Creamy Potato Soup with Kale & Sausage
Creamy Potato Soup with Sausage and Kale also known as Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden
Yes, it's "Zuppa Toscana"
Let's clarify one thing: Zuppa Toscana is a broad term that translates to Tuscan Soup. A more traditional Tuscan soup might include cannellini beans, potatoes, celery, carrots, onion, tomato pulp, extra virgin olive oil, salt, powdered chili, and definitely some Tuscan bread. However, the Zuppa Toscana we're discussing here is a homestyle version of a soup from a certain restaurant chain that shall not be named.
I’m talking about Olive Garden
Oops. I named the chain. I just wanted to ensure we were all on the same page because never did I think I'd be writing about the suburban home of carbs. Truth is, before being exposed to this soup, I had only been to Olive Garden once in New Jersey while driving back to Manhattan from the Poconos. I didn't think much of it until that fateful day in 2017 when I found myself living in Southwest Virginia and dining at the eatery once again. This time, however, I opted for the bottomless soup instead of the salad, and that's when I had this potato soup for the first time.
Enjoy at home.
Now, you can enjoy it at home. Zuppa Toscana is delicious, and while I want to savor it often, I don't necessarily want to visit the Garden all the time. So, I made it my mission to recreate this soup at home. After trying multiple recipes, I recently realized that I had essentially developed my own method of making this soup.
Home Finds
Creamy Potato Soup with Kale & Sausage
Ingredients:
- 1 lb spicy Italian sausage
- 8 oz bacon, roughly diced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 oz parsley
- 2 tbsp flour
- 32 oz chicken stock
- 6 medium golden potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch half moons
- 16 oz kale, roughly chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 oz shaved parmesan cheese
- salt
- pepper
Instructions:
- In a large heavy-bottom pot, add a drizzle of oil and Italian sausage then turn heat to medium-high. Break apart the sausage as it browns and continue to cook until it gets crispy. Then remove the sausage into a bowl to set aside, keeping the residual grease in the pot.
- Fry the diced bacon in the remaining sausage grease until crisp, then remove to the bowl with the sausage.
- Turn your heat down to medium.
- Add diced onion to the pot and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and chopped parsley to the pot and cook for one minute.
- Sprinkle flour over onion, garlic, and parsley in the pot, then stir to combine. Pour in chicken stock, stirring as you pour. Add potatoes and bring to a boil.
- Boil potatoes until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Add cooked sausage, bacon, and kale.
- Slowly and gradually pour in heavy cream while stirring. Cook 5-10 minutes until kale is wilted.
- Taste and season with salt, pepper if needed.
- Plate your soup and top with shaved parmesan cheese.