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!
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 sometimes cannellini 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!
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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
- 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
Keywords: Low Carb Zuppa Toscana, Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup, Olive Garden copycat, keto zuppa toscana
Want More Healthy Soup Recipes?
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30 Min
Vegetarian
Vegan
Whole30
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!
★★★★★
This is one of the best compliments I can get! A recipe that becomes a staple! Yes, it is a red bell pepper!
This was a big hit at our house. Didn’t have kale, so subbed in fresh spinach. We will keep this in rotation.
★★★★★
This soup is a staple in our house! I am glad it was a hit in yours!
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!!!
★★★★★
I am so happy this recipe fit what you were looking for!! Thank you for the 5 Star Review!
Hello, love this recipe! Do you know if it freezes well? Thank you!
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.
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!
★★★★
Glad you liked the flavor and are able to tweak to your liking. 🙂
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.
★★★★★
I love when you can adjust a recipe to what you have one hand!
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!!
★★★★★
Love your substitutions and made it work! Thank you for coming back for more recipes to try out!
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?
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.
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.
★★★★★
Love the idea of spicy sausage! I love a touch of heat!
Can you use a crock pot or regular pot if you don’t have an instant pot?
Yes you can definitely do that. You’ll just have to cook the meat before adding it to the crockpot
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!
★★★★★
Soooo much flavor! I love it when a new recipe is added to the rotation!
Can this soup be frozen?
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.
nice and tasty soup it is. thanks for sharing this soup recipe.
BEST SOUP I HAVE EVER HAD. And I eat and make A LOT of soups!!!
★★★★★
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
★★★★★
Hot Italian sausage kicked it up a notch. Hubs loved it. Our new favorite soup. ❤️❤️
★★★★★
woohoo!! Yup we just made it the other day. Love this one!
I bought sweetened condensed coconut milk is that the right stuff?
NO! Just plain coconut milk. You can find it in the international or asian food aisle.
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
I know right!! It’s like magical what happens in that instant pot!
Can this be modified for slower cooker?
It looks amazing 😉
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
Can this be modified for slow cooker? It looks yummy 😋
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.
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.
★★★★★
Love the soup!!
Could I use frozen caulirice? Would I add it at the end?
yes, you definitely could and yes add it in at the same time you would the kale
How many oz is the can of coconut milk?
the can is 13 oz.
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!
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!
★★★★★
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?
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.
Is it possible to make this without the coconut milk or is there something I can substitute?
Yes, you could sub it with regular milk, half and half or even heavy cream if you’d like. I would use 1 cup.
I am trying low carb foods for my daily meals. This one looks really good. I will try this.
★★★★★
This looks incredibly delicious! I love this! looks so good!
★★★★★
I am loving that this soup is healthy, yet hearty! Perfect for when those fall temps finally hit here. 🙂
I love using my instant pot for soups! I can’t wait to try this out!
★★★★★
yessss! This is the perfect recipe for me. Looks VERY tasty!
★★★★★
Seriously one of our favorite soups! This looks amazing!
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!
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.
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!!
★★★★★
I love that this soup is keto friendly. It sounds like a hearty, healthy, and delicious soup.
★★★★★