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Slow Cooker Low Carb Zuppa Toscana Soup - Skip the trip to your local restaurant and make a batch ofthis insanely delicious copycat soup!It's healthy, it's delicious, and it's made low carb! Perfect for a low carb and keto-friendly lifestyle!
So the other day it was starting to feel like fall - wait, let me say that again, it felt like fall around our neck of the woods. Now this morning as I am writing this post, I get a notification on my phone saying, "RECORD HEAT WAVE...How hot will it get?" Come on weather and let's get it together. Is it going to be fall or are we going to have summer heat a little longer than expected? It's so hard to predict and believe it or not; I had a delicious soup planned for dinner tonight. I think we will end up grilling burgers or something now.
I shouldn't complain because life is great, but I was just starting to get used to the idea of it started to get cooler. Sorry about my short rant!
Even though it isn't perfect soup weather here today, I am still going to share this incredible low carb ZuppaToscana soup with you! It's one of my favorite soups at Olive Garden, so I knew I had to make a copycat of it sooner than later.
After coming back from vacation, my body was seriously starting to hurt, and I knew I had to start my keto diet again. I have way too much too loose, and I should start to get serious about it. If you haven't read my post about How I Survive My First Week of Keto (low carb ketosis)I highly recommend taking the time to read it. Matter of fact, I will be re-reading it as well because I need all of thetips I can get!
So what makes this soup low carb? If you have ever had Zuppa Toscana soup before you know the main ingredients are diced potatoes, sausage, kale, and a flavorful broth. With that being said, it wasn't hard to make this low carb Zuppa Toscana. I substituted the diced potatoes for fresh cauliflower florets. I haven't tried making this soup with frozen cauliflower, and I am not sure how the cauliflower will hold up. I'm afraid it would be a little mushy, and that's not the texture we are going after. I used hot Italian sausage, but remember to watch the sugar in store-bought sausage.
4.98 from 34 votes
Slow Cooker Low Carb Zuppa Toscana Soup
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs
Slow Cooker Low Carb Zuppa Toscana Soup - Skip the trip to your local restaurant and make a batch of this insanely delicious copycat soup! It's healthy, it's delicious, and it's made low carb! Perfect for a low carb and keto-friendly lifestyle!
Course:Soup
Cuisine:American, Italian
Keyword:acorn and butternut squash soup, acorn squash soup, butternut squash soup, copycat, olive garden, zuppa toscana
Servings: 8
Calories: 215 kcal
Ingredients
- 1lbmild or hot ground Italian sausage
- 1tbspoil
- ½cupfinely diced onion or 1 medium onion
- 3garlic cloves, minced
- 36ozchicken or vegetable stock
- 1large cauliflower head, diced into small florets
- 3cupschopped kale
- ¼tspcrushed red pepper flakes
- 1tspsalt
- ½tsppepper
- ½cupheavy cream
Instructions
Brown the ground sausage in a skillet over medium heat until done.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage and place it into at least a 6-quart slow cooker. Discard the grease.
Place the oil in the same skillet and saute the onions for 3-4 minutes or until translucent.
Add the onions, chicken or vegetable stock, cauliflower florets, kale, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker. Mix until combined.
Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
Add the heavy cream and mix until combined.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition estimated is based upon the brands I used. Yours may vary depending on brands.
Nutrition Facts
Slow Cooker Low Carb Zuppa Toscana Soup
Amount Per Serving (1 cup)
Calories 215Calories from Fat 146
% Daily Value*
Fat 16.2g25%
Cholesterol 48mg16%
Sodium 608.5mg26%
Potassium 371.8mg11%
Carbohydrates 6.4g2%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 3.4g4%
Protein 10.1g20%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Holly saysLooks awesome! Thanks! Going to try it tomorrow when it's "cold" outside. Ugh, 63 degrees in November should NOT be looked forward to as a "cold" day! I hear you on the heat wave misery this fall! 🙂
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- EVELYN M VAN WINKLE says
substitute heavy cream for ALMOND MILK UNFLAVORED BUT DO NOT BOIL JUST HEAT TO HOT
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- Susan says
Thank you for your Zuppa Toscana Soup recipe........we love that soup and this is the best recipe I've seen especially with the cauliflower. Since we are only two I will make only half the recipe......my question is: how long should half the recipe cook in the slow cooker?
Thank you.
