Whole30 Zuppa Toscana (Paleo)
This Whole30 Zuppa Toscana is hearty, cozy and bursting with flavor! This rich and creamy soup is filling, a little spicy, and just like the Olive Garden dish. It is great for Whole30 dinners, meal prep, and leftovers!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This Whole30 Zuppa Toscana is simple, easy, and quick.
- It can be made in a skillet or Dutch oven on the stovetop, in an Instant Pot, or slow cooker.
- The sausage is hearty and flavorful, while the potatoes are soft and tender.
- This is a great Whole30 dinner option.
- The leftovers are even more rich and flavorful!
- This Paleo soup is Whole30 compliant, Paleo, grain free, gluten free, dairy free, and sugar free.
- Make a few substitutions for an easy low carb option.
Ingredients & Substitutions
The crispy bacon adds the perfect amount of hearty flavor and crunch. Double check ingredient labels to ensure sugar free for Whole30. My favorite brand of Whole30 bacon is Naked Bacon, which can be bought on their website or Amazon.
Whole30 sausage can be tough to find. Most store bought sausage contains added sugars, preservatives, and cheese. I used Pederson’s Farms Whole30 approved chorizo for this recipe. This brand also sells a compliant Italian sausage which would work well.
Diced onion provides a small kick of flavor. In addition, the minced garlic adds a touch of Italian flavor.
For Whole30, use a sugar free chicken broth. I used Kettle & Fire for this soup.
Canned coconut milk adds so much creaminess to this recipe! It does not have a strong coconut flavor. In addition, this is a great dairy free substitute for heavy cream.
Any potatoes work, but I prefer red potatoes. They hold their shape well while becoming soft and tender. Sweet potatoes would make a fun addition too!
The onion powder, oregano and black pepper are used sparingly. Feel free to adjust amounts to suit your taste.
Lastly, kale is the leafy green in this Paleo Zuppa Toscana! I prefer it to spinach since it holds its shape while cooking. In a pinch, spinach can be used.
What is Zuppa Toscana?
Zuppa Toscana translates to Tuscan Soup! This traditional Italian soup is bursting with bold and warm flavors.
This soup features ground sausage, potatoes and leafy greens in a creamy broth. It has become very popular since Olive Garden serves a version of it.
How to Make
Step 1
First, add bacon to large skillet or Dutch oven over low medium heat. Cook until crispy. Remove bacon to a plate.
Step 2
Discard all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat from pan. Add in ground sausage, diced onion, and minced garlic. Cook until sausage is brown and crumbly.
Step 3
Then, add in all remaining ingredients except crispy bacon and kale. Simmer on low medium heat for 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
Step 4
Next, add in crispy bacon and kale. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until kale is a bright green color and lightly wilted.
Step 5
Finally, ladle into bowls and serve!
Expert Tips & Tricks
Chop potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces. This allows the potatoes to become soft and tender.
Cook bacon until it is very crispy, but not burnt. Since the cooked bacon is added at the end of the cooking process, it adds a great crunchy texture.
Use full fat coconut milk for best results. It adds so much creamy texture. Shake can of coconut milk before measuring and using.
The kale only takes a minute or two to cook. Do not let it wilt too much or it will lose its shape.
Instant Pot & Slow Cooker Methods
This Zuppa Toscana can be made in an Instant Pot or slow cooker!
Instant Pot method:
- Sauté bacon and set it aside.
- Discard all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat. Cook sausage, onion and garlic until sausage is cooked through.
- Add all ingredients except bacon and kale to Pot.
- Pressure cook on high for 6 minutes.
- Manually release pressure.
- Stir in kale and bacon. Cook until kale is lightly wilted.
- Serve!
Slow Cooker method:
- Cook bacon in skillet until crispy. Set aside.
- Discard all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat. Cook sausage, onion and garlic until sausage is cooked through.
- Add all ingredients except bacon and kale to slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or high for 2 to 3 hours.
- Before serving, stir in kale and bacon until kale is lightly wilted.
- Serve!
Where to Buy Whole30 Sausage
Most grocery store sausage is not Whole30 compliant. Here are some great options for Whole30 ground sausage and where to buy them.
