Robyn Says, “Soup’s On.” It’s That Time Of Year!
It’s Soup Weather! It wasn’t supposed to be here for at least another month or two. No local Summer in sight and no hanging on the beach after the Bennies have left for the season. I always try to find the upside in a lot of situations, and in this case, it’s time to create comforting meals that include soup as either an entrée, or as an accompaniment.
Right now I’m going to focus on hearty, stick-to-your-ribs soups. I have eaten at Olive Garden at least a half a dozen times in my life. I usually like to visit locally owned businesses, but when you’re with other people who insist on Olive Garden, the majority rules.
I will say that they have those killer breadsticks and some mighty good soup. One of the only soups that stood out for me was the Zuppa Toscana. OMG!!! It’s Olive Garden’s most popular soup, loaded with Italian sausage, kale, bacon, and potatoes. Now that’s a meal!
I have made my version countless times, and if you’re a fan, then feel free to make it at home Robyn style.
By the way, I add cheese tortellini to mine. No need to add a side salad or anything else except maybe a good crusty Italian bread with butter because this is more than a meal.
ZUPPA TOSCANA – ROBYN STYLE
- 1/2 lb of bacon chopped into small pieces
- 1 lb of hot Italian sausage (remove the casing)
- A large onion diced
- 6 cloves of fresh garlic chopped fine
- 8 cups of store-bought chicken broth or stock
- 4 Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and diced large
- 10 oz bag of cut Kale ( I get mine at Trader Joe’s)
- 1 ½ Cups of heavy cream
- 9 oz pkg of cheese tortellini
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Freshly grated parmesan cheese. Add as much as you like.
In a large soup pot or Dutch Oven, cook the sausage over medium heat until it’s no longer pink. Remove sausage from the pot and set aside. Drain the sausage grease from the pot.
Cook the chopped-up bacon in the same pot until the desired doneness. Remove from the pot and set aside. Get rid of all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease.
Add the chopped onions into the pot and cook until translucent, then add the chopped garlic and cook for about 2 or 3 minutes longer.
Add the chicken broth to the onions, add the sausage and the bacon back into the pot and raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
Add the chopped potatoes and the kale and cook until tender. It should take about 20 minutes. Add the tortellini and cook until the tortellini is done about 8 minutes. Add the heavy cream and stir it into the broth. Cook on medium heat for about 6 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese.
Should make about 8 servings.
