Zuppa Toscana (the copycat version)

Chain restaurants are pretty much unavoidable for the busy person these days.  I love to cook (hope that's obvious by now!), but on busy nights, I've been known to stray and hit one of the chains for dinner.  I tend to have a particular dish that I order at each place...one thing that I've decided is worthy of my tummy.  At the well known chain Olive Garden, I usually get the seafood portofino.  Tasty treat and full of shellfish!  Perhaps I'll find the recipe for that at some point.  However, I want to focus on what I always have for starters at Olive Garden: their delectable Zuppa Toscana soup!

This soup has become a favorite at our house ever since I discovered a "copycat" recipe for it.  Jess calls it Zuppo Toscano...it's adorable.  :)  The mere mention of this soup causes instant salivation and cries of "yaaaaay" from the kiddos.  And now, I shall share it with all of you, ya lucky ducks!

A side note...when I share a recipe with you, if you've never made it before, don't go all crazy with your substitutions.  I gave this exact recipe to two lovely gals at work.  One of them (let's call her Ashley) promptly went home, substituted half the ingredients, and ended up with a totally different, gloopy, thick soup that, while ok, was NOT Zuppa Toscana...at all.  The 2nd gal (we'll call her Natasha) went home, substituted half the ingredients, and ended up with something that was completely unedible.  She had to throw the whole thing away!  When she realized what she had done, she coined the phrase "keep it real, cooker!"  I laughed, but she's right.  Look people...if you don't know what you're doing:

Bon Qui Qui says it best!

And now...soup's on!

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. Italian sausage

1 large onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup white wine to deglaze the pan
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
2 russett potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
2 cups fresh kale, torn or chopped
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper

Place a large pot on the stove over medium heat. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook until well browned. Remove the cooked sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside. Add the chopped onion to the pan and sauté until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for a minute more, just until fragrant. Add the wine to the pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Add the potatoes, kale, and chicken broth 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. Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and cooked through. Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Soooooo good!

Try it.  You'll like it.

-Sam