Low-Carb Zuppa Toscana

I don't know about you, but I am totally in love with the Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana soup! Gosh, I can go to the OG and order the unlimited soup and salad and eat 3 bowls of soup and another 3 bowls of salad! It's just that delicious! But the carb count kicks my tush... :( so I found a recipe and adapted it so that it was more my pace, and less the carbs!! Check it out! This recipe was a hit with my whole family of picky eaters! Score!!

Ingredients

-5 oz bacon

-1 lb ground beef. While the OG's recipe calls for spicy sausage, I just used ground beef so that my family wouldn't complain that it was too spicy. 

-1 medium sized onion

-2 tbsp chopped garlic 

-32 oz chicken broth 

-3 cups of turnip or cauliflower. I used some of both which was about 1 head of cauliflower and 3/4 of a medium turnip. 

-2 loosely packed cups of kale torn off the stalk

-1 cup heavy whipping cream

-3/4 tsp salt

-1/4 tsp pepper

-optional: Parmesan cheese for topping 

Instructions

1. In a large soup pan, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Shred bacon while cooking into smaller pieces. 

2. Add ground beef, also separating into small crumbles while browning. 

3. When meats are done cooking, drain most of grease and save a little bit to sauté the onion. 

4. Push the meats to the side and add the diced onion into the middle with the grease. Cook. 

5. When the onion is done cooking, add the garlic until fragrant. 

6. Now add all the chicken broth, cauliflower and/or turnips with salt and pepper. Simmer for about 20 mins until the cauliflower and/or turnips are tender. 

7. Add the heavy whipping cream and kale to the soul and keep simmering. Taste and re-season as needed. 

8. The soup will be done in just a few mins. Let the kale cook but stay bright green. 

9. Put your soup in a bowl and add parmesan cheese, if you want. 

10. Enjoy!!! I promise you will!! 

Some tips I picked up while cooking...

-The turnip smells strong, but when it's cooked, the consistency is just like a potato and it doesn't have much of a taste. 

-Slice up your veggies before doing anything else. The meats will cook quicker than you think (even frozen), so you want to be prepared to add each ingredient when it's time. 

-If you're looking for some extra spice in your soup, try some curry or creole seasoning. Or use spicy sausage instead of ground beef. Buy the spicy sausage that is already ground in the meat section of your grocery store. 

-This soup is easy to store for leftovers and tastes just as good the next day. Just reheat in the microwave for 2+ mins and enjoy! 

Hope you love this recipe as much as I did! I must have done something right if my daughter loved it! She even ate it for leftover dinner the next night! 

Bon Appetit!

Gigi