Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

Makes 4-6 servings

1 lb Italian sausage
2 large russet baking potatoes, peeled, sliced in half,and then in 1/4 inch slices*
1 large onion, diced
1/2 can bacon bits
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pkg frozen chopped spinach, rinsed and squeezed of excess liquid (or 2 c. kale or swiss chard, chopped)
3 cups chicken stock
1 to 2 cups water
1 cup heavy whipping cream

1. Cook sausage in a 300°F oven for approximately 30 minutes. Alternatively, cook in a skillet. Drain sausages on paper towels and cut into slices.

3. Place onions, potatoes, chicken broth, water, garlic in pot, and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done. Add sausage. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 10 minutes. When potatoes are tender, mash some of the slices with a fork to thicken soup slightly.

4. Turn to low heat. Add spinach and cream. Heat through. Sprinkle with bacon and serve.

*You can use up leftover baked potatoes by peeling potatoes cold, cutting them into slices and adding at the end of the recipe and heating through. Set aside one cold potato and mash with a fork to add to the soup when specified in the recipe.

I made some minor changes to the original recipe, which can be found here.

Notes: OK to leave skin on sausage.  I used kale, and thought it was supposed to be 4 cups.  Too much.  Did this in crock pot, adding potatoes and kale last 20 minutes then whipping cream very end.  Actually used half and half, and probably better with cream.  I think the kale also needed more than 20 minutes.

Tried 2/10/12