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Keto Zuppa Toscana

Get all the flavour and texture with out the carbs in this Keto Zuppa Toscana soup! Turnips replace the potatoes in this delicious recipe.
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Canadian, Italian, Keto, Low Carb
Servings 6 bowls
Calories 452 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb ground mild Italian sausage *see note 4
  • ½ tsp dehydrated red pepper flakes *see note 5
  • 6 slices bacon
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 large cloves garlic
  • 1 lb turnips
  • 8 cups chicken stock *see note 6
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 cups green kale
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream warmed to room temperature
  • Salt to taste *see note 7

Optional

  • freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • ½ tsp xanthan gum

Instructions
 

Equipment Needed

Directions

  • Heat a dutch oven or soup pot on medium high heat. Add the ground Italian sausage and cook until no longer pink, breaking it up into chunks as it cooks. Meanwhile, chop the onion into small pieces and either finely mince the garlic, or press it through a garlic press.
  • Remove the sausage from the pot, set aside, and then drain out the grease. Return the pot to the heat and fry the bacon until crisp *see note 1. Remove the bacon and set it aside, then fry the onion until translucent, adding the garlic at the end to cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Peel the turnips and chop them into 1" cubes while the onion is cooking.
  • Add the chicken stock, pepper and cubed turnips to the onions, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the turnips are fork tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the ribs from the kale and rip into bite sized pieces *see note 2.
  • Pour in the warmed cream, cooked Italian sausage and prepared kale, then crumble the bacon over top *see note 3. Give the Keto Zuppa Toscana a stir and allow it to cook for a couple more minutes, until the kale has slightly wilted.
  • If you would like a thicker soup, sprinkle the xanthan gum over top and stir until thick. Give your Keto Zuppa Toscana a taste, adjust the salt *see note 7, and then serve hot with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Notes

  1. If the bacon was super fatty, there may be a lot of bacon grease left in the pot, so you will need to drain some of it out. You want about 2-3 tbsp bacon grease left in the pot.
  2. Even after all these years, my husband still leaves the stem on the kale. Don't do it. Trust me. No one wants to eat kale ribs!
  3. We warm the cream first before adding it to the hot soup, otherwise the cream could curdle. Yuk!
  4. Italian Sausage - We use ground mild Italian sausage in this Keto Zuppa Toscana recipe. If you can only find hot Italian, think about leaving out the red pepper flakes, unless you would like a more spicy soup. If you can't find ground Italian sausage at all, grab some mild Italian sausage links and remove the casing!
  5. Dehydrated Red Pepper Flakes - This ingredient adds a ton of flavour to the soup. I find 1/2 tsp a perfect amount to use for the extra flavour without adding too much heat. If you are worried about the spice level, use just 1/4 tsp, or none at all. Like it spicy? Try 1 tsp!
  6. Chicken Stock - Choose an organic chicken stock, free from unnecessary ingredients, or better yet, make your own! I like to make my own Instant Pot Chicken Broth because it's super easy, I can use up leftover vegetable trimming and it's just so tasty!
  7. Salt - The amount of salt you'll need will depend on how salty the sausage, bacon and chicken stock are. Once your Keto Zuppa Toscana is complete, give it a taste test and then add the salt 1/2 tsp at a time. I usually need between 1/2 - 1 tsp.
 
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition facts are an estimate only! The ingredients you choose could have different nutritional values than the ingredients I have used.
Deduct fibre from the total carbs to get 6.8 g net carbs per bowl, if the entire soup was divided into 6 portions.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowlCalories: 452kcalCarbohydrates: 9.7gProtein: 21gFat: 35.5gSodium: 2038mgFiber: 2.9g
Keyword keto soup, Keto zuppa toscana
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