Better Than Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground mild italian sausage
• 4 -6 russet potatoes, thinly sliced or peeled and diced
• 1 -1 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tablespoons real bacon pieces
• 10 cups water, divided
• 7 teaspoons better than bouillon chicken base
• 1/3 bunch fresh kale, stemmed and torn
• 1 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper
• shredded pecorino romano cheese (optional) or parmesan cheese (optional)

Recipe

• 1 in a large pot on medium-high heat add the ground sausage and crushed red pepper flakes. using a spatula, break up the sausage until it's cooked through. pour sausage into a large bowl and set aside.
• 2 in the same pot add the olive oil, chopped onion, and bacon pieces until the onions become translucent. add garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
• 3 add 2 cups of water to the pot and stir well. add the chicken concentrate and stir to combine. then add the remaining 8 cups of water.
• 4 add potatoes and cook until fork tender. add a little salt to the broth if necessary to make sure the potatoes will absorb for maximum flavor.
• 5 after potatoes are done, add the cooked sausage back into the soup. skim off most of the fat from the sausage that floats onto the surface.
• 6 add the fresh kale and stir in to allow the leaves to soften slightly.
• 7 add the heavy cream and stir.
• 8 salt and pepper to taste.
• 9 garnish each serving with shredded parmesan or pecorino romano cheese, if desired.