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Italian Sausage, Zucchini, and Macaroni Soup is something I’ve made for years for Denny family parties and it’s always a hit! And we’ve updated this recipe to use Fiber Gourmet Light Elbows with lots of lower carb ingredients, which makes this soup only about 9 net carbs per serving!

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Italian Sausage, Zucchini, and Macaroni Soup shown in two bowls with spoons and Parmesan

This Italian Sausage, Zucchini, and Macaroni Soup is long-time favorite soup recipe, and I’ve made it many times for family get-togethers, or for my annual New Year’s Day soup party. It’s perfect for the time of year when the nights are getting cooler, but there’s still zucchini from the garden, but this is also a recipe that’s worth buying a couple of small zucchinis!

And when we wanted to update the photos for this soup, Kara and I decided to experiment with using Fiber Gourmet Light Elbows (affiliate link) for the macaroni in the soup! We also used a little more ground Italian Sausage, and those changes brought the carb count down to about 9 net carbs per serving, which I bet is going to make this soup a lot more appealing to lots of you.

And you know how I am about slightly improving the recipe when I update the photos; I just can’t help myself. We also added a bit more spices and used a bit more chicken broth to make 8 generous servings. But if anyone was a fan of the original version that used links of Italian sausage and whole wheat macaroni, you can find that at the end of the actual recipe, in the section called NOTES.

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.)

More about the Fiber Gourmet Light Pasta that’s low in carbs:

Both Kara and I are quite smitten with the Fiber Gourmet Light Pasta! This is a high-fiber pasta made in Italy and it comes in Penne, Rotini, Spaghetti, and Elbows. This tastes absolutely the same as regular high-carb pasta made with wheat. The only bad news about this pasta is the price. I haven’t found it in any stores near me, but when I order from Amazon I am careful not to choose the option for only two boxes of pasta; that makes it almost $10 a box. If you get the pack with six boxes it comes out to about $6.66 per box, still pricey but worth it for me when I am craving pasta and don’t want carbs. We’re making more recipes all the time with this exciting new pasta option, just search “Fiber Gourmet” on the website to find other recipes where we have used it.

How to make Fiber Gourmet Light Pasta more affordable and reduce the carbs:

Even though the Fiber Gourmet Light Pasta varieties are all much lower in carbs than other pastas made from wheat, I like to make the carbs even lower by using this pasta in recipes with lots of other low-carb ingredients. So for this recipe, one cup of the elbows makes eight servings of soup. That makes the carb count much lower and makes the pasta much more affordable.

Can you make this soup with fresh basil?

I would definitely use fresh basil or my frozen chopped basil in this soup if I had some. But it will also be delicious with purchased basil pesto.

Want an even lower-carb and gluten-free version of this soup?

We lowered the carbs in this soup quite a bit by using Fiber Gourmet Light Elbows (affiliate link) and using a bit more sausage than the original recipe. But if you want a version of the recipe that’s even lower in carbs (and also gluten-free) just skip the macaroni and use more diced zucchini.

More Low-Carb Soups and Stews with Italian Sausage:

Italian Sausage, Zucchini, and Macaroni Soup collage of recipe steps

How to Make Italian Sausage, Zucchini, and Macaroni 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. Heat olive oil in soup pot over medium-high heat and cook onion a few minutes. Add minced garlic and cook a few minutes more.
  2. Then add  ground sausage and cook until it’s nicely browned, breaking it apart with a turner or Hamburger Meat Chopper (affiliate link). 
  3. When sausage is browned, add oregano, basil, Spike Seasoning, Fennel, and black pepper.
  4. Then add chicken broth and petite diced tomatoes, with the liquid.
  5. Turn stove to low and let it simmer about 30 minutes.
  6. While soup simmers, dice up enough zucchini to make about 2 cups of diced zucchini. 
  7. Add zucchini to the soup and simmer 15 minutes on low.
  8. Then add macaroni (plus another cup of water if needed.)
  9. If you’d like an even lower-carb and gluten-free version of this soup, use a little more zucchini and skip the macaroni.
  10. Simmer soup about 15 minutes more, or until macaroni is done.
  11. Then stir in basil pesto, chopped fresh basil or frozen chopped basil and cook about 5 minutes more.
  12. Taste to see if you want to add salt or more fresh-ground black pepper.
  13. Serve soup hot, with freshly grated Parmesan to add at the table.

Farther back photo of Italian Sausage, Zucchini, and Macaroni Soup shown in two bowls with spoons and Parmesan

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

Serve Italian Sausage, Zucchini, and Macaroni Soup with Savory Almond Flour Bread, Low Carb-High Fiber Savory Muffins, or Olive Bread for a delicious low-carb meal.

