Last week, we did an inventory of our freezers, because they were both getting full and a lot of the stuff had been in there for way too long. So after cleaning out a bunch of old stuff, I was able to make a list of things that we had in there that I needed to use. One of them was a tube of Italian sausage that I bought a while ago and then didn’t end up using, for whatever reason. So for my lunches this week, since the weather has sadly cooled off, I decided to use it to make soup.
This one is a stovetop soup rather than an Instant Pot or slow cooker soup, and it’s fairly quick to make, all things considered. Start with two medium green peppers and one medium onion. Cut the green peppers into strips and the onion into slivers. If the pepper strips are too long to fit on a soup spoon, cut them in half crosswise. You’ll end up with about a cup and a half of pepper strips and 3/4 of a cup of onion slivers.
3.5-inch knife for scale.
Throw those into a Dutch oven with a pound of loose Italian sausage over medium-high heat. No need to add any seasoning yet. You’ll want to season this closer to the end, once you add all the ingredients, otherwise you might end up with too much salt. There are a lot of salty ingredients in this soup. I ended up not having to add anything at all. Cook the veggies and sausage together until the sausage is browned.
The sausage is about halfway finished browning here.
Once the sausage is browned, add a 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes, undrained, and 3 cups of chicken broth, turn the heat down to medium, and let it simmer for about ten minutes, until the peppers and onions have softened.
The simmering soup before adding all the stuff that makes it creamy.
After those ten minutes have passed, add an entire 8-ounce package of cream cheese, cut into chunks. Whisk those in until they melt into the liquid, then pour in 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Finally, add 3 ounces of parmesan cheese, one ounce at a time, whisking until it melts before adding the next batch.
The finished pot of soup.
At this point, taste it for seasoning. As I mentioned earlier, mine didn’t need anything other than some black pepper, but you may want to add salt or garlic powder, depending on how flavorful your Italian sausage is. Once you’ve gotten it seasoned to your liking, turn the heat off and serve it, or put it into meal prep containers. I managed to time mine perfectly and used the 6th serving as my Sunday lunch, just in time for the early NFL games to kick off. My Bills may have lost, but at least the soup was good.
Creamy Italian Sausage and Pepper Soup
30 minutes from start to finish, this low carb Italian sausage soup is great for a fall Sunday.
Cut the green peppers into strips and the onion into slivers.
Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, peppers, and onions, and cook until the sausage is browned, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks.
Add the tomatoes and chicken broth, turn the heat down to medium, and simmer for 10 minutes, until the peppers and onions are soft.
Add the cream cheese cubes and whisk until they melt into the liquid. Pour in the heavy cream, then add the parmesan cheese, one ounce at a time, stirring until it's melted before adding the next batch.
Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper if needed, then remove from the heat and serve.
Macros per serving: 503 calories, 5 grams net carbs, 25 grams protein, 44 grams fat.
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This recipe was supposed to be kid-friendly. But both my kids are weird and don’t like sloppy joes. The two adults in the house, however, hoovered these up in record time. There’s no accounting for taste, I guess.
This is a super easy recipe, so it’s perfect for a busy weeknight. It can be on the table in 30 minutes. It also makes 8 servings and freezes well, so you can make it, feed your family, and still have some saved in your freezer for the next time you’re not feeling like cooking. Or, if you’re like me, you’ll have something in your freezer that you’ll forget about for two years until you find it and try to figure it what it once was, under the layer of frost and freezer burn. Sigh.
Start by dicing a green pepper and a small onion. Heat up a nonstick skillet over medium high heat and add two pounds of ground beef, the pepper and onion, a rounded tablespoon of minced garlic, two teaspoons of salt, and black pepper. Break it up as it cooks, and once it’s fully browned, drain the excess fat. I don’t usually suggest draining, but all that extra fat affects the taste and mouthfeel of the sauce. I’d suggest draining if you use anything higher in fat content than 90/10.
The beef, while browning. Note the amount of liquid. You don’t want that.
After you drain the beef, return it to the skillet and add a 14.5-ounce can of tomato sauce, 1/4 cup of sugar-free ketchup, and a tablespoon each of brown sugar substitute, Worcestershire sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Stir it all together and once it begins bubbling turn the heat down to low, and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, until the onions and peppers are soft. Serve it on hamburger buns for the non-keto folks, or chaffle buns for the ketos.
Simmering away!
My particular chaffle bun is a modification of the Wonder Bread version. Beat together an egg, a tablespoon of mayonnaise, a tablespoon of almond flour, 1/4 teaspoon of a liquid honey substitute such as Sukrin Gold Fiber Syrup, and 1/8 teaspoon of baking powder. Once it’s a smooth texture, pour half of it into your preheated Dash mini-waffle iron. You may have to spread it around, because the mixture is thick. Close the iron, cook it for 3-5 minutes, remove it, and repeat with the remaining mixture. Easy-peasy bread for a quick weeknight dinner. I made my chaffle while the sloppy joes were simmering, and the timing was perfect.
