Zuppa Toscana

I love to cook.

Last night Brent was craving Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden, but we've been trying to save money for Clara's braces. Have you seen her chin?! So, I decided to find a recipe online that could rival Olive Garden's recipe. I found this one on Pinterest and it was FANTASTIC! You must try it.

Zuppa Toscana
from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice

4 slices bacon, diced
1 lb ground hot Italian sausage
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups (32 oz) chicken stock
3 cups russet potatoes, cubed
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cups kale, in bite size pieces
1 cup heavy whipping cream
parmesan cheese, grated



In a large pot, cook the bacon until crispy. Drain the grease. Add the sausage, breaking it apart as it cooks. Once sausage is browned and crumbled, drain off grease leaving a tbsp to saute the onion.

Push the sausage and bacon to the edge of the pot and add the onion to the center; saute until translucent; add garlic; saute until fragrant.

Stir in the stock and potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Add kale and heavy whipping cream. Bring to a simmer. Top with parmesan cheese, when serving.



This soup was spicy, creamy, and delicious! Brent absolutely loved it. He said it was WAY better than Olive Garden's version. He could have been just saying that to make me feel good, but I think he actually liked it. I was in such a good mood after making it I decided to bake a cake too! There aren't any pictures of that though. Brent took it to work. I may like to cook, but I don't love the calories that come with eating a whole cake!

Speaking of, I have lots of Vanilla Sour Cream frosting left over. Does anyone want it?