Sausage, Potato and Kale Soup aka Zuppa Toscana – Creamy soup made with sausage, potato and hearty kale. This Olive Garden Copycat recipe is a delicious with a hint of spice and a family favorite.
Soup. Love. I am a changed woman. 10 years ago you could have offered me soup or salad and it would have been salad every time. Now. It’s soup. Don’t get me wrong I still love salad but I really have to make a hard decision.
Decisions. They’re never easy. Move or Stay? Movie or dinner? Vacation or stay-cation? Soup or salad should be an easy one. But I like to make my life complicated. Not on purpose. But I do.
I can’t decide what I want for lunch. I can’t decide how to spend my time. Which park to go to. But one thing I do know is that I love to eat. So whether or not I eat is not the question. The question is what to eat.
Thanks to all the fabulous bloggers out there like Chris, Consuelo, Natalie, Allie, and Krista my world has just gotten so much more difficult. Just kidding. You ‘guys’ rock! My world has been turned upside down by blogging and sharing side by side with all of you.
This recipe comes to you with loud and long applause from my husband. Remember, he’s my soup guy. He loves soup which is cool. So it has challenged me to never stop trying. There will always be some new soup recipe to try as long as I live. For this one in particular he messaged me. I’ll quote it for you.
“I think that soup might have been better than Olive Garden. Thanks.” I’m impressed not because I can’t cook well. But because he liked it as much as theirs or better. I’m a happy woman. He totally lit me up with those words.
Now you may try it and not feel the same way. But just remember, it’s an opinion, and his is the only one that counts right now. Just kidding! I’d love to know what you think too. Give it a whirl and let me know.
- Just as good.
- Not as good.
- Better.
I promise I won’t cry if you say it’s no where near as good. Promise. I’ll still love you just the same. But I want to know.
Love and blessings,
Melanie
Sausage, Potato and Kale Soup aka Zuppa Toscana
Ingredients
- 4-5 medium russet potatoes
- 1 1/2 lbs sweet Italian sausage
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 bunch of kale stems removed, torn into pieces
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups half and half
- 2 cups whole milk
- fresh shredded Parmesan or Romano
Instructions
- Slice potatoes using a mandoline slicer or slicing blade in the food processor. Boil in water until tender. Set aside.
- In a large skillet cook and crumble sausage until almost thoroughly cooked. Lower the heat. Add onion. Cook until translucent and tender about 3-5 minutes. Season with oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile bring chicken broth, half and half and milk to low simmer. Add sausage/onion mixture. Add kale in batches until wilted. Cook for several minutes until cooked down.
- Add potatoes. Heat through and serve warm with fresh shredded Parmesan or Romano.
Recipe is by Gather for Bread.
I browsed lots of recipes to come up with my own creation. Enjoy!
Linked to: Pin Junkie
YUM! I haven’t tasted it yet – but sausage, potato and kale with pepper flakes = YUM! Though I would have to sub the milk for lactose free options, this sounds so good – thanks for sharing it Melanie! Hope you have a wonderful weekend
Lactose free. Hmm… Let us know what you come up with. Having that in the comments would be great for those who need to swap. Have a great weekend Sashi!
I cannot get over how BEAUTIFUL these pictures are! And I’m such a fan of kale in soup. Have a good weekend friend!
Aww. Thanks for the sweet compliment Natalie!
I LOVE this soup. And I really like this post, it made me laugh 🙂
Thanks Karen. Glad you stopped by. 🙂
When the husband says something is better than his favorite at a restaurant, you KNOW it’s good! Love how hearty this looks and love the addition of Kale.
Thanks Nicole! It’s a keeper for sure. 🙂
This sounds great, ideal for January too.
Thanks Caroline!
This is a great looking soup! Love the combo of sausage, kale, and potato. Looks so hearty and warming… perfect for these crazy cold days we are having around these parts! And thanks so much for the shoutout… totally made my day!
Thanks Chris! Yes, crazy cold it has been. Thank goodness for good stuff to warm us up! 🙂
This looks and sounds so delicious! Tuscan soups are some of my most favourites, so I must give your recipe a go! Lovely photos too 🙂
Thanks Jess! Glad you stopped by.
I’ve never been to Olive Garden, but I bet that your version tastes much better! At least it looks scrumptious to me ; )
I’m so sorry that you’ve never been to Olive Garden my sweet friend! It’s superb in my best opinion. 🙂
This is one of my favorite soup varieties! Yours look amazing!
Thanks Pamela! Glad you stopped by. 😉
I’m usually a salad gal but ALWAYS get the Zuppa Toscana if we go to Olive Garden! I have to say though, this looks better 🙂
Thanks Taylor! What a sweet compliment. 🙂
Mine is very similar. We like a lot of spice so I use hot sausage. I also use 4-5 cloves of garlic because we love it that much! I also use red potatoes because russets tend to become mealy when cooked in any liquid, so reds reheat better. I imagine the “new” golds would hold up too. I need to pull mine up but I think you use a lot more cream/milk than I do. I’m gonna try it your way today and see if we like it. This soup gets even better the next day!
We are soup freaks too! I make 9 quarts every Sunday and Thursday! I usually throw stuff in a pot if it sounds good. This makes my man CRAZY because I often cannot replicate a batch exactly. I don’t need a recipe and the man does. Ha!
Glad to find a fellow soup freak. I don’t like all the extra calories the cream has but the hubby does and I love to make him happy. In addition I don’t make it a lot so a few extra calories won’t hurt. I’m sure any potatoes would do just as long as you don’t overcook them. Thanks for stopping by and for all te tips Tracee!