Have you ever been to the Olive Garden and had their famous potato soup, Zuppa Toscana? Last year, my girls, mom, and I had lunch there, and we loved this soup. I was thrilled when I found this recipe online, and really thrilled that it tastes exactly like the Olive Garden specialty. Now I regularly make a big pot of it so that my whole family can devour enjoy it.
With sausage, bacon, and kale, what’s not to love about this soup? I also really appreciate that the potatoes don’t need to be pealed, just scrubbed and chopped up. Another fantastic thing is that you can make this as spicy or as mild as you’d like (buy hot Italian sausage or regular, omit red pepper flakes or use a lot of them). And did I mention that it takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish! Perfect!
Hearty and creamy, simple and rustic: we love this soup! Try it: I think you’ll like it, too!
- 6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled (see note)
- 1 lb Italian sausage (hot or mild)
- 5 medium russet potatoes, washed and cubed
- 2 C kale, chopped
- 1 C heavy whipping cream
- 1 qt water
- 32 ounces (4 C) chicken broth
- ½ large onion, finely chopped (or 1 T minced onion)
- 4 medium cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 t red pepper flakes (reduce if you don't like spicy)
- salt and pepper
- grated Parmesan for sprinkling
- In a pan over medium high heat, cook sausage until it's heated thoroughly, and there's no pink. Drain very well on a paper towel (or else you'll have grease floating in your soup.) Set aside.
- In your soup pot over medium heat, cook the potatoes, onion, garlic, chicken broth, and water until potatoes are cooked through.
- Add in cooked sausage, half the bacon, red pepper flakes, and salt & pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Add in kale and cream. Let soup heat through and serve with the other half of the bacon and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
To make this even more like an Olive Garden experience, serve it with this Italian Salad and these Cheesy Breadsticks. Ok, I realize that the Olive Garden’s bread sticks aren’t cheesy, but in my opinion these are even better. 🙂
