Zuppa Toscana

My family didn't eat out much when I was in high school. There were young siblings that made eating out not only expensive when you add up the cost of paying for an entire family of eight, but also, it was just a lot of work to keep the little ones entertained in a setting that requires a lot of sitting still.

I remember I would hear people rave about this amazing restaurant called Olive Garden. From what I had heard, it was fancy, it was expensive, and it was hands-down delicious. I could only dream about how good their food must taste. It sounded like a place only reserved for the specialest of occasions, such as an engagement or a wedding anniversary. I imagined a fancy restaurant filled with round tables covered in silky white tablecloths, fancy wine glasses, men dressed in tuxedos and women dressed in beautiful sparkling spaghetti-strap dresses. I believed it to be as fancy as the kind of places you see people eating at in a romantic movie.

The first time (that I can remember) that I finally got to go to this amazing, fancy restaurant, it was everything I imagined it to be. I believe I was 19 years old. One of my favorite foods ever was fettucine alfredo, so of course, I immediately scanned the whole menu, looking for a fancy fettucine alfredo dish. I found one that came with shrimp, and oh my goodness, it was the best fettucine alfredo I had ever had in my life. The homemade alfredo I knew of came out of either a jar or a packet, so you can imagine what an elevated experience this was for me. I have an amazing roasted broccoli shrimp and alfredo recipe that I can't wait to share in another post, but this one is about the Zuppa Toscana, so enough talk about the alfredo.

A sneak peek of my tasty Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli Fettucine Alfredo recipe. I will post this recipe in a future post so stay tuned!

The Olive Garden became one of my favorite places to go to in college. There was one about a half hour from my college apartment, so I went it to every once in a while. I remember the first time I tried out the Zuppa Toscana. I had no idea how to pronounce the name of it, and to be honest, I am still a little unsure if I am saying it correctly. We actually just call this meal "Olive Garden Soup" at my house! Anyway, I remember sitting and sipping on this stuff, and I would just stare at the broth as I ate it, trying to figure out what it was made of. I had almost zero experience (scratch the "almost," I think I literally had ZERO experience) of making a soup from scratch. Soup as I knew it came out of either a packet or a can. So this Zuppa Toscana broth was a mystery to me on how it was so... starchy? and milky? and just so so so good! From that day on, I always ordered the Zuppa Toscana. In fact, I sometimes would go to Olive Garden JUST to fill a Zuppa Toscana craving.

Speaking of Zuppa Toscana cravings, let's talk about when I was pregnant with my first son in 2015. My husband and I hadn't completed college at this time. We could NOT afford for me to keep satisfying my Zuppa Toscana cravings while we had a baby on the way! But anyone who has been through a pregnancy (or been close around someone with a pregnancy) knows just how powerful a pregnancy craving can be. All rational thought just goes out the window as I swear my body is literally telling me, "Hey! The wellbeing and health of this baby is going to be jeopardized if. you. do. not. get. that. Zuppa. Toscana. Because there is a secret nutrient that is absolutely essential to the next step of this baby's development!" Or that's at least how I felt about it.

One day, I decided to see if there was any chance of me finding a way to make a Zuppa Toscana at home. I searched online and was surprised to find several recipes right away! I read through a few just to see how complicated it was, and realized that it actually didn't seem that bad! I felt like I could do it, so off to the store I went to buy the ingredients. I followed the recipe step-by-step, taking it reallllly slow because I didn't know what I was doing and I was craving this soup sooo badly that I just really wanted it to turn out good! When I finished making it and had my first little bowl, I was just soooo happy at how it came out! It was even better than going to the restaraunt because I added EXTRA bacon! :D

Although I have kind of "kept" this recipe to make over and over, I have also changed it up over the years. I have been making this soup for seven years now and even my husband, who claims to not be a soup person, loves this meal. Everytime I make this, he tells me, in between sips, that this is one of his favorite meals that I make.

After seven years of tweaking and adjusting to get this absolutely perfect, here is my recipe! I know you will love how cozy, comforting, and savory and delicious this soup is! And with all the bacon, sausage, and potatoes, it is a very filling meal (the good kind of filling, not the gross-feeling one)! Enjoy!!!

Zuppa Toscana

Cook time: 40 min. Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb Italian sausage (I like to use spicy, but mild also works)

• 8 slices cooked bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

• 2 large russet potatoes, diced into half slices about 1/4" thick

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1/2 white onion, diced

• 2 cups chicken broth

• 4 cups water

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

• 2 cups fresh kale, chopped

• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Brown the sausage in a large pot, then drain the grease and rinse the sausage. Rinsing the sausage prevents the soup from having a layer of orange grease on top when it's done. Don't rinse too much though, or you will lose some of that yummy sausage flavor!

2. Add chicken broth and water to the pot with the sausage. Add the garlic, onion, and potatoes. Bring to a boil then reduce to medium-low heat for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft enough for a fork to go through the center.

3. Gradually add salt and pepper until desired taste. Add bacon and simmer for another 10 minutes.

4. Turn heat to low and stir in heavy cream. Add kale and stir for a couple minutes until kale begin to soften. Serve with warm breadsticks if desired. Enjoy!