Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup

Alright, I have had several requests for this recipe, so I'm putting it on my blog where I can point people to it quickly and easily. This tastes JUST LIKE the Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 lb Italian sausage (mild)
1/2 pound real bacon, fried and chopped up
1 large yellow onion, diced finely
1 Tbsp minced garlic
4 medium potatoes,sliced thinly. (I sliced lengthwise in half then thinly sliced each half.)
3 cans (14.5oz each) chicken broth
6 cups water
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 cups kale, chopped and rinsed well
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Brown the Italian sausage in your soup stock pot. Remove sausage and put to the side, but leave the little bit of fat in the pan. Sauté chopped onion, garlic and sliced potatoes on med-high heat in the sausage fat till the potatoes start to cook through and onions are soft and translucent.

Add bacon pieces, Italian sausage, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil and let cook 20 mins or so till potatoes are almost cooked through.

Add the cream and kale. Turn heat to med-low and let simmer for 10 minutes or until kale is at desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. (i used a good amount of freshly cracked pepper.). Serve with hot crusty bread.

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