Zuppa Toscana Soup

My family really enjoys soup. We eat it year-round. It's usually economical and it's easy to make two meals out of it. This is my recreation of Olive Garden's famous "Zuppa Toscana". If you prefer, you can use spinach in place of the kale. 

Zuppa Toscana Soup

Printable recipe

Yield: 8 servings

1 lb. bulk mild Italian sausage***

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 lb. bacon, diced

1 small onion, diced

64 oz. chicken broth

4-6 medium potatoes, scrubbed and sliced

1 small bunch kale, stems removed and leaves 

     chopped (about 3-4 cups)

1 cup heavy whipping cream

In a large soup pot, crumble and brown the Italian sausage with the red pepper flakes over medium-high heat, until sausage is no longer pink. Drain and set aside.

Cook the bacon in the same pot, over medium-high heat, until crisp. Remove bacon to paper towels. Drain all but 2 tbsp. of the bacon grease. Add onions and garlic; cook until the onions are soft, about 3-5 minutes.

Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Add potatoes and kale; lower heat to medium and cook about 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Add reserved bacon and sausage. Add cream. Heat through.

Serve hot!

*** My local grocery store doesn't always carry the bulk Italian sausage ... you can buy the links and just cut them open, crumble the sausage and discard the casing.

I hope you enjoy!

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