My daughter, Megan, told me this was a great recipe.  As mentioned in my Roasted Fennel post of last Friday, we garnished the soup with bits of the fennel and loved it. From now on, it will be a traditional side served with the soup, and a slice of hearty Italian bread.

The original recipe called for heavy cream, but we liked the soup without the cream and without the extra fat. Next time I would add chopped carrots and celery.

ZUPPA TOSCANA…COPYCAT OF OLIVE GARDEN RECIPE

1 lb. Italian sausage
2 large russet baking potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup bacon, chopped (optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups kale or 2 cups swiss chard, chopped
2 (8 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 quart water
1 cup heavy whipping cream (I omitted)

• Chop or slice uncooked sausage into small pieces.
• Brown sausage in your soup pot.
• Add chicken broth and water to pot and stir.
• Place onions, potatoes, and garlic in the pot.
• Cook on medium heat until potatoes are done.
• Add bacon.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Simmer for another 10 minutes.
• Turn to low heat.
• Add cream (optional) and heat.
• Tear pieces of kale into bowl and pour steaming soup over the top.

Recipe slightly adapted from Food.com