Zuppa Toscana

My mom and I are slightly obsessed with the Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana, so when I saw a copy cat recipe on pinterest I knew I had to try it while she was in town. The recipe is really easy and the soup tastes a lot like the real thing!

 

 

Zuppa Toscana

Make about 10 servings

Ingredients

1 lb. Italian sausage
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup white wine
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
2 russett potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
2 cups fresh kale, torn into bite size pieces
3 cups chicken broth
2.5 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook until well browned (you might want to attempt to make the chunks of sausage a little large, mine were tiny and while it was still yummy, I think larger bites of meat would have improved the soup). Remove the cooked sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside. Add the onion to the pan and sauté until tender, about 7 minutes.

2. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for one minute. Add the wine to the pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Add the potatoes, kale, chicken broth and water to the pot. Return the sausage to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer on medium-low. Here is where the recipe I found said to cook for twenty minutes and serve but I think that would be a mistake. At this point I transfered the soup to my slow cooker and allowed it to cook on low for a few hours.

3. When ready to eat, stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

 

Things I learned from this recipe:

- The soup taste even better heheated the next day.

- Do not be tempted to put more heavy cream. It makes it a little too strong.

- I added extra kale because I love it. It didn't change the taste of the soup.