Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden-ish)

Many moons ago I worked at the Olive Garden. Without fail, this was the number one requested soup for good reason! I didn't get this recipe from the restaurant (trade secrets and all), but from our perspective, it's pretty close.

What you need:
1 lb. bulk Italian sausage, browned and drained
2 cans chicken broth
1 cup water
1 garlic clove, minced
3 large russet potatoes, sliced (I left the skins on)
1/4 cup onion, finely diced (we didn't have any so I just used onion powder)
1 cup heavy cream
1 bunch (to make 3-4 cups) fresh kale, coarsely chopped
fresh grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

What you do:
1. Place sausage, chicken broth, water, garlic, potatoes, and onion in crock pot.

2. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours, until potatoes are cooked and soft.

3. Add cream and kale just before serving.

4. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve with bread of your choice.


I should add that the seasonings in the Italian sausage and PLENTY of flavor. This is coming from Todd who adds salt and pepper to everything, and he didn't at all! So make sure you taste the end result before adding anything else! This easily makes enough to feed 8 people or 2 plus lots of yummy leftovers. Enjoy!!

So good!!