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- Chelsea says
Great question, Susan. It will be the same cooking time in the slow cooker. Enjoy!
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- Tina says
I’m wondering if you could use sliced radishes as a potato substitute? Have you ever tried it that way before?
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- Chelsea says
I haven't tried it before, but I think radishes would be a delicious substitute!
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- Dianna says
My family and I have done radishes and it works great!
- Tammie says
Yes! I use either radishes or turnips for a low carb version of this soup! Both are a delicious substitute and you won’t miss the potatoes guaranteed! ????
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- Kim says
I have made this with cauliflower and love it! With radishes......do you cut them in half and then just cook the same?
- Chelsea says
So glad you enjoy it, Kim! Yes! Until they are tender.
- Joe D. says
For a lower carb potato substitute, use rutabaga! You won't mis the starchy potatoes at all!
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- Alea says
I love this recipe. My question is, the recipe says 10 servings; what is a serving size? 1 cup? 1.5 cups? Thank you so much!!
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- Chelsea says
1 cup, Alea!
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- Amanda says
I made this in my dutch oven on the stovetop and it turned out great too!! Very satisfying!
- Vicky says
Been recently diagnosed with diabetes and have to really watch the carbs. This looks good, can't wait to try this.
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- Laura Hotchkiss says
I went on the keto diet lost 56 pounds blood sugars went from 398 to 112 in 4 months only taking 1 metformin now low carb no sugars good luck ????????
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- Joel says
This was SOOOO Good and easy to make.
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- Carrie says
Made this soup yesterday. I loved it! Super satisfying flavor for a low carb diet. Freezes well. I will definitely make this again!
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- Oscar Holguin says
Great recipe. I just came across it.I was curious where you live.Most of us ,who are blessed to live on the west coast ,do not care for a cold winter.It is Feb 1st today and the thought of rain tomorrow is bringing me down.Im an LA guy-who actually loves LA!
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- JoAnn says
I used cauliflower rice substituted spinach for kale but used chicken sausage with kale in it..absolutely delicious!! Great recipe with a few subs.
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- Amanda says
LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe! This was my first time making this soup. I added thick cut bacon pieces to mine and it came out incredibly delicious! Thank you!Reply
- Janice says
I made it with radishes instead of cauliflower. Non Keto eaters approved
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- Kristin says
Starting a low(er) carb diet, and I came across this recipe during my Pinterest adventures. We made it tonight. THIS SOUP WAS INCREDIBLE!!!! It really did taste just like Olive Garden's (minus the potato, of course). My husband doesn't care for soups & absolutely LOVED THIS SOUP!! Heck yes! This recipe is going in my recipe box. Thank you!!!!
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- Betty Horne says
thank you so much for this soup recipe. can't wait to try it. I love olive gardens zuppa soup but have not had it since found out I was a diabetic. God bless you
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- Juley Carty says
Since this soup felt so Italian to me. I added
A can of diced tomatoes! It was so delicious!
Next time I will use Italian sausage. I didn't have
Any on hand this time.Reply
- Abigail says
I just made this today, but i also added in 4 dollups of cream cheese to melt into the soup. I have never cooked this before, and let me tell you what...... AMAZING!!! My husband even liked it and he doesnt like anything different typically.
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- Penny says
Tried the soup today and we absolutely love it
thank you, I will be making this oftenReply
- Diane says
This soup is so good!!!!
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- Dianna says
It turned out very good!!! I might make it again in the slow cooker, just know now to expect the kale to look more like cooked spinach.
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- Sheila says
I made this recipe last night and it is so yummy I almost ate it for breakfast! It has such a great flavor. Will absolutely make this again!
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- Selwyn says
Loved it! I will use about 1/2 pound of sausage next time. And I added a ton of kale, way over the 3 cups. Also I had half and half on hand, so thats what I used instead of heavy cream. I also omitted the garlic. Loved the cauliflower and loved the crockpot method. I'll make this again.
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- Diane says
This soup is so awesome !!! It’s a perfect, satisfying dinner and keeps my carbs and protein low per serving
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- Dee says
I love this soup! I've always made it with potatoes but since starting to eat the Kito way I haven't made it. I tried your recipe but only with Jicama (was trying to get the potato cosistancy) instead of cauliflower. Was disappointed. The Jicama was like a uncooked potato in the soup. Hard not soft. It tasted ok but just not like a potato.
