It feels like I’ve been making all sorts of noodles this week. Spaghetti, chow mein, macaroni and cheese just to name a few. Tonight we needed something a little less noodle-y. This soup was delicious! Made me feel like I was eating at the Olive Garden. We had this Zuppa Toscana with biscuits on the side. Would have also loved a fresh garden salad as well, but that didn’t happen tonight. Maybe next time.
Zuppa Toscana Recipe
Ingredients:
- 4 slices bacon, cut into about 1 inch strips (optional, I usually leave this out)
- 1 lb. Italian sausage (I used a mild Jimmy Dean sausage, but if you want it spicy, you can use Spicy Italian Sausage)
- about 1 Tbsp. light olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 32 oz chicken broth
- 3 large Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- about 3 C. of chopped kale leaves (or baby spinach leaves)
- 1 C. milk (I used 2%)
- 1/3 C. heavy whipping cream
Instructions:
- Heat a soup pot to medium heat and cook the small pieces of bacon until crispy. Transfer the pieces of bacon to a paper towel-covered bowl or plate.
- Add the sausage to the pot and cook until browned and crumbled. Swirl a few paper towels in the pot to soak up the grease. Discard the paper towels and transfer the sausage to the bowl/plate with the bacon.
- Add olive oil to the soup pot on medium heat. Saute onions and garlic until onions are translucent. Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then add the chopped potatoes. Let boil about 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Stir in the kale (or spinach) and the bacon and sausage. Let cook a few minutes as you stir until the kale is all wilted.
- Turn off the heat. Add milk and heavy whipping cream. Voila!
*Inspired by THIS recipe.