Find More Low-Carb Soup Recipes:

Italian Sausage, Zucchini, and Macaroni Soup shown in two bowls with spoons and Parmesan
Yield: 8 servings

Italian Sausage, Zucchini, and Macaroni Soup

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Additional Time 35 minutes
Total Time 2 hours

Italian Sausage, Zucchini, and Macaroni Soup is a hearty soup that's great to serve at a party! And this recipe can now be made with Fiber Gourmet Light Elbows, which gives it an option to be quite low in carbs!

Ingredients

  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 T minced garlic (or finely chopped fresh garlic)
  • 2 lbs. ground spicy turkey Italian Sausage (see notes)
  • 2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 2 tsp. dried basil
  • 2 tsp. Spike Seasoning
  • 2 tsp. ground fennel
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper
  • 8 cups chicken broth (see notes)
  • 2 14.5 oz. cans petite diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup water (or more, as needed)
  • 2 cups diced zucchini (see notes)
  • 1 cup Fiber Gourmet Light Elbows (see notes)
  • 2-3 T basil pesto, or use chopped fresh basil or frozen basil if you have some
  • freshly-grated Parmesan cheese for serving, optional

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a big soup pot over medium-high heat and cook the onion a few minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook a few minutes more.
  2. Then add the ground sausage and cook until it's nicely browned, breaking it apart with a turner or Hamburger Meat Chopper while it cooks. (Don't rush this step, the browning adds flavor)
  3. When the sausage is well browned, add the oregano, basil, Spike Seasoning, Fennel, and black pepper and stir it into the sausage
  4. Then add the chicken broth (or homemade chicken stock) and petite diced tomatoes, with the liquid from the can
  5. Turn the stove down to low and let the mixture simmer for about 30 minutes
  6. While the soup simmers, cut ends off zucchini, cut into four strips and then cut into small cubes, cutting up enough for about 2 cups of zucchini, or a little more zucchini won't hurt.
  7. Add zucchini to the soup and simmer 15 minutes, still keeping the temperature on low. 
  8. Then add the macaroni (plus another cup of water if it seems like quite a bit of the liquid has evaporated. If your stove cooks hot you may need even more than 1 cup extra water.)
  9. If you'd like an even lower-carb and gluten-free version of this soup, use a little more zucchini and skip the macaroni
  10. Simmer soup about 15 minutes more, or until the macaroni is done
  11. Then stir in the basil pesto, chopped fresh basil or frozen chopped basil and cook about 5 minutes more
  12. Taste soup to see if you want to add salt or more fresh-ground black pepper
  13. Serve soup hot, with plenty of freshly grated Parmesan for people to add at the table.

Notes

I used turkey Italian sauage, but pork sausage will also work if you don't mind a soup with more fat.

If you have homemade chicken stock that will be amazing in this soup.

Nutritional information for the soup has been re-calculated using Fiber Gourmet Light Elbows, so if you use a different type of pasta it will be higher in carbs. For an even lower-carb and gluten-free soup skip the macaroni and use more zucchini.

ORIGINAL RECIPE WITH WHOLE WHEAT PASTA AND LINK SAUSAGE:

  • 5 links hot Italian Sausage, cut into 3/8 inch slices
  • 2 tsp. olive oil, for browning sausage
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 T finely chopped fresh garlic (or garlic puree)
  • 2 cups diced zucchini
  • 6 cups homemade chicken stock (see notes)
  • two  14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes (or use a smaller amount of slow roasted tomatoes)
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 2 tsp. dried basil
  • 1 cup whole wheat macaroni (see notes)
  • 3 T minced fresh basil (optional, or you can use frozen basil)
  • freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving soup

(Instructions for the recipe are the same, other than the option to brown the links of sausage and cut them into slices or half slices.)

Recipe created by Kalyn, and served at many Denny family parties.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 325Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3.3gUnsaturated Fat: 9.6gCholesterol: 110mgSodium: 2049mgCarbohydrates: 16.5gFiber: 7.6gSugar: 3.9gProtein: 31.5g

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?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

© Kalyn Denny
Category: Soups & Stews
Square image of Italian Sausage, Zucchini, and Macaroni Soup with soup in two bowls, striped napkin, spoons, and Parmesan.

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
The updated Italian Sausage, Zucchini, and Macaroni Soup recipe here made with Fiber Gourmet Light Elbows and more sausage is low enough in carbs for low-carb diet plans, but probably not Keto. If you use turkey Italian Sausage and Fiber Gourmet or whole wheat pasta, and only a moderate amount of Parmesan cheese, this would be a great choice for phase two or three of the original South Beach Diet.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Soup Recipes to find more recipes like this one.Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’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 was posted in 2005! I made it for years for Denny family parties, and the photos were first updated in 2015. In 2023 the recipe was updated with better photos and the option to use Fiber Gourmet Light Elbows, which makes it a low-carb soup!

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