscana" and it works out the net carbs on the portion you actually ladle out.
FAQ
Is zuppa toscana keto? The Olive Garden version isn't, because it's built on potato. Swapping in cauliflower and skipping any flour thickener brings it down to about 6g net carbs a bowl while keeping the creamy sausage-and-kale character intact.
Why cauliflower instead of potato? Cauliflower florets hold their shape in broth and turn fork-tender in about 12 minutes, so they read like potato in the spoon at a fraction of the carbs. A cup of raw cauliflower runs about 3g net carbs against roughly 26g for a cup of potato.
Can I make it dairy-free? Full-fat coconut cream stands in for the heavy cream and keeps the soup creamy, with a faint coconut note. Keep the bacon and sausage fat for body and season a little more aggressively to balance it.
Does it freeze well? Cream soups can separate when frozen and reheated, so this one is best fresh or refrigerated for a few days. If you plan to freeze, hold the cream out and stir it in after you thaw and reheat the base.
How do I log a bowl on keto? Portions vary, so the safest move is to log what you actually eat. Read the recipe card at a glance for the per-serving macros, then track your real bowl and see where it lands your day at Copper Keto.