Zuppa Toscana

Husband and I enjoying going out to eat. Our dining expenses are more entertainment than food. We frequent local eateries much more often than chain restaurants when it’s just the two of us. Our town has some fantastic restaurants and we definitely have our favorites. When we go out with friends it is sometimes easier to go to a chain restaurant since their menus usually have a bit more variety to suit everyone’s taste buds. When we go to our local Olive Garden I find myself ordering the same thing every time. Zuppa Toscana. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s soup after all!

I adore the simplicity of soup. I love that you can take a few simple ingredients and make a delicious meal that you can share with many people. Soup’s versatility makes it a perfect meal, at least in my eyes. Whenever I found myself enjoying Zuppa Toscana I would always think “I can make this.” I usually don’t look for recipes of foods that eat in restaurants but I finally decided to track this recipe down.

This recipe really is all simple ingredients, many of which I had on hand. There were several variations to this recipe so if you do a search you will find many with slightly different ingredients.  I found a recipe on cooks.com and adjusted it for our family. The kale I used was from the farm that I froze earlier this summer. I would be willing to put in half a bunch of kale the next time I make this recipe.

1 lb. ground hot Italian sausage
1 large onion, diced
4 T. bacon pieces
2 t. garlic, minced
5 c. water
5 c. chicken broth
1 c. whipping cream
1 lb. russet potatoes, cubed with skin
¼ of a bunch of kale

Sauté Italian sausage in a large pot over medium heat. Drain excess fat from sausage and set aside. In the same pot, sauté the bacon, onions and garlic over medium heat until the onions are soft, about 15 min. Add the water and chicken broth to the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until soft, about 30 min. Add whipping cream and cook until thoroughly heated. Return sausage to the pot and cook until warmed through. Add kale just before serving.