Zuppa Toscana Soup – low carb

Everyone knows about Olive Garden’s famous endless soup, salad and breadsticks. I for one, am a huge fan of their Zuppa Toscana soup. I’m not, however, a fan of the calories and carbs associated with the soup. Not to mention the basket of breadsticks I would want to consume if I was at OG. So I tried my hand at a keto friendly zuppa. And I have to tell you, I didn’t miss the potatoes at all. Cauliflower really is a low carb chameleon and I’m glad that I like it.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. mild Italian Sausage

4 slices thick-cut bacon (chopped)

32 oz beef bone broth (I couldn’t find beef bone so I used beef broth)

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 head fresh cauliflower, diced or one bag of frozen florets

½ cup heavy whipping cream

2 cups fresh spinach or kale (I used spinach)

salt and pepper, optional

crushed red pepper flakes, optional

shredded parmesan cheese for garnish, optional

DIRECTIONS

Brown your sausage and chopped up bacon together in a large soup pot. Once your meat is cooked, drain the grease and add beef broth, onions, garlic, and cauliflower. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender. I used a potato masher to break up the chunks of the cauliflower at this point.

Once the cauliflower is softened, add in heavy cream and spinach. Cook for about 5 minutes, until spinach or kale is soft. Add salt, pepper and some crushed red pepper flakes to taste. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Low Carb Cauliflower Chowder

It’s snowing again. Yes, I know it’s Iowa but I could’ve done without the last 10 inches of snow we’ve gotten in the last 24 hours. And knowing there is 6-8 more inches on the way tomorrow has got me in a soup making state of mind. This is an easy keto soup. And if you like bacon and cream cheese (who doesn’t?!?) you’ll enjoy this soup no matter what the weather is in your neck of the woods. (360 calories, 4 net carbs, 28g fat, 20g protein) Makes 5 servings.  

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 head of cauliflower or bag of frozen fleurets

1 cup spinach

1/4 cup cream cheese

1/2 cup diced onion

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 pound cooked crumbled bacon

salt & pepper to taste

I also added a can of corn which takes it out of the keto category but added some nice texture and thickened it up

In a large pot, add the butter and onions and sauté until clear. Add the minced garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Add the chicken broth, seasoning and cauliflower to the pot and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender. Carefully pour half or more of the mixture (along with the cup of spinach) into a blender and pulse a few times until creamy. Place back on the heat and add the cream cheese. You can add a cup of water or more chicken broth, depending on your consistency preference.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the cream cheese is melted and blended nicely. Top with crumbled bacon, chopped green onion and shredded cheese (I used pepper jack). I also added a couple drops of sriracha because I like things spicy.

Amish Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:

1 head broccoli, chopped

1 head cauliflower, chopped

1 cup mayo

1 cup sour cream

½ cup sugar

½ tsp. salt

½ pound bacon, fried and crumbled

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix mayo, sour cream, sugar and salt.  

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well.  Chill one hour before serving.  

Roasted Cauliflower and Aged White Cheddar Soup

Review by Lyndee

Ingredients:

1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets (I used a 14 oz bag of frozen florets)

2 tablespoons oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon thyme, chopped

3 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 1/2 cups aged white cheddar, shredded

1 cup milk or cream (I used skim milk)

salt and pepper to taste

4 slices bacon fried and crumbled (optional)

Directions

Toss the cauliflower florets in the oil along with the salt and pepper and arrange them in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Roast the cauliflower in a preheated 400F oven until lightly golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.

Slice up bacon and fry in pan with onion and minced garlic. Saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add thyme and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Add the broth, deglaze the pan, add the cauliflower, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes..

Puree the soup until it reaches your desired consistency with a stick blender. Mix in the cheese, let it melt without bringing it to boil again. Mix in the milk, season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.

I made this in the crockpot instead of on the stove.  I also added bacon which wasn’t in the original recipe.  It turned out pretty well. It has a nice smoky taste to it and was easy to make.  The biggest issue I had was finding aged white cheddar at my local grocery stores.  

Mashed cauliflower

Review by Lyndee:

1 bag frozen cauliflower pieces

8 oz cream cheese (I used a reduced fat onion and chive)

2 tbsp butter

Salt & Pepper to taste

Boil cauliflower according to directions on bag.  I added a dash of salt while it was cooking.  Drain and mash cauliflower. Add cream cheese, butter, salt and pepper to taste. 

My mother in law makes this all the time and it’s always awesome.  Her version tastes way better than mashed potatoes, to me.  Mine was a little lumpy.  Don’t think I cooked the cauliflower quite long enough. I mashed it with a fork the best I could.  Then I tried to use a hand held mixer and I had chunks flying all over the kitchen. Bad idea there.  Even though mine wasn’t smooth and creamy like hers, it was still super tasty.  If you want to do a healthy swap use a light cream cheese or do half cream cheese and half greek yogurt.  

Healthy veggie soup with cheese

Review by Lyndee:

1 bag broccoli, cauliflower and carrots (frozen food aisle)

1 container plain greek yogurt

1 can chicken breast

½ cup 2% shredded cheddar cheese  

Onion

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Hot sauce (optional)

Cook frozen veggies and chopped onion per instructions on bag.  Add yogurt and chicken breast.  Let simmer until veggies are soft.  Salt & pepper to taste.  Add a few dashes of hot sauce if you would like. Stir in shredded cheese just before serving.   

If it’s runny, mix ¼ cup of milk and 2 teaspoons of flour.  Pour in slowly while stirring.   

This turned out pretty well for a throw together, last minute soup of the top of my head.  The only thing I would change is maybe when cooking the veggies, instead of using water as directed on the bag, I would try some chicken broth to add a little extra flavor.