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- Alana says
Try using celery root as a potato sub. Lower in carb and pretty tasty. It is used in the Adkins Turbo diet soup which is really good too.
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- Cordelle LaRoche says
Daikon Radish works great as a potato substitute, too. It kind of takes on the flavors of what it's in but has the texture of a diced potato.
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- Sophie says
This soup was deliciousand definitely a keeper, but I only cooked 5 hours on low as the fresh cauliflower was still mooshy. Next time, well throw in the cauliflower the last hour or so. Other than that, this was beyond yummy.
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- Virginia 1954 says
This recipe sound interesting. Since I hate Kale I will sub in Baby Spinach. It should be very tasty. I do love spinach.
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- Susan says
My whole family hates kale, but I put it in there anyway. They didn't even know it was kale!
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- Micheline says
Just had this tonight!!! Absolutely delicious!!!!Thank you!!!
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- Terri B says
I made this soup for dinner last night! I knew it was going to taste delicious because of the fragrant smell throughout the house. My husband and I were not disappointed. This soup is so flavorful, a keeper!! I substituted spinach instead of the kale which worked out fine! Thank you,
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- Elizabeth Dodd says
Made this soup today. It was amazing! Full of flavor! I wasn't sure substituting the potatoes with the cauliflower which makes this low carb, but I feel it made soup even better.
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- Corri Goates says
Love this recipe! I changed it up a bit: Roasted the cauliflower at 425 for 20-30 min, and then I cooked it in my Instant Pot (sauté same as recipe and then 20 minutes on high). Among my favorite recipes!
- Rebecca says
I've made this soup lots of times and it's wonderful! It's flavorful and hearty enough that you don't miss the potatoes at all (I'm a carboholic, so that's saying something), and it's the only way I've found yet to get my teenagers to willingly eat kale. Thanks!!!
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- Jordyn says
I've made this recipe several times and I love it! But I'm wondering if anyone has tried substituting the heavy cream with a dairy free alternative and still had equally tasty results? I have dairy intolerant family members.
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- Karen C. says
I have made it with half and half before, and recently used a can of full fat coconut milk instead. It was delicious! You barely taste the difference.
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- Melissa says
I just made this terrific soup last night. My only change was to use spinach instead of kale. It is AMAZING!
Thank you so much for the recipe.Reply
- Christine says
Great recipe but I tweaked it a bit for preferences. I added diced red pepper and substituted spinach for the kale. I cooked the sausage then added pepper, riced cauliflower, onion, garlic and sautéed them all together. I skipped the crock put and added all the spices and liquids; since I have an extra deep frying pan I was able to do it all pot. All the benefits of a crockpot w/o washing one extra pot; saves a bit of time as well.
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- Cheryl Thompson says
Made this tonight,was very good! Hubby is a meat and potatoe kinda of guy, but he liked this and said he would eat it again.
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- Tricia says
Do you have an instant pot version of this?
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- Chelsea says
I haven't tried this in the Instant Pot yet, Tricia. I will be testing it soon!
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- Dolores says
Haven't tried yet but will soon it's 7 degrees here 1/13/18 real soup and crock pot weather.
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- Haylee says
Used the same recipe but in my pressure cooker instead! I will definitely be making this again it was so yummy!
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- Chelsea says
So glad you enjoyed it, Haylee!
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- Angela says
I just made this tonight and I’m obsessed! So delicious! I added almond milk and 2 dollops of cream cheese instead of heavy cream and added some chopped yellow squash. I added the ingredients on MFP and the nutrition was pretty similar just slightly lower calories. Excited to have my next bowl! Thank you for posting!
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- Christie says
I have made this recipe many times over. I make a soup pot full for lunches t or a quick meal during the week .I add a bit of red chili flake for some heat. Top with fresh grated Parmesan, just like they do at the restaurant. Since I started making this I haven't been back to Olive Garden.
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- Lizbeth says
I just made this. Really good and surprisingly filling. Just became a staple at my house.
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- Kelly Griffith says
Thank you for posting this recipe! I made last night for the week for lunch and it is soo delicious! I don't miss the potatoes at ALL. I did add a little more Red Pepper flakes to get it up a notch, but Definitely making this on daily basis. Thanks, again.
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- Chelsea says
So glad you enjoyed it, Kelly! It's one of our favorites.
