Crock Pot Zuppa Toscana

Out here on the rainy Oregon Coast, we are smack dab in the middle of soup season! I've been making a lot of my favorites (Chicken and Dumplings, Taco Soup, Cheeseburger Soup, Chicken Tortilla Soup, etc.), but I've also been trying out new recipes that have caught my eye on the Internet. Last month I stumbled upon a new blog (Homemade Hooplah), which was featuring this yummy recipe. We aren't huge fans of Olive Garden, but we love their soup, so I decided to give Chrisy's recipe a try. Winner, winner! We're definitely going to have this soup a lot this winter!

Homemade Hooplah's

Crock Pot Zuppa Toscana 

(an Olive Garden copycat recipe)
Photo Credit: Homemade Hooplah

Ingredients

1 lb. ground Italian sausage

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 onion, chopped

4 russet potatoes, diced

Salt & pepper to taste

4 cups chicken broth

Up to 2 cups of water

1 bunch of kale, bite-size pieces (stems removed)

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Brown the sausage in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until cooked through (approx. 10 minutes). Add the onion and garlic, cooking until the onion begins to soften. Drain fat from pan.

Place the cooked sausage mixture in a 6-quart crock pot. Add the diced potatoes and season with salt & pepper. Add the chicken broth and up to 2 cups of water so that the potatoes are completely submerged. Stir and cover.

Cook on Low for 5-6 hours (or High for 3-4 hours).

After desired time has elapsed, remove lid and add kale and heavy whipping cream. Stir until well combined.

Cover and cook on High for an additional 30 minutes.

Garnish with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and serve while hot.

Yield: 8

My Notes:

The original recipe calls for hot Italian sausage. I prefer to use Sweet Italian.

I've seen other copycat recipes that use sliced potatoes rather than diced. I may try that next time, since the diced pieces have a tendency to overcook.

If you don't have kale, spinach is a great substitute.

Please visit Beth Fish Reads for Weekend Cooking.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend.