Daily Soup

So...I've had this recipe for a LOOOONNNNGG time but have never gotten around to trying it. I'll back up...Sean and I LOVE Olive Garden. We don't care for the salad so we always get the soup. Our favorite is Zuppa Toscana (in my limited knowledge of Italian I think it means Tuscan Soup). Today we had our own Zuppa Toscana. It wasn't quite like Olive Garden's soup...but it was pretty darn close and BOY did it taste good. I've got quite a bit left...maybe I'll bring it to school for lunch for everybody. Mmmmm...mmmmm...good!



Zuppa Toscana
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 t. chopped garlic
6-8 slices of bacon (use a kitchen shears to cut into small pieces)
1/2 to 1 lb. of Italian sausage
2 qts. water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
2/3 c. heavy whipping cream
3-6 potatoes, chopped (I leave the skins on and slice into skinny disks)
2 c. kale, chopped into bite size pieces

1. In a large soup or stock pot; cook onion and bacon until onions are translucent and bacon bits are browned
2. add sausage; crumble and brown as it cooks
3. add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes
4. drain this mixture and set aside
5. in the same large soup pan add the water, cream, bouillon, and potatoes; bring to a rolling boil
6. reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes
7. add in the browned sausage mixture and kale and simmer for an additional 4-6 minutes