Winter has been hanging on tooth and nail this week so thought I would share one of my favorite soup recipes.
Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden.
Have you ever ordered it? Creamy with potatoes, Italian sausage, kale and a bit of spice but not heavy. Perfect for a chilly early spring day.
Here is what you will need...
Steps:
Brown and crumble sausage; drain.
While sausage is browning:
Chop onion
Mince 1-2 cloves of garlic
peel and slice potatoes (1/4 in slice); If you have new potatoes leave the peel on
Wash kale; strip leaves from stem and chop
Saute onion in a bit of olive oil or butter until tender; add garlic
add sausage
add two cans of chicken stock
add water to suit
add salt to taste
optional: add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes or to taste. If you use a spicy sausage, omit the flakes.
add potatoes and bring to a boil then lower to simmer
cook until tender-- 7-10 minutes. keep checking. you don't want the potatoes to fall apart. sliced potatoes cook fast.
add the kale
add 2 cups of cream more or less-- more is better!
Top with parmesan cheese and/or fresh crispy fried bacon pieces!
Yum! Now that is larapin!
If you are familiar with zuppa toscana at Olive Garden, you might wonder why mine has lots more kale than theirs. Olive Garden is so stingy with the kale. I love kale so load mine up. That is what is great about making it at home-- you can make it to suit your taste.
Mine is vastly superior to Olive Garden's and yours will be too!
Enjoy!
If you have any questions, just ask.
About the sausage
Back in the 30s, a community of Italian immigrants settled in SE Oklahoma to work the coal mines.
Families opened businesses, bakeries and restaurants. Some brewed choc beer.
The Lovera family opened Lovera's Market and became famous for making cheeses and sausages. The family still operates out of the original store. It is a blast from the past!
Oh My God I love You! I have been looking for this recipe as it is my Favorite Soup! I was just at the Olive Garden a week ago for my husband's birthday and said "I have to get this recipe". I can not wait to make it. You are the Best!
ReplyDeleteI love this! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
ReplyDeleteI am a new visitor and follower via I love my online Friends.
I hope your week is getting off to a smooth start.
Yay! Welcome fellow zuppa toscana lovers!!
ReplyDeleteSerendipity: Let me know how it turns out. I just started making it this winter-- can't believe I waited so long. Remember you can adjust it all to suit your taste. You can even put the crispy bacon in the pot like OG does-- I like my bacon to stay crispy so I don't.
Doreen: Welcome! Thanks, yes, it is a good week. Spring Break so busy with family stuff-- not much blogging going on.
Sounds delish!
ReplyDelete