A hearty, low carb Italian Sausage Soup, perfect topped with a heavy dose of parmesan cheese. This soup is the perfect base to create family-adaptable meals. Keep yours as keto, add parsnips or chickpea pasta to keep it low carb, or add pasta or for the family to share and enjoy. 7 NET CARBS PER SERVING
A Perfect Winter Keto Soup
A low carb or keto diet typically consists of a lot of salads. In the winter, coming in to a bowl of hot soup can make all the difference in enjoying your low carb lifestyle.
I love simple dishes like that that are easily convertible to meals the whole family will enjoy. Since not everyone in most families sticks to a low carb or keto diet, having options that easily transform to family-friendly offerings is important. It’s not sustainable if you’re always cooking separate meals!
Tips for this recipe:
- Use a high quality, flavorful Italian sausage. I have made this with both pork and chicken sausage, and while both are good, a classic pork sausage just yields better flavor.
- If the soup doesn’t have enough Italian flavor, add about 1 teaspoon each of cumin, Italian seasoning (or oregano and basil), and paprika. This will make up for sausage that isn’t as flavorful, which typically yields the flavor in this soup.
- Baby kale makes this recipe super easy to put together — at the end of preparing the soup, just add a few handfuls. Lacinato kale is wonderful in soup. Chop it up and add it the last 5 minutes of cooking. You can also use chard, spinach, or fresh basil. I like to add a big handful of extra baby kale to my bowl to up the green power of this meal, and pour the hot soup on top.
- Make this a Low Carb Sausage Vegetable Soup: Carrots, parsnips, celriac root, and Japanese sweet potatoes are great additions to this soup if you need more veggie power and are okay with a higher-carb option. These veggies need to be added while simmering the sausage and tomatoes to ensure they cook all the way.
- Use healthy carbs for carb cycling, higher carb needs days, or for family members: Keep a pot of boiled pasta, chickpea pasta, chickpeas, steamed quinoa, or wild rice on the side to add as needed.
- Use bone broth: Add some extra protein and collagen by using a chicken bone broth in place of half the chicken broth. I use 1/2 bone broth and 1/2 chicken stock to help keep a good flavor. You might need to add extra seasonings, like salt, pepper, or hot sauce, depending on your bone broth.
How to Make Italian Sausage Soup
Step 1: Add avocado oil and garlic to a soup pot, and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Step 2: Add the sausage, and use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage as it browns, about another 5-7 minutes.
Step 3: Into the sausage mixture, add the diced tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring the soup to a simmer, and allow to continue simmering about 30 minutes. If you’re adding starchy vegetables, like carrots, parsnips, or sweet potatoes, peel and dice them and add them at this point as well.
Step 4: Add the mushrooms and the baby kale, and then remove the mixture from heat. These vegetables will continue cooking in the hot soup without it simmering.
How to Meal Prep Keto Sausage Soup
I have been making more or an effort lately to prepare large batches of freezer friendly meals.
I am super picky about what I will freeze. I like the taste of fresh food, so if a meal doesn’t taste fresh after being frozen and reheating it, I just skip it.
This soup is perfect for freezing.
To freeze this soup:
- Allow the prepared soup to fully cool. I leave the greens out of the soup if I am freezing it, and add them in fresh when I am eating it.
- Add soup 3/4 of the way full in glass mason jars. I actually prefer to use quart-sized freezer bags so I can easily pull out 1 serving at a time for lunches.
- Freeze the soup for 3-4 months until ready to enjoy.
- Allow soup to thaw a little (you can put the jars or the bags of soup in warm, not hot, water, and allow it to sit until you can pour it out), and then reheat it as normal. I add the greens to my bowl and pour the reheated, hot soup over the top.
Serving Suggestions for Keto Italian Sausage and Kale Soup
Cauliflower Rice: This soup is incredible poured over some cauliflower rice for some extra texture. I do this with leftovers so it’s feels different than eating soup again.
Zucchini Noodles: Pour a serving of this soup over a bed of zucchini noodles, almost like a pasta sauce. Be sure to top this with extra parmesan cheese! See this recipe for Keto Butter Chicken for ideas on preparing the zucchini noodles.
With Spaghetti Squash “Noodles”: Prepare a spaghetti squash, and then add to the soup at the same time as adding the mushrooms and greens. This makes it similar to a “noodle” soup.
Serve with Keto Bread Rolls spread with butter on the side.
Keto Italian Sausage Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 pounds Italian sausage pork or chicken
- 2 cans diced tomatoes (14 ounce cans)
- 1/2 quarts chicken broth
- 2 cups mushrooms sliced
- 4 cups baby arugula *see notes about freezing soup
Video
Notes
- Use a high quality, flavorful Italian sausage. I have made this with both pork and chicken sausage, and while both are good, a classic pork sausage just yields better flavor.
- If the soup doesn’t have enough Italian flavor, add about 1 teaspoon each of cumin, Italian seasoning (or oregano and basil), and paprika. This will make up for sausage that isn’t as flavorful, which typically yields the flavor in this soup.
- Baby kale makes this recipe super easy to put together — at the end of preparing the soup, just add a few handfuls. Lacinato kale is wonderful in soup. Chop it up and add it the last 5 minutes of cooking. You can also use chard, spinach, or fresh basil. I like to add a big handful of extra baby kale to my bowl to up the green power of this meal, and pour the hot soup on top.
- Make this a Low Carb Sausage Vegetable Soup: Carrots, parsnips, celriac root, and Japanese sweet potatoes are great additions to this soup if you need more veggie power and are okay with a higher-carb option. These veggies need to be added while simmering the sausage and tomatoes to ensure they cook all the way.
- Use healthy carbs for carb cycling, higher carb needs days, or for family members: Keep a pot of boiled pasta, chickpea pasta, chickpeas, steamed quinoa, or wild rice on the side to add as needed.
- Use bone broth: Add some extra protein and collagen by using a chicken bone broth in place of half the chicken broth. I use 1/2 bone broth and 1/2 chicken stock to help keep a good flavor. You might need to add extra seasonings, like salt, pepper, or hot sauce, depending on your bone broth.
Loved it! Used pastured sweet Italian sausage from the local butcher and added carrots and celery at step 3. Mine needed some extra salt, but overall, came out great and the family loved it!