Name: Keto Zuppa Toscana
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 pound Italian sausage; 6 cups chicken broth; 6 slices bacon (chopped); 3 cups kale (chopped); 12 ounces butternut squash (diced); 2/3 cup heavy cream; 1/2 large yellow onion (diced); 5 cloves garlic (minced); 1 teaspoon salt (divided); 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

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This Keto Zuppa Toscana is a low carb copycat version of the famous Olive Garden soup. Savory Italian sausage and bacon give this creamy soup lots of flavor and a surprise ingredients makes it extra hearty and satisfying.

Keto Zuppa Toscana in white bowl with spoon on side

recipe card for fried cabbage with sausage

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❤️ Why You’ll Love This Zuppa Toscana Recipe

Sweet Italian sausage and crispy bacon
Tender kale and butternut squash
Simmered in a flavorful both
Low carb copycat version of the Olive Garden soup
Quick and easy to make

Keto Zuppa Toscana in silver ladle over pot

If you’re a fan of that famous Olive Garden soup but wish there was a low carb version that you could enjoy, well look no further! Fresh and creamy butternut squash replaces the high-carb potatoes in this soup, making it perfectly suitable for a Keto diet.

I use a blend of sweet Italian sausage and bacon as the flavor enhancers for this soup. Tender kale makes it extra healthy and hearty, it’s truly comfort in a bowl.

It’s also quick and easy to make, so it’s ideal for busy weeknights. You can also freeze leftovers, if you have any!

🛒 Ingredients for Low Carb Zuppa Toscana

Italian sausage
Chicken broth
Bacon
Kale
Butternut squash
Heavy cream
Yellow onion
Garlic
Salt
Ground black pepper

*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

🥣 Recommended Tools

Dutch oven or large pot

🔪 How to Make Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

Add the bacon to a Dutch oven or large pot and fry until crisp. Then remove the bacon, drain it on paper towels and set it aside.

In the same pot, remove some of the fat if there’s more than 1-2 tablespoons. Add in the Italian sausage and cook until it develops some good color.

Remove the sausage, leaving behind a small amount of the fat, then add in the onions, ground black pepper and half the salt.

Sauté for a few minutes or until slightly caramelized, then add in the garlic. Continue sautéing for another 20 seconds, making sure not to brown it or it will become bitter.

Pour in the chicken broth to deglaze the pot, scraping up the brown bits of flavor. Add in the butternut squash if using raw, kale and remaining salt. If you’re using frozen/thawed, wait 10 minutes to add it in.

Simmer for 10 minutes with an offset lid. You are just looking for the squash to become tender, but not falling apart and the kale to be wilted.

cream being poured into Keto Zuppa Toscana in pot

Pour in the Italian sausage and heavy cream, then simmer for another 10 minutes.

spooning out Keto Zuppa Toscana in pot with silver ladle

Add the bacon back in and serve.

☑️ Storage Instructions

Store leftover soup in an airtight container for 3-4 days or freeze.

overhead view of Keto Zuppa Toscana in silver ladle held over pot

💡 Tips

I recommend using fresh butternut squash as the texture seems to hold up better in this soup. If you’re short on time, you can buy fresh butternut squash that’s already been peeled and diced at the grocery store. If you already have some frozen that you’d rather use, just keep an eye on it, making sure it doesn’t get too soft where it starts to fall apart in the soup.
Make sure you don’t leave too much of the bacon fat or fat from the sausage in the pot. Too much fat will make your soup oily, instead of creamy.
This is not a soup that takes a super long time to make. Since you are using proteins that don’t take long to cook and chicken broth that’s already cooked, it’s just a matter of melding the flavors together, wilting the kale and cooking the butternut squash. If fact, you want to be careful not to cook it too long, as the butternut squash can start to fall apart in the soup.

spoonful of Keto Zuppa Toscana held up over soup

🔄 Substitutions and Additions

Kale might not be your favorite green to use, but it’s honestly really good in this soup. There are so many other flavors in the soup, that you hardly even know you’re eating it. If you really don’t want to use it, you can use fresh spinach instead. I’d use either baby spinach or chop up some regular spinach to make it easier to eat.
If you need this soup to be dairy-free, you can use unsweetened coconut cream instead of the heavy cream.
If you don’t have chicken broth, you can use beef broth instead.
If you have another type of sausage, you can use it, but the soup will take on a different flavor. If you’re ok with that, go for it!
If you can’t find butternut squash and happen to have fresh pumpkin, dice it up and use it instead. If you have neither, you can use cauliflower florets, as many Keto friendly Zuppa Toscana recipes do, but it will completely change the flavor. So again, if you’re ok with that, go for it. Personally I prefer the butternut squash in this soup and don’t love how much the cauliflower changes the flavor.
If you don’t have bacon, but happen to have pancetta on hand, it will work just as well in this soup.
To add a little heat, add in a pinch of red pepper flakes.

closeup of Keto Zuppa Toscana in white bowl with spoon on side

What can I use instead of heavy cream for Zuppa Toscana?

As I mentioned earlier, unsweetened coconut cream makes a great substitution for heavy cream in this soup.

Can I make Zuppa Toscana without potatoes?

Absolutely and that’s why I added butternut squash instead. It has a similar creamy texture, it’s lower in carbs and mild in flavor, so it works well.

Is Zuppa Toscana high in carbs?

Yes, when made the traditional way, or how places like the Olive Garden makes it, with potatoes, it’s too high in carbs for Keto. This version, made with butternut squash instead, is low enough in carbs to be enjoyed on Keto.