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.
Cook the bacon until crispy. Remove bacon but leave the fat.
Saute the onions slowly in the fat.
They should look kinda dark and soft like this. Covering the pot for a bit will help them soften faster. Add garlic.
Add the meat to the onions and brown on high.
Keep going until there are dark spots like this. Don't just stop when it's cooked, that won't have enough flavor.
Add the broth, water, and potatoes, adjust salt, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, maybe 15 minutes (keep trying them).
Turn off the heat, add the bacon and kale.
Add the cream.
And serve!