Rainy day Zoup?

Since it’s still raining and I don’t want to do things that I really should be doing (vacuuming and dusting would be two of those things) I’m going to do some cooking…and on a day like this I love me some soup! Not just any old soup, I’m pulling out the big guns for this! Zuppa Toscana...oh, great Olive-y Gardens of the world how I love the Zuppa.

We started making this copycat version a couple of years ago…actually my son who is a pretty good chef (if I say so myself) was having a craving for …you guessed it, kale. Kale? Really? Anyway, he wanted a kale recipe and there it was, right on the Google search…Zuppa Toscana.

Granted this can be a little time consuming but well worth it. You can use one large soup pan for the whole thing.

Zuppa Toscana Soup
1 lb. Italian sausage
1/2 lb. smoked bacon, sliced in 1/4” pieces
2 quarts Chicken broth
2-3 lg. russet potatoes - scrubbed clean, sliced with peel on (about 1/8” thick)
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
1 med. Onion, chopped
2 cups chopped kale, chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste

In a pan over medium-high heat, brown sausage, breaking into small pieces as you fry it; drain and set aside. In the same pan over medium-high heat, brown bacon; drain, then add onion and garlic and cook until clear. Add broth, sliced potatoes, sausage and bacon and simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Add kale and cream and season with salt and pepper.