Olive Garden Knock-off Zuppa Toscana Soup

it's fall season which mean it's soup season !!

Beside their bread sticks and salads and pasta one of my favorite dish at Olive Garden is their Zuppa Toscana soup and a few years back I google the recipe off line and I have been making it every since when Fall begins. 

So, “zuppa” means soup in Italian. “Toscana” refers to the Tuscany region of Italy. Therefore, “Zuppa Toscana” translates to “Tuscan soup” or “Tuscan-style soup.”

What you need

1 pound  Italian ground sausage - use mild for kid-friendly

4 tablespoons butter

½ white onion - diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

6 cups chicken broth

about 4 to 5  white potatoes - cut into 1-inch pieces

3 teaspoons salt - or to taste

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups heavy cream

4 cups chopped kale some people use spinach but I recommend kale, it make the soup better and more hearty. 

chopped bacon  and grated parmesan cheese for topping - optional

Instructions

In a large pot sauté sausage 5-6 minutes until browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer sausage to a plate and set aside. 

In the same pot, add butter and sauté onions over medium heat until translucent. Add garlic and sauté for another minute until fragrant. 

Add chicken broth, potatoes, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Boil until potatoes are tender. Stir in kale, and heavy cream. Add sausage. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Serve garnished with grated parmesan cheese if desired. 

P.S

The sausage: if you have regular ground sausage, simply add 1 or 2 pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to your liking.

 it also goes great with the following sides.

A nice salad

Garlic bread for dipping into the soup.

Drop below in the comments what are your favorite fall soup?