Zuppa Toscana - Olive Garden Copycat Recipe

Unlimited soup and breadsticks? I wish it was that easy... I was on a mission to make this soup for quite some time now... but I never got myself to buy Italian sausage. I finally bought some for the first time on Tuesday, and also had a nice bunch of kale. My sister gave me a whole tupperware of her boiled bacon from her ramen recipe... and I used that. It still added that smokey flavor! This soup was so good! It was the right amount of meat, veggies, and creaminess. I would love to make this often if it wasn't so fatty. I had some modifications for this recipe... I used half and half with about 1/2 tbsp cornstarch mixed in it. I also didn't dab off all the fat.. hence.. my orange-y soup. I don't mine.I think it looks pretty :) I used kale because people said the restaurant recipe had kale instead of spinach... and I LOVE KALE... more coming up in another post.

Zuppa Toscana - 

Adapted from : http://allrecipes.com/recipe/super-delicious-zuppa-toscana/

Makes 3-4 servings 

1/4 pound italian sausage (I used spicy!) 

1 slab of thick cut bacon sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 onion sliced 

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3/4 pounds of potatoes, chopped 

1/4-1/2 cup dry white wine to deglaze the pot 

2.5-3 cups chicken broth 

1/2 cup half and half with 1/2 tbsp of cornstarch mixed in 

1/4 bunch of curly kale ( or any type) ... chopped 

Parmesan Cheese to garnish 

1. In a large dutch oven, crumble the italian sausage into the pot, cook over medium for 10 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove and drain. 

2. Cook the bacon and onions in the same pot, add in onions, garlic, and potatoes, stir frequently to prevent from sticking to the bottom. After 7 minutes, deglaze pan with wine, scrape up all the brown bits, and add in the chicken broth, let simmer for 20 minutes. 

3. Add in the italian sausage again, and bring back to a gentle boil, add the half and half mixture, and stir, simmer for a few minutes. 

4. Add in kale, and simmer until kale is starting to wilt ( a few minutes only!) Serve immediately, garnish with cheese if you'd like.