Flavored with garlic, ginger, and a touch of sweetness, keto kung pao kielbasa is an easy way to remake your fav chicken dish with sausage.
What Does Kung Pao Taste Like
The name “kung pao” is usually called “Kung Pao Sichuan Chicken.” It’s typically made with a lot of chili peppers, so it’s supposed to really spicy.
To offset the heat, chefs will sometimes add a lot of peppercorns, which act as a numbing agent. Since everyone has a different tolerance level for heat, I left the red peppers amount up to you. Add as many or as few as you want.
I love this flavor combination so much that I have made it a few other times before. Of course, my first one was the classic keto kung pao chicken.
Then I made keto kung pao shrimp for a little seafood twist. This time, I used the peppery flavor in kielbasa to make a kung pao sausage skillet.
Kung Pao Kielbasa
If you think this recipe looks familiar, you’re right. It’s really similar to my low-carb Asian sweet and sour kielbasa recipe.
Both recipes are simple, flavored with Chinese or Asian ingredients, and made with kielbasa and veggies in a skillet. This time, instead of using a bunch of bell peppers, I added some zucchini.
I changed the sauce recipe, too. This Kung Pao recipe isn’t nearly as sweet or tangy as the sweet and sour skillet meal.
Customizing this recipe is easy too. The easiest way to change it is to use your favorite peppers.
For more heat, add jalapeno or habanero peppers. And if you want to add even more veggies, add some broccoli florets or yellow squash.
Be careful with what you add. There are already 5 grams net carbs in each serving, and more veggies will increase the carbs.
Kung Pao Sauce
This kung pao sauce is incredible! I made it so that it balances out the flavors in the bold sliced sausage.
What’s in kung pao sauce? Well, in this version, I combined garlic and ginger with some soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.
For a touch of sweetness, I added a little bit of Swerve sweetener. Then I added red pepper flakes for the heat.
There’s one ingredient that you should never skip when you make this sauce – the Xanthan gum. It’s an easy way to thicken the sauce without adding any carbs.
You don’t need much – just 1/4 of a teaspoon. But that little bit will help it look like a syrupy sweet sauce without adding carbs!
Kielbasa and Peppers
You’ll love how the kielbasa tastes with the zucchini, peppers, and the bold and sweet sauce. Kielbasa is a smoked sausage that has a bunch of herbs and flavors naturally smoked into it.
That’s why the only spices that I added are the garlic and ginger. If you think it needs something else, try some more red pepper flakes.
The sausage and veggies will taste delicious all week long. Add them to your weekly meal prep. It stores really well.
Keep leftovers in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for up to three days.
You can freeze it, too! Keep it in the freezer for up to six months.
Chinese Skillet Meal
I made this recipe with the idea that it was an entire meal in one skillet. You don’t have to add anything to the table for it to be a full meal.
Sometimes, you just want to serve something with it, and that’s ok too! If that’s you, then I have a few recipes that will taste perfect with the kung pao sausage.
Start out simple with my favorite go-to, my easy cauliflower rice recipe. If you want to keep the sides light, then a bowl of keto egg drop soup is perfect.
It might have more carbs, but Keto Shrimp Egg Roll in A Bowl tastes just like an egg roll, so it’s perfect with this recipe.
For a veggie, make bacon and green beans. The mild, savory flavors pair well with the spicy kung pao kielbasa.
And if you want to make kung pao kielbasa as a Chinese-inspired meal, make some keto Chinese noodles to serve on the side. They have a lot of complementary ingredients.
Don’t forget about Low Carb Asian Slaw, too. It tastes good with almost anything.
Keto Kung Pao Kielbasa Recipe
Below are the ingredients (and step by step pictures) that you’ll need to make this keto kung pao kielbasa recipe. Exact measurements and instructions are located in the printable recipe card, just a little bit further below.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Net Carbs: 5 net carbs per serving
Ingredients:
- Olive oil
- Natural kielbasa sliced
- Large zucchini chopped
- Red bell pepper roughly chopped
- Minced garlic
- Ginger paste
- Soy sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Sesame oil
1 tsp. Swerve
¼ tsp. Xanthan gum
Red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
Instructions:
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
Saute the kielbasa in the heated oil until crispy and cooked through. Remove and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium, and add in the red bell pepper. Saute for 3 minutes.
Add in the zucchini, and saute until tender.
Whisk together the garlic, ginger paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, Swerve xanthan gum and red pepper flakes if using.
Return the kielbasa to the skillet, and pour the sauce over the ingredients.
Saute for another 5 minutes before serving.
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Keto Kung Pao Kielbasa
Equipment
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 14 ounces Natural Kielbasa sliced
- 1 large Zucchini chopped
- 1 Red Bell Pepper roughly chopped
- 3 tsp Minced Garlic
- 2 tsp Ginger Paste
- 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Rice Vinegar
- 1 tsp Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum
- Red Pepper Flakes to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
- Saute the kielbasa in the heated oil until crispy and cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium, and add in the red bell pepper. Saute for 3 minutes.
- Add in the zucchini, and saute until tender.
- Whisk together the garlic, ginger paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, Swerve xanthan gum and red pepper flakes if using.
- Return the kielbasa to the skillet, and pour the sauce over the ingredients.
- Saute for another 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Keto Sausage Recipes
If you love kielbasa, then I have some great news – I have a bunch of kielbasas recipes you can try! After you make this keto kung pao kielbasa recipe, try one of these recipes next.