Pederson’s Farms No Sugar Added Chorizon Sausage (available on website)
Pederson’s Farms No Sugar Added Italian Sausage (available on website)
Naked Bacon Sugar Free Sausage (available on website and Amazon)
Pederson’s Farms No Sugar Added Spicy Breakfast Sausage (available on website)
Pederson’s Farms No Sugar Added Mild Breakfast Sausage (available on website)
Variations & Add Ins
This Whole30 Zuppa Toscana soup is traditionally made with Italian sausage. Feel free to use that in place of chorizo.
For a lower carb option, use cauliflower in place of potatoes. Since cauliflower takes less time to cook, adjust cooking times. Check soup after 10 minutes of simmering instead of 20 minutes.
A little sprinkle of red pepper flakes would be great on top!
How to Serve & Store
Serve soup hot!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To reheat, add soup to a skillet over medium heat and heat until warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
This soup is hearty, a little spicy, and so flavorful. The sausage, bacon, and potatoes really shine through. In addition, the broth is savory and creamy.
To make this low carb, substitute cauliflower for potatoes. Simmer for only 10 minutes instead of 20.
There are two ways to thicken this soup. The first is to add more coconut milk. Another way is to remove 1/4 cup soup broth from skillet. Stir in 1 tablespoon tapioca flour. Pour this slurry back into skillet and stir. This will thicken the soup.
I used Pederson’s Farms chorizo which is Whole30 approved.
Naked Bacon sugar free bacon is the Whole30 bacon used.
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If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate a review! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. I would love for you to follow along!
Get the Recipe: Whole30 Zuppa Toscana (Paleo)
Ingredients
- 6 pieces Whole30 bacon, see note
- 1 ½ pounds Whole30 sausage, see note
- ¼ cup diced onion
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 4 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup canned coconut milk
- 2 cups red potatoes, chopped into ½ inch pieces
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- pinch ground pepper
- 1 cup kale
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions
- First, add bacon to a large skillet or Dutch oven over low medium heat. Cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon to a plate.
- Discard all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat in skillet. Then, add sausage, diced onion and minced garlic to skillet. Cook until sausage is brown and crumbly.
- Add all remaining ingredients except kale and crispy bacon to skillet. Simmer on low medium heat for 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
- Then, add in kale and crispy bacon. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until kale is bright green and lightly wilted.
- Finally, ladle into bowls and serve!
Instant Pot Instructions
- Add bacon to the Instant Pot. Sauté until crispy. Remove bacon to plate.
- Remove all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat from pot. Add in sausage, diced onion and minced garlic. Cook until sausage is brown and crumbly. Press cancel.
- Add all remaining ingredients except kale and crispy bacon to pot. Secure lid. Pressure cook on high for 6 minutes.
- When timer goes off, manually release pressure. Add in crispy bacon and kale. Stir until kale is bright green and lightly wilted.
- Ladle into bowls and serve!
Slow Cooker Instructions
- First, add bacon to a large skillet over low medium heat. Cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon to a plate.
- Discard all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat in skillet. Then, add sausage, diced onion and minced garlic to skillet. Cook until sausage is brown and crumbly.
- Add all ingredients except kale and crispy bacon to slow cooker. Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or high for 2 to 3 hours.
- Just before serving, stir in kale and crispy bacon. Cook until kale is bright green and lightly wilted.
- Ladle into bowls and serve!
Notes
- I used Pederson’s Farms Whole30 approved chorizo sausage for this recipe. They also make a Whole30 approved Italian sausage which would be great here too!
- I used Naked Bacon sugar free bacon for this recipe.
- Chop potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces.
- Full fat coconut milk from a can will give this soup its creaminess. It does not make the soup taste like coconut. Almond milk or cashew milk work too, but aren’t as creamy.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To reheat, add soup to a skillet over medium heat until warmed.
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14 Comments on “Whole30 Zuppa Toscana (Paleo)”
This is the most beautiful and flavorful zuppa toscana. Thanks!
Such a flavorful soup! And I love that it can be made quickly in the Instant Pot!
We loved this soup! The creaminess the coconut milk added was wonderful, and the sausage added so much flavor. Delicious!
Saving now to make this fall! It looks so flavorful and delicious. Thank you for a reduced guilt dinner recipe!
So happy I can make this delicious home recipe for one of my fave restaurant soups. So good!
This zuppa toscana was so delicious! Way better than Olive Garden!
Such a delicious and comfort ingredient dish. Yum!
This was such a delicious soup and packed full of flavour!
Made this delicious soup on the stove last week, going to try it in the slow cooker this time so I can smell it all day whilst its cooking!
I love anything with coconut milk!