So the weather has been a little crazy the past few weeks. From sunshine and spring time vibes to snowstorms, it’s been hard to commit to getting excited about spring and summer. We grilled last week and we also made a warm and hearty soup on a colder day. Grocery shopping has been a nightmare… at least for me!
With that all said, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite soup recipes. Zuppa Toscana is a staple at the Olive Garden. You can find many copycat recipes on the internet. I actually firmly believe some of these copycat recipes are better than the OG… but that’s just me! Over the years, I have tried several versions and ended up merging bits and pieces to make my own variation. I like to make this in a big batch so that there are plenty of leftovers for lunches.
Ingredients
– 2 Pounds Ground Pork: You can go with pre-packaged spicy or sweet Italian ground pork to make it easier. I have found that seasoning plain ole’ pork with salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, dried basil, and a hint of red chili paper flakes actually tastes better and tends to be a bigger hit. Please note: season to taste based on your personal preference.
– 1 Medium Head Garlic (usually 10-12 cloves): Go ahead and mince this all up. If you have a press, that’s cool too.
– 1 Large Yellow Onion: Mince it up real good
– 7 Small Russet Potatoes OR 5 Large Russet Potatoes: You can totally adjust this depending on how much potato you like. We like a lot. Scrub them real good before cutting up into decent bite size pieces (not too small) that are about a 1/4 inch thick. If you go smaller, you risk the potatoes getting mushy and therefore making your Zuppa more stew like.
– 6 Cups Chicken Broth: Add more broth depending on both taste preference and how much broth you want.
– 3-4 Cups Water: Add more water depending on how much soup ya want.
– Kale: How much? I don’t like to add too too much. I would say about 4 cups, washed and chopped well. Add more as needed. Please note: I have also used Swiss chard in a pinch and it was great!
– 1.5 Cups Heavy cream: I prefer 2!
For Topping
– Bacon: How much? Ok, I tend to do a full 12 oz pack of bacon. But you can definitely do less. Most people like 4-6oz. We like the crunch it brings to the soup.
– Parmesan or Mozzarella: However much ya like.
– Black Pepper: To taste!