Keto Sloppy Joes
With these keto sloppy joes, you can put a meal that your whole family will love on your table in 30 minutes!
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat, then add the beef, peppers, onions, and garlic. Brown the beef, breaking it into small chunks, until it's cooked through. If there's any visible liquid in the pan, drain it in a colander and then return the beef to the pan.
Add the tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar substitute, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar and stir until combined. Once the mixture begins bubbling, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10 minutes, until the onions and peppers are soft. Serve on chaffle buns.
Macros per serving: 307 calories, 6 grams net carbs, 28 grams protein, 17 grams fat
For the Chaffle Buns
Whisk all ingredients together in a ramekin or small bowl until smooth. Pour half the mixture onto a preheated Dash mini-waffle iron, and spread it around until it covers the entire surface. Close the Dash and cook for 3-5 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and repeat with the remaining mixture.
Macros per serving (2 chaffles): 215 calories, 1 gram net carbs, 8 grams protein, 21 grams fat
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The first time I heard about the existence of the Monte Cristo sandwich, I was 21 years old. My boyfriend at the time was on a business trip to Minneapolis, and they put him up in a nice hotel with some fancy room service. He found the description of this sandwich on the menu and we had a good laugh about it. A turkey, ham and swiss sandwich dipped in egg batter and served with powdered sugar and jelly? Basically a french toast grilled cheese? It sounded really gross to me, but also kind of intriguing. I mean, people wouldn’t do this if it weren’t good, right? Otherwise you’re putting something on a menu that people are only going to eat on a dare. I had a chance to try one a couple years later, and I felt bad that he hadn’t gotten one when he had a chance. That thing was AMAZING.
They’ve sort of fallen out of favor recently. I haven’t seen one on a menu in a while. Which is kind of a bummer, but hey, I can make them at home. I didn’t tell the kids what I was making. I just walked up to them and asked a simple question: Would you like powdered sugar on your sandwich? My stepson immediately said “Sure,” which I found a bit surprising. My daughter looked at me like I’d grown a second head, thought about it for five seconds or so, and said “…I guess?” When they looked down and saw the sandwich, sprinkled with powdered sugar and with jelly on the side, the look of confusion on their faces was hysterical. And then they took a bite, and both of them started laughing, and then the table was dead silent until there wasn’t a single speck of food left on either of their plates. I got a hug from my stepson afterwards, which is basically his version of Paul’s handshake on the Great British Baking Show.
When it comes to keto breads, I prefer not to reinvent the wheel. I’m a huge fan of the classic 90-second bread. Diet Doctor has a good recipe for french toast using a modified version of the 90-second bread that I used as my base. Be careful to adjust the recipe to reflect 1 serving, as I did not notice that it was for two servings and my sandwich was super thick and much higher in calories than I thought it was. Oops. I also added a bit of sweetener to the batter, but that depends on your personal preference. Make the bread in that recipe according to the instructions, and slice it in half to make two even slices. Then, before the step that involves dipping the bread in the egg mixture, assemble your sandwich. Use two slices of deli ham and two slices of deli turkey, making sure to avoid brands that have added sugar. Top it with a slice of Swiss cheese, then with the remaining piece of bread. Dip the entire sandwich in the egg mixture, turning multiple times to soak up as much egg mixture as possible. Then fry it in the butter like you would a grilled cheese, about 3 minutes a side on medium-low heat. You may need to put a lid on the pan for a minute or two toward the end to ensure that the cheese melts nicely.
1/2tspSukrin Gold fiber syrup or sugar-free maple syrupoptional
1tbspbutterfor frying
For the Fillings
2slicesdeli ham
2slicesdeli turkey
1sliceSwiss Cheese
1-2tbsplow-carb jelly or sugar-free maple syrupOn the side for dipping
Instructions
Grease a small square container with butter or cooking spray. Add the almond and coconut flours, baking powder, and salt, and stir with a fork. Add the egg and whipping cream and whisk well, until there are no more lumps. Tap the container on the counter to get rid of bubbles, and microwave for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, until it's cooked through. Slice down the center to create two thinner slices of bread.
Put two slices of ham and two slices of turkey on the bottom slice of bread, add the cheese, then top with the other slice of bread.
Melt the butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. In a container larger than the sandwich, whisk together the remaining egg, cream, cinnamon, salt, and sweetener if you'd like it. Dip the sandwich in the batter, turning multiple times to soak in as much of it as possible. Fry the sandwich in the butter, about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. If needed, put a lid on the pan for the last minute or so to ensure the cheese melts.
Cut on the diagonal and serve with your low-carb jelly or syrup of choice on the side for dipping.
Macros per serving, not counting dipping sauces: 601 calories, 32 grams protein, 50 grams fat.
Keyword french toast, ham, keto, lchf, low carb, sandwich, swiss, turkey
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