Zuppa Toscana

I've never been a huge fan of Olive Garden, but there is one item on their menu that brings me back time and time again: Zuppa Toscana. (Well, to be honest, I don't think I've gone since Josh worked there in college, maybe?) The name translates to Tuscan Soup. Tuscany is a region in Italy that has incredible food and wine. Even better than Lazio, where I studied abroad in Italy.

But I digress. The soup is delish. And the recipe can feed an army, but I guess that makes it more authentic, right? The full "all-you-can-eat" soup, salad and breadsticks Olive Garden experience. I ate all I could eat last night and then again for lunch. And to be honest, probably again for dinner tonight. Yum, life is good.

Zuppa Toscana

Ingredients

1 lb. Turkey sausage (or regular if you want the authentic Olive Garden version)

1 large onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup white wine to deglaze the pan

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

2 russett potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks

2 cups fresh kale, chopped (We used more because I didn't know when I'd actually cook the rest of it and I hate letting things go bad!)

3 cups chicken broth

2.5 cups water

1 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper

Directions

Place a large stockpot or Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook until well browned. Remove the cooked sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside. Add the chopped onion to the pan and sauté until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for a minute more, just until fragrant. Add the wine to the pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Add the potatoes, kale, chicken broth and water to the pot. Return the sausage to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer on medium-low. Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and cooked through. Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

recipe from Annie's Eats