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- Maria says
Did it and honestly the cauliflower although was a better less fat option gave it a bit of a strange taste. I still preferred it than the full high calorie original.
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- T. Aruffo says
So I made this last night. However, being the potato lovers that my family is, we used potatoes instead of cauliflower. It was absolutely amazing. My grown up son told me it was the best soup he ever had... better than than Olive Garden. This will definitely be a repeat at our house!!
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- Summer says
Very good and very easy to make. I used mild sausage and that was enough heat for me. The crunch in the fresh califlower is a perfect substitute for potatoes. 5 stars! And, my family LOVES it-bonus!
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- Niki says
I made this in my instantpot and it was so amazing! I browned the sausage on saute mode, added onions until translucent, then garlic. Added other ingredients and cooked on high pressure for 10 minutes. Released pressure manually and added heavy cream. Truly outstanding!
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- Chelsea says
So glad it turned out for you, Niki! Will have to try it in my Instant Pot soon!
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- reni says
I don't eat meat so used Trader Joe's veggie Italian sausage & ground it in a food processor. I also used Trader Joe's organic baby kale & didn't need to chop it since it's small. Also used Imagine vegetarian no-chicken broth.
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- Sandy D. says
One of my favorite soups! I make it all the time. I use Turkey Italian Sausage and evaporated milk instead of cream. So delicious!
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- Val says
This was SO good!! I added extra Kale and cauliflower and ate it all week for lunch. I'm going to make it again this week and add some beans for more protein.
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- Marybeth says
O-M-G!! You knocked it outta the park with this quick, easy & delicious recipe!! 5 stars phenomenal!! Thank you!
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- Jaime says
I made the recipe today and OMG soooo good!! This soup is my husband's favorite from Olive Garden! We have changed the way we eat and eat very low carb! This is so delish!! He is going to go nuts lol! Thanks so much!
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- Nikki says
I really enjoy this recipe!! I’ve made it 3 times now! I find that using mild Italian sausage and then spicing with red pepper flakes and fresh ground black pepper is much more tolerable than using hot Italian sausage. Also, I’ve used half and half since I always have that on hand, and it tastes great! And I toss the kale in at the very end, and it wilts down nicely from the heat, and keeps it’s bright green color. Thanks so much for this recipe! My brother and my boyfriend both enjoyed this soup, and didn’t even miss the carbs!
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- Lauren G says
This recipe is FANTASTIC. It's absolutely delicious. I added more red pepper flakes since I'm a big fan of spicy soups. Otherwise , I followed the recipe as noted. Thank you for sharing this! <3
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- Elizabeth says
This soup was so incredible!! Thank you so much for this fantastic recipe. I made a very slight changes. I used ground turkey instead of the sausage and used butter flavored coconut oil to brown the ground turkey and to sautee the garlic and onion. I also used poultry seasoning with some extra thyme. Instead of using cream I used a can of full fat coconut milk to keep it dairy free.. When finished I added fresh cilantro. So, so good.
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- Kelli says
I almost never remember to come back and leave reviews, but WOW this soup is goooooood! I made it exactly as written with hot sausage and am so impressed!
Thank you so much for sharing, I'm gonna go try all your low carb recipes! Yum yum
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- Rebecca says
I was surprised how good this was!! I love the real thing at OG and was a bit skeptical but it was awesome! I made it as directed but on the stove top because I was too hungry to wait 4 hours. I let it simmer for about 30 minutes, added the cream, and voila! Definitely my new go to soup!
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- Jarod says
Cooks up just the same in the instant pot set on high for 10 minutes! Love it!
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- Tammy Angel says
I make this soup a lot! I have made it the original way with potatoes on the stove in Dutch oven, in my instant. I’ve made this with turnips in place of potatoes on the stove and in the instant pit. Both are absolutely delicious. I’m looking forward to trying this version!
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- Trish says
Delish!
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- Joshua J McKinley says
This soup is outstanding! We've had the regular version with potatoes instead of cauliflower and we loved it. But both my wife and I agree that we don't even miss the potatoes and probably prefer the cauliflower. Great recipe!
