Dinner Tonight - Zuppa Toscano Soup!

With all the rain and thunderstorms we've been having this week, some hot comfort food sounded really good. So I made Zuppa Toscano soup for dinner tonight.  

This is a creamy, flavorful soup that the Olive Garden restaurant made famous, and it's a family favorite.  The best part is that it's so easy to make.

You only need a few simple ingredients - sausage, bacon, kale, onion, olive oil, half and half, red potatoes and chicken broth (I didn't have any broth on hand so I used "Better than Bouillon" and water)

First cut open the sausage 

 brown it in a little olive oil

Chop the bacon (I used precooked) and add it to the pot

Chop the onion and add it to the pot

Add the broth and salt and pepper to taste

Wash and chop the kale (removing the tough stems first)

Add the kale (a super food!)

Stir it in

Add the half and half

Bring to a boil then reduce the heat.  

 Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes. 

Serve with with a little parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top.

  

Zuppa Toscana Soup Recipe

1 lb. Italian sausage 

1 1/2 extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, diced

4 slices bacon (precooked is fine), chopped

8 cups chicken broth

2 cups half and half

3 large red potatoes, thinly sliced

3 cups Kale, washed, de-stemmed and roughly chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

1. In a large pot, sauté the Italian sausage 

2. Add the bacon and onion and cook till onion is tender - about 5 minutes.

3. Add the chicken broth (or bouillon and water), sliced potatoes, chopped kale, salt, pepper and half and half. 

4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for half an hour.  Serve hot with crusty bread and a green salad along side.