Zuppa Toscana
August 12, 2023
This is a copycat recipe of the excellent Zuppa Toscana
soup from Olive Garden. Serves about six.
- ⅓ lb bacon or pancetta
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 lb Italian sausage (mild) or Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage (regular)
- 2 lbs russet baking potatoes (2 large or 3 medium)
- ⅔ lb kale or swiss chard
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- toast and butter (optional)
We normally use the Jimmy Dean sausage and the kale.
- Cut bacon into ¼ inch slices crosswise.
- Fine-chop the onion.
- Mince the garlic cloves.
- Remove casing from sausage.
- Cut potatoes in half lengthwise, then in ¼ inch slices crosswise.
- Remove the stems of the kale and small-chop the leaves.
- Place a large pot (e.g. Dutch oven) on medium heat.
- Add bacon and cook until browned. Remove from pot but leave the fat.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, add onion (and some oil if necessary),
stir occasionally until tender, maybe 10 minutes. Use a lid if you
have one, it’ll speed up the softening.
- Add garlic and stir, one minute.
- Increase heat to high, add sausage, break up and cook until nicely browned.
- Add broth, water, and potatoes.
- Taste the liquid and add salt, soy sauce, or pepper until it tastes right.
- Simmer until potatoes are tender (15 to 20 minutes).
- Turn off the heat. Add cream, kale, and cooked bacon.
- Adjust salt after having added the cream.
- Optionally serve with slices of buttered toast.
![](bacon.jpg)
Cook the bacon until crispy. Remove bacon but leave the fat.
![](onions-before.jpg)
Saute the onions slowly in the fat.
![](onions-after.jpg)
They should look kinda dark and soft like this. Covering the
pot for a bit will help them soften faster. Add garlic.
![](meat-before.jpg)
Add the meat to the onions and brown on high.
![](meat-after.jpg)
Keep going until there are dark spots like this. Don't just stop
when it's cooked, that won't have enough flavor.
![](liquid.jpg)
Add the broth, water, and potatoes, adjust salt, and simmer until
the potatoes are tender, maybe 15 minutes (keep trying them).
![](bacon-kale.jpg)
Turn off the heat, add the bacon and kale.
![](cream.jpg)
Add the cream.
![](served.jpg)
And serve!
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