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- Mel C says
Ive been making this for years with potatoes and evaporated milk. excited to try it with potato subs but i love my evaporated milk instead of cream. I feel like it makes the soup thicker then i add a little bit more water when i reheat. I also add carrots and onions because I like them
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- Lisa says
I made this soup tonight, intending to serve it as a first course 3 days from now, but I couldn’t help myself - had a bowl for supper! This is a delicious recipe! Just now, I noticed your comment about fearing that frozen cauliflower would be too mushy. Let me assure you, it is not! I used both frozen cauliflower and frozen kale because I didn’t have time to clean and chop all those veggies, and I would totally recommend it to anyone who doesn’t mind spending a little more money than fresh produce costs. Thanks for developing and sharing such a wonderful recipe!
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- Chelsea says
So glad you enjoyed it, Lisa! <3
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- Angel says
I am in the middle of a snowstorm here in Northern Michigan so I wanted to make some low carb comfort soup. Just browning the sausage alone smelt amazing and I had everything ready to go for crockpot. I used spinach-kale mix, sprinkled on Parmesan cheese as the only changes I did to this recipe. OTHERWISE, I'm currently eating this, and OH MY GOD its amazing. I can't wait to taste what'll it'll be tomorrow-friday for lunches. Thank you for the low carb version because I'm following low carb. I will be adding this to my winter rotation.
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- Chelsea says
So glad you enjoyed it, Angel! Stay warm!
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- Becky says
Is there a method for making this soup on the stove top? Would you reduce cooking time?
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- Chelsea says
Add everything as stated in the instructions, and I would cook it over medium heat for 20-30 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender. Add the kale and heavy cream at the end and stir to combine. Enjoy, Becky!
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- Naomi Wright says
Thanks so much! This was simple to make and it’s delicious. I ate a bowl, earlier today. Af first, I thought the Kale would be tough after 4 hours but it was very tender. I used Italian links that were baked in the oven at 400 then cut up.
I shared with my low carb group via the link.
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- Susan says
This was delicious! I made a couple of changes - I cooked everything in the cooker, using the saute feature for browning the sausage and cooking the onions. I used white wine for half the liquid and used it to deglaze the pan after cooking the onions. I also used Silk Half & Half instead of cream and it was quite yummy!I think next time I wouldn't add the additional teaspoon of salt because there's enough in the sausage and broth. It was a little too salty for my taste, but the other spices were perfect. Thank you!
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- Kara says
DeliciousReply
- Mike says
OMG, I made this yesterday and should have doubled the recipe because it was just so amazing. I followed the directions exactly but made sure to monitor my slow cooker because it seems to cook fast for all my recipes. I was hoping there would be some leftover to freeze but maybe next time. I also used someone else’s suggestion of a small dibble of cream cheese after I scoop the serving in the bowl.Reply
- Paige says
Hello! Zuppa Toscana is my favorite soup so I'm excited to see a Keto version! However, I'm wondering about the carbs and sugar shown in the nutrition information. Is this only for Dirty Keto?
Thank you!Reply
- Chelsea says
No, it's not dirty keto.
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- Patricia says
This soup was beyond amazing. I have made it before however it was not low carb and was made with potatoes but the cauliflower gave it a great taste. Only thing I switched up was added a little bacon and used spinach instead of kale.
Will definitely make again!!!!!Reply
- Jenn says
Added:
Dash of MSG (for umami)
SpinachSubstituted:
Sausage Meat for Ground Beef/Pork mix.Was a really delicious recipe! My boyfriend loved it a lot! It was perfect seeing as he wasn't feeling super well today so a not-so-heavy dish was just what the doctor (Me) ordered!
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- Daniela Rinard says
I am SOOOOO excited to try this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing it with us 😀
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- Joel Wanha says
I have made this recipe twice already and love it. Thinking about making it again right quick here !!So great the next day !!!
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- Joe D. says
For a lower carb potato substitute, use rutabaga! You won't miss the starchy potatoes at all!
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- Yolanda says
This was SO GOOD! I did make the following changes. I cooked in my dutch oven on the stove top...something about a soup simmering...just hugs my soul. I used 1/2 pound of hot and 1/2 pound of mild Italian sausage. I added bacon fat during the 'saute' phase of the vegetables...after the sausage was browned. Omitted onion (didn't want the added carbs), but used 1 clove garlic (too lazy to break apart my new bundle), garlic powder and onion powder (just a tiny sprinkle). I also topped each bowl with 1 tablespoon of sour cream and 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese....it was so, so good...already planning my next batch. Thank you for a wonderful low-carb version of this favorite soup.Reply
