Zuppa Toscana Soup with cauliflower

Zuppa Toscana Soup with cauliflower is packed with flavor and a lower carb way to enjoy this favorite! This classic family favorite is made with savory Italian sausage, kale and tender cauliflower. Save the Zuppa Toscana recipe to Pinterest now so you can always find it!

January is soup season for me and it is also the season I tend to try and cut some of the carbs out too. Don’t get me wrong, I still love a good pasta meal. But during the week I try to eat lower carb meals – in January especially –  and a good Zuppa Toscana Soup is one of my all time favorite soups. However, I decided to make this popular Olive Garden Soup with a little bit of a healthier spin by making Zuppa Toscana Soup with Cauliflower. 

*Originally published in 2021. Updated 2025

I’m a soup lady

To know me is to know that I’m a soup person. I could eat soup like Creamy Tomato Soup {HERE} or this Chicken Tortellini Soup {HERE} or my Homemade Vegetable Soup {HERE} all year round. And I do. (That Vegetable Soup is a particularly good soup if you need to cleanse after holidays and big birthdays.) That makes a Zuppa Toscana recipe right up my alley. The only problem is it’s packed with potatoes.

So, in order to continue my soup eating ways, and stick to the lower carb meal plan, I’ve made a low carb Keto Zuppa Toscana Soup with cauliflower that tastes just like the real thing. I’m not kidding when I say I was surprised at how good this soup was when I first made it. In fact, making Zuppa Toscana with cauliflower is now my preferred way to enjoy this soup. The Olive Garden recipe has nothing on this one. 

What is Zuppa Toscana Soup?

If you have never had a Zuppa Toscana recipe before then you should know it is a cream based soup loaded with Italian Sausage, red pepper, kale, potatoes and bacon. In this case, I replace the potatoes with cauliflower. It is a very hearty soup even though the broth is very thin. The Italian Sausage makes it zesty and oh so flavorful. It also has some red pepper flakes added that give it a little bit of heat. 

Making the bacon 

The first step in making my Zuppa Toscana with cauliflower is to make some bacon. I make this in the oven while pulling together the rest of the ingredients for the soup. The oven is preheated to 350 degrees and then the bacon is made on a baking sheet all at once. I top off the Zuppa Toscana recipe with the bacon and swirl it into the soup to infuse all that delicious flavor into the cream base. The full recipe and steps for doing this are in the recipe card below. 

Making the Zuppa Toscana recipe

The first step in creating the soup itself is to brown the Italian Sausage up in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Once that is browned, I remove it from the pot and place it on a paper towel to soak up some of the grease. Next, the onion, garlic, red pepper, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes are added. Those cook down for about four minutes before the white wine is poured in. This adds so much flavor and really just makes the Zuppa Toscana with cauliflower taste incredible. You want to deglaze the pan, scrapping the brown bits to really get all that flavor into the soup. 

Adding the cauliflower

Once there is about 1/4 of the white wine left, add in the chicken stock and the cauliflower. This is then cooked over a low to medium heat for about 10 – 15 minutes until you can spear the cauliflower easily with a fork. 

Finishing it off

Once the cauliflower is done, the heavy cream is stirred into the pot to give you that creamy flavor. Then parmesan cheese is also gently melted in for richness and depth. Last but not least, the heat is turned off and the kale is added. All of this mixes together to truly create a ridiculously flavorful soup with a bit of spice of the back end.

Tips for making Keto Zuppa Toscana with Cauliflower

• First, this soup does have a little kick to it thanks to the red pepper and Mild Italian Sausage. If you want less of a kick, cut the red pepper flakes a bit. I don’t recommend removing all of them as they add to the overall flavor.
• Another way to make it a bit less zippy is to use a Sweet Italian Sausage. I always use Mild Italian Sausage but even that can be a bit spicy. I prefer the flavor over the sweet though. If you love spice, you can also use a spicy Italian sausage. 
• Make sure to prep and cut all your ingredients ahead of time. The Keto Zuppa Toscana with cauliflower recipe actually moves pretty fast so I find it easier it everything is all chopped and ready.
• Use the whole head of the cauliflower and not just the crowns. The white stems will help to fill your bowls just as well as the crowns and they taste just as good. I like to pack everything in there. If it’s green, keep it out.
• This soup can keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I love to make it once and then eat it for lunch throughout the week.
• To reheat, you can put it back on the stove or add it to the microwave in a microwave safe bowl for a few minutes.

Looking for more easy soup recipe?

If you love a delicious soup like my Zuppa Toscana with cauliflower, try these too!

• Homemade Minestrone Soup {HERE}
• Stuffed Pepper Soup {HERE}
• The best Ham Bone Soup {HERE}
• Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup {HERE}
• Homemade Vegetable Soup {HERE}
• Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe {HERE}
• Steak & Cauliflower Soup {HERE}

Visit on our Social Channels!

• Instagram @sugarmaplefarmhouse
• Pinterest Pinterest Sugar Maple Farmhouse
• YouTube Sugar Maple Farmhouse
• Amazon Storefront Sugar Maple Farmhouse
• Facebook Sugar Maple Farmhouse
• Tik Tok Sugar Maple Farmhouse

Thank you so much for stopping by today, friends! I hope you love my Zuppa Toscana Soup with cauliflower recipe. You can find the full, printable recipe below. I hope you will come visit us again. Happy eating.

Keto Zuppa Toscana Soup with cauliflower

Zuppa Toscana Soup with cauliflower is packed with flavor and a lower carb way to enjoy this favorite! This classic family favorite is made with savory Italian sausage, kale and tender cauliflower. Save this to Pinterest now so you can always find it!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: dinner, lunch

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: keto zuppa toscana soup with cauliflower, zuppa toscana recipe, zuppa toscana with cauliflower

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 bowls

Author: Rachel

Equipment

• Dutch oven or large soup pot

Ingredients

• 8 strips of bacon
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil - divided
• 1 lb Mild Italian Sausage, casings removed
• 1 cup yellow onion, diced
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 red red pepper, chopped small
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 tsp. course sea salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 32 oz + 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 head cauliflower, chopped
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 cups kale, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley per bowl for topping
• Additional Toppings: Parmesan cheese, additional red pepper flakes, fresh cracked

Instructions

• Add 8 strips of bacon to a baking sheet and put them in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 18 minutes. If you want them more well done add another 2 minutes until you are satisfied with the crispiness. Then remove the bacon from the baking sheet and place it on a plate lined with paper towels.
• Heat 2 Tbsp. of olive oil in a Dutch oven and then add the Italian Sausage, casings removed. Brown the sausage and break it up as it cooks. Then remove it from the pot and wipe out any excess oil to remove extra fat.
• Add in 2 Tbsp. olive oil and then add onion, garlic and red pepper. Saute it all over medium heat until the onions and pepper soften. Stir regularly. Total time about 4 minutes.
• Add the white wine to the pan and deglaze it, scraping the brown bits on the bottom and sides as you go. Then add the salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
• When there is about 1/4 of the white wine left, add the chicken stock and the cauliflower. Cover the pot and let the mixture cook on low to medium heat for 10 minutes.
• Turn the heat to low and add in heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Mix well until all the cheese has melted.
• Add the Italian Sausage back in and let everything simmer for about 5 minutes. You might see the grease from the sausage accumulate on the top of the soup. You can scrape this off with a spoon and add it to a bowl until it hardens. Then discard.
• Turn off the heat and stir in the kale. It will wilt in about 2 minutes.
• Serve and top with parsley, bacon, additional cheese, red pepper, salt and pepper