Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup (Video)

If you’ve enjoyed the Zuppa Toscana at the Olive Garden, you’re going to love this Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup! And my version of this amazing Italian-inspired soup is low-carb, Keto, and gluten-free, and the recipe also has stovetop instructions.

PIN the Zuppa Toscana Soup to try it later!

For this week’s Friday Favorites pick, I’m reminding you about this amazing Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup that’s definitely one of my personal go-to soup recipes for colder weather! And this has been a hit with lots of Danica's Kitchen readers as well.

When I first had the idea for a Keto version of Zupppa Toscana Soup, I knew there would be other bloggers who had made this tasty soup. But I loved the flavors in this Italian soup so much I wanted to make my own version even if it wasn’t that original.

My Keto Zuppa Toscana Soup has bacon, spicy Italian sausage, onion, garlic, chicken stock, chopped cauliflower, red pepper flakes, chopped kale, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese to add at the table. How can anything with those ingredients possibly taste bad? (I know some people aren’t big on cauliflower or kale, but all these ingredients are a big YES from me!)

And because the onion, garlic, and sausage are cooked in the Instant Pot (affiliate link) before you lock the lid and cauliflower cooks in a flash in the Instant Pot, this soup is super quick! So when you need a quick dinner that’s easy, tasty, and low-carb, give this Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana a try!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• thick sliced bacon
• yellow onion
• Minced Garlic (affiliate link), garlic from a jar is fine
• hot or mild Italian Sausage (turkey or pork)
• cauliflower
• chicken stock or canned chicken broth (affiliate link)
• red pepper flakes
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• kale
• heavy cream
• freshly-grated Parmesan Cheese

What is Zuppa Toscana Soup?

In Italian the word Zuppa means soup and the word Toscana means Tuscan, so Zuppa Toscana Soup is a Tuscan soup recipe. The traditional version of the soup as it’s made in Italy will always have spicy Italian Sausage, bacon, spices, cream, garlic, kale, and potatoes. Some authentic versions will have beans or bread added for a thicker soup. To make a low-carb version of Zuppa Toscana, I simply switched out the potatoes for cauliflower, with delicious results!

How did Zuppa Toscana Soup get so popular?

There’s no doubt that it’s the Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup that introduced so many Americans to this tasty Tuscan soup! And the version at the Olive Garden is definitely delicious, but I’ve actually had more than one person tell me they prefer my Keto Zuppa Toscana recipe to the version at the Olive Garden! If you’ve had the Olive Garden soup I hope you’ll try my version and compare!

Can you make this Keto Zuppa Toscana Soup on the stove?

After I got a few e-mails asking how to make my Low-Carb Zuppa Toscana Soup on the stove, I made it for a group of friends so I could share those directions. You can find stovetop instructions in the main recipe, right after the Instant Pot instructions.

Love Your Instant Pot?

I use a 6 Quart Instant Pot for all my Instant Pot Recipes. Check out my growing collection of Instant Pot Recipes! You can see lots more Instant Pot / Slow Cooker Recipes on my Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker site.

Want more Low-Carb Instant Pot Soup Recipes?

• Low-Carb and Keto Instant Pot Soups ~ Danica's Kitchen
• 50 Low-Carb Instant Pot Soup Recipes ~ Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker

How to Make Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Start by chopping bacon, onion, cauliflower, and kale. 
2. Set the Instant Pot (affiliate link) to SAUTE and HIGH temperature, add the bacon and cook until it’s crisp.
3. Remove bacon with slotted spoon. If there’s a huge amount of fat you can remove some but leave at least a tablespoon of bacon fat to cook onion.
4. Turn Instant Pot to SAUTE and NORMAL temperature; add onion and cook 2-3 minutes.
5. Then add Minced Garlic and cook another minute.
6. Squeeze Italian sausage out of casings into the Instant Pot and cook sausage while you break it apart with a plastic or wooden turner. I used this Hamburger Meat Chopper (affiliate link), which I love. Cook until sausage is fully browned.
7. Then add  chopped cauliflower, chicken broth, red pepper flakes, salt, fresh-ground black pepper, and cooked bacon.
8. Lock the lid and set to MANUAL and HIGH temperature, TWO MINUTES.
9. After the cooking time of two minutes is up, use QUICK RELEASE to release the pressure.
10. Set Instant Pot back to SAUTE and HIGH temperature, add the kale, and simmer the soup 4-5 minutes (or until kale is done to your liking.)
11. Turn heat down to LOW (and let the soup cool down a bit if it’s bubbling).
12. Then stir in the cream and heat it through. (Don’t boil after the heavy cream is added.)
13. Serve hot, with plenty of freshly-grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table.

