Zuppa Toscana

We don't have an Olive Garden here in Anaconda or even anywhere near us so I do miss having this wonderful soup.  It is actually the only thing I eat when I go there.  I am sure they have other good food, I just can't get past this mouth watering soup!  Maybe someday I will try something else on their menu.  My husband is not a soup man, you may have seen me write that before but I think if he tried this soup, he would like it.  I don't think a conversion would happen towards soup, I just think he wouldn't grumble if he knew I was making it!

I have never been one to buy kale, but I did and am so glad for it.  I have been eating about 75-80% raw foods and bought it to put in my salads to try something different.  Can't really taste it in my salads cause I load it down with a bunch of veggies, spinach, tomato, smoked sun dried tomato, sunflower seeds, cucumber, mushrooms, carrots, pumpkin seeds, cilantro, and I am probably missing about 5 or 6 other veggies...but I definitely taste it in this tantalizing soup.  It was so hard not to go back and get a second bowl...

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb Italian sausage
1 onion, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2  cups kale, chopped
6  cups water
3 teaspoons better than bullion, vegetable flavor
1 cup heavy cream

1. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat and add the sausage, using a wooden spoon to break the meat into small chunks. Cook the sausage until it’s nice a brown on all sides.  Once browned, remove the sausage from the pot using a slotted spoon and set aside.

2.  With the pot still over medium heat, add the onion and saute until translucent, about five minutes. Add the garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper to the pan and cook for a minute more, just until fragrant. Stir in half a cup of water and make sure to scrape up all the brown bits for extra flavor.

3.  Return the sausage to the pot and add the potatoes, kale, water, and better than bullion flavoring. Increase the heat to medium-high to bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Finally, stir in the heavy cream and season with more salt and pepper to taste. Grab a BIG bowl and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from  The Martin Blog