Zuppa Toscana Soup: Copycat version of Olive Garden's

One day last week for lunch my office had a potluck birthday party for our January Birthday Boy, Paul. I made this before and was asked to make it again. Well this time I took photos, sorry I didn't take photos of all the steps but I took enough for you to get the idea. Side note: Please overlook the kitchen countertops...thanks ;-P

INGREADIENTS

1 lb. mild Italian sausage - crumbled

(FYI, if you can’t find ground Italian sausage you can use the Italian Bratwurst instead. Just cut the meat out of the casings, it was also 35 cents cheaper and you get more meat!)

1/2 lb. smoked bacon - chopped

3 cups of water

(2) 14.5 oz. cans (about 3 2/3 cups) chicken broth

2 1/2 lg. russet potatoes - scrubbed clean, cubed

2 garlic cloves - peeled, crushed

1 med. onion - peeled, chopped

2 cups chopped kale OR Swiss chard

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Salt and pepper - to taste

DIRECTIONS

1-  Scrub potatoes and use peeler to peel off skin in stripes;
2-  Peel and dice onions; Peel Kale leaves from the stalk and lightly chop, discarding the stalks.

 

3-  In pan, sauté Italian sausage until slightly browned breaking into small pieces as you fry it; drain, set aside.

4-  In same pan, sauté bacon. Remove and crumble; set aside.

5-  Save 1 tablespoon of grease and use it to sauté the onions, and garlic for approximately 15 minutes or until onions are soft and clear.

6-  In pot, add broth, water, onion mixture and potatoes cover, and cook on Medium High until soft (about 30 minutes).

7-   Add sausage and bacon to pot; simmer for 10 minutes.

8-  Add kale and cream; simmer 4 minutes and season with salt and pepper to taste.

(Photo is before I added cream)

The soup recipe is ready to serve....hmmm...mama mia...amazing taste.. To recreate the Olive Garden experience try adding freshly grated parmesan cheese to individual bowels. This great soup recipe is hearty and is a great stand-alone meal for those with bigger bowls!  Enjoy!