More Low-Carb Soups in the Instant Pot:

• Instant Pot Loaded Cauliflower Soup
• Instant Pot Ham and Cabbage Soup
• Instant Pot Pumpkin Soup
• Instant Pot Cauliflower Mushroom Soup
• Instant Pot Sausage and Kale Soup

Weekend Food Prep:

This delicious Zuppa Toscana Soup recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

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Yield: 8 servings

Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes

Total Time 22 minutes

If you're a fan of Instant Pot soup, you're going to love this low carb version of Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup!

Ingredients

• 3 thick slices bacon, cut into short cross-wise slices (Use more bacon if you prefer.)
• 1 yellow onion, chopped small
• 1 T minced garlic (garlic from a jar is fine for this)
• 1 19.5 oz. package hot or mild Italian Sausage (see notes)
• 4 cups chopped cauliflower (one small head)
• 6 cups chicken broth (4 cans chicken broth is slightly more than 6 cups, but it will be fine)
• pinch red pepper flakes
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• 4 cups chopped kale
• 1 cup heavy cream (see notes)
• freshly-grated Parmesan to add at the table

Instructions

1. Slice the bacon crosswise into short rectangular strips.
2. Chop onion, cauliflower, and the kale. (I would use large pieces of kale, cut the kale away from the ribs, and then chop. But you could use pre-chopped kale or baby kale if you prefer.)
3. Set the Instant Pot (affiliate link) to SAUTE and HIGH temperature, add the chopped bacon and cook until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon.

1. Remove some bacon fat (or not) but leave at least a tablespoon of bacon fat to cook the onion.
2. Turn Instant Pot down to SAUTE and NORMAL temperature; add chopped onion and cook 2-3 minutes. Then add the minced garlic and cook another minute.
3. Squeeze the Italian sausage out of the casings into the Instant Pot and cook the sausage while you break it apart with a plastic or wooden turner (not metal, which might scratch the pot.)
4. Then add the chopped cauliflower, chicken stock, red pepper flakes, salt, fresh-ground black pepper, and the cooked bacon.
5. Lock the lid and set the Instant Pot to MANUAL and HIGH temperature, TWO MINUTES.
6. After the time to cook to pressure and cooking time of two minutes is up, use QUICK RELEASE to release the pressure.
7. Set the Instant Pot back to SAUTE and HIGH temperature, add the chopped kale, and simmer the soup 4-5 minutes (or until kale is done to your liking.)
8. Turn heat down to LOW (and let the soup cool down a bit if it's bubbling). Then stir in the cream and heat it through. (Don't boil after the heavy cream is added.)
9. Serve hot, with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table.

Stovetop Instructions:

1. Use the same ingredients and prepare as above, but add 1 cup more chicken stock and 1/4 cup more cream for the stovetop version.
2. Cook the bacon in a large soup pot over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove bacon to a plate, and remove some of the fat from the pot as desired.
3. Add chopped onion to the soup pot and cook a few minutes, until starting to brown, then add the minced garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more.
4. Squeeze out sausage into the soup pot and cook until browned, about 10-15 minutes. Don't rush this because browning adds flavor.
5. Then add the chopped cauliflower, chicken stock, red pepper flakes (if using), salt, fresh-ground black pepper, and cooked bacon. Let the soup come to a low boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer 20-25 minutes, or until the cauliflower is done to your liking.
6. Add the chopped kale and turn the heat up to medium; cook the soup 5-10 minutes more, depending on how soft you like the kale.
7. Let the soup cool a few minutes if it's bubbling before you add the cream. Then stir in cream and heat it through over very low heat. (Don't let it boil after you add the cream.
8. Serve as above.

Notes

Use homemade chicken stock if you have some. (4 cans chicken broth is slightly more than 6 cups, but it will be fine)

I first used Turkey Italian Sausage for this soup, but you can use pork sausage if you can't find that.

Use half and half or milk if you prefer that over heavy cream.

Recipe adapted by Kalyn and Kara after a few experiments with various amount of ingredients.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 185Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 908mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 7g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup is a good soup for any low-carb diet, including Keto. Soup with bacon and heavy cream would be outside the approved fat guidelines for the original South Beach Diet or for a low-glycemic diet, but I bet you could make a pretty tasty soup using lower-fat ingredients if you’re a South Beach fan.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Instant Pot Recipes to find more soups to make in the Instant Pot! Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Danica's Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for Zuppa Toscana Soup made in the Instant Pot was posted in 2019. It was last updated with more information in 2024.

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