In the years before I turned Paleo, the Olive Garden was one of my favorite restaurants.
Never-ending pasta?
YUP.
Breadsticks for days?
I’ll race ya to the table.
Zuppa Toscana by the bucket full?
Where do I sign up???
(Looking back, it’s no wonder why my health was an absolute WRECK when I was only 26!)
Since adopting a low carb, Paleo lifestyle, I had to break up with the Olive Garden. Because while I believe that a lot of foods can be modified to fit into this lifestyle, breadsticks and pasta alternatives just don’t hold a candle. LUCKILY, Zuppa Toscana can totally be modified to not only be tasty but is a nutrient powerhouse as well.
Let’s look at some of the nutrient-dense ingredients in our Paleo version:
- Broth
- Sausage
- Kale
- Coconut milk
- Sweet potato
- Bacon
So we can toooootally have our soup and eat it too!
PrintPaleo Zuppa Toscana

Paleo Zuppa Toscana Recipe
A nutrient-dense soup recipe for Zuppa Toscana that has been modified to fit the Paleo lifestyle.
Author: Kelsey Albers
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 8 1x
Category: Paleo
Scale
Ingredients
1 TBSP Bacon Fat
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 lb Italian Sausage
6 pieces bacon
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 can full fat coconut milk
4 cups beef broth
4 cups filtered water
1 bunch Kale, de-stemmed
1 TBSP crushed red peppers (adjust to taste)
1 tsp salt
¾ tsp black pepper
Instructions
In a soup pot, cook the 6 pieces of bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon and chop into small pieces. Removed all but 1 TBS of bacon fat from the pot.
Add one chopped onion to the pot and sauté until translucent.
Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook for another minute.
Add 1 lb of Italian sausage. Brown while working into crumbles.
Add 1 peeled and chopped sweet potato, 1 tsp salt, and ¾ tsp pepper. Cook for 10 minutes until the sweet potato just starts to soften.
Add chopped bacon, 4 cups of beef broth, and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Turn off heat. Stir in 1 can of coconut milk, 1 bunch of de-stemmed Kale, and 1 TBSP crushed red peppers.
Enjoy!
Nutrition
Serving Size: 1
Calories: 217
Sugar: 0
Sodium: 574.9
Fat: 13.7
Saturated Fat: 9.5
Unsaturated Fat: 4.2
Trans Fat: 0
Carbohydrates: 8.6
Fiber: 1.5
Protein: 16.5
Cholesterol: 39.3
Keywords: Paleo, Soup, Zuppa Toscana
Kelsey Albers, NTP
When you make these, let me know what you think! Drop a comment below, share a picture on Instagram (tag me @kelseyalbers) or tell me more in my Private Facebook group!
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