joyfullydwell

I love Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana, but we try to limit ourselves to eating out only once a week, if that. So, in an attempt to save money, and have a better knowledge of what ingredients we are consuming, we make an effort to eat at home as a family almost every night of the week. No pressure! LOL!!! There are some dishes that you just crave, tho so I’ve tried my hand at making the homemade “copycat” versions. Some are successful, some, not so much. Hey, but at least I can say I tried, right? Thankfully, this was a recipe that turned out successful, and is requested quite often in my house. I’ve also passed on the recipe to family and friends who’ve had it at my house and gave me the compliment of saying it not only tasted like the restaurant’s version, but better! Hooray!

(Sometimes I opt for Swiss Chard when my kale has stopped growing in the garden)

To make:

In a large pot drizzled with olive oil, brown 1 lb. sweet Italian pork sausage (depending on your preference you can also use hot). If you don’t have Italian sausage, you can also just use ground pork and add Italian seasoning later. To the pot, add 1/2 chopped red onion. Let sausage brown. Finely chop 3 cloves of garlic and add to the pot. Pour in 32 oz. (one carton) low sodium chicken broth. Cut 3 large red potatoes (skin on) or a handful of golden potatoes and add. Sprinkle in 2 tbs. red chili pepper flakes and 2-3 tbs. Italian seasoning (unless using pre-seasoned sausage). Let boil until the potatoes are slightly soft, approximately 10 minutes. Add 4 stalks of kale nicely chopped. Add in fresh or dehydrated herbs: oregano, rosemary and parsley – about a handful of each (or however the Good Lord leads). Finally, pour in one pint heavy whipping cream or 1 cup of milk if you don’t have whipping cream on hand. Season with a few dashes of salt and serve!

Update: we’ve made a Keto / dairy free version replacing the potatoes with chopped cauliflower and the heavy whipping cream with 1 – 13 oz. can of full fat coconut milk. It’s delicious!