Italian Vegetable Soup (low carb)

This easy low carb Italian vegetable soup recipe is a hot, steamy bowl of veggies and ground beef in a tomato broth full of Italian spice. Perfect for those days you are craving Italian food but want something lighter and low carb.  One serving has just 127 calories, 10.4 grams protein and 5.4 grams net carbs.

You might also like this low carb low calorie vegetable soup.

I was craving soup today and decided to make one of my older recipes as I wanted something hearty but low carb and low calorie. So I remade this easy low carb Italian vegetable soup.

I forgot how easy and delicious it is! With a handful of vegetables, lean ground beef, spices and tomato broth this soup was not only filling but totally satisfying. It’s something that would be great for when you crave Italian food on a low carb or low calorie diet. Each serving has just 127 calories and 5.4 grams of net carbs.

And my husband has told me 3 times how much he loved it and to make sure to make it again. So this is a win win for me.

Recipe ingredients and substitutions.

The simple ingredients I used for this recipe was lean ground beef, zucchini, carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, Better than Bouillon chicken base, fresh garlic, parmesan cheese, paprika, Italian seasoning, fennel, hot pepper flakes, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, salt and olive oil.

• lean ground beef – I was trying to keep this low calorie and decided to use lean ground beef. However you can use high fat content ground meat if you wish. You could also substitute with ground chicken, ground turkey, ground pork, Italian sausage or even premade meatballs.
• vegetables – I used tomatoes, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and celery. These are all low carb veggies but honestly you can use whatever you want. Other low carb options are mushrooms, green beans, asparagus, spinach, kale, etc.
• spices – I used fresh garlic, salt, hot pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, paprika and fennel seed. I used these to mimic Italian sausage which adds so much flavor to the soup. If you end up using Italian sausage instead of the ground meat, you can eliminate the fennel and hot pepper flakes. I would still use the other spices. Also I prefer fresh garlic and add it at the end to maximize the flavor. You could use garlic powder if you want but the fresh is better. Remember 1 clove of garlic equals ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder.
• Better than Bouillon – I love the flavor these bases give to soup and always use them. I HIGHLY recommend them but you can substitute with chicken broth, chicken stock or dried chicken bouillon. If you just use chicken broth or chicken stock, you might want to add a bit more salt.
• grated parmesan cheese – I add this at the end to give the soup more Italian flavor. My Italian mother in law told me her mom would add a cheese rind to her soup for more flavor and this is just easier. It really adds to the flavor though so I would keep it if you can. If you can eat cheese, try nutritional yeast which has a cheesy flavor.

How to make Italian vegetable soup.

Step 1: Get out a soup pot and heat to medium high heat. Add the ground beef and sprinkle the spices on top. Start browning the meat and when it’s still has a bit of pink left turn the heat down to medium heat.

Step 2: Next add the water and bouillon (or chicken broth), tomato paste, diced tomatoes and all the other veggies to the pot. Mix and then bring to a simmer. Next cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Step 3: When the veggies are tender, add in the parmesan cheese and crushed garlic. Mix well and simmer for a minute or two to combine the flavors.

And that is all there is to it! Ladle soup into bowls and enjoy. You can always garnish with fresh herbs like parsley, basil or even thyme or oregano if you want. You can also add a bit more of parmesan cheese on top or add hot pepper flakes if you want it spicier.

Store leftovers in an airtight container. This recipe freezes well too so I like to freeze portions and heat them up for a quick low carb lunch. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.

Recipe tips and shortcuts.

Below are my suggestions on how you can make this soup quicker and easier.

• If you don’t care about carbs you can use frozen meatballs instead of ground beef. So skip the ground beef part (but not the seasonings) and microwave the meatballs for a minute or two before adding them to the soup. 
• You can use any vegetables you have on hand. Again if you don’t care about carbs use what ever you like. You can also use ground chicken, ground turkey or Italian sausage. If you use the Italian sausage you can skip the fennel and hot pepper flakes.
• If using regular ground meat, I would keep the seasonings the same as they add the main flavor.  
• You can also use frozen vegetables if you want. Again whatever you have in the freezer. Make sure to defrost them first in the microwave.
• I love my Better than Bouillon but if you don’t have any use regular bouillon (beef, chicken or vegetable) with water. You can also use broth or stock instead of the water.
• Lastly if you want this to be more of a vegetarian soup just eliminate the meat but still add the seasonings. 

Well I hope you give this low carb Italian vegetable soup a try as it’s filling and delicious. It’s also great when you have a lot of vegetables in the refrigerator and need to us them up. It’s really tasty and perfect for a light, low carb meal.

The nutritional information is: 127 calories / 6.1g fat / 7.5g carbs / 2.1g fiber / 10.4g protein = 5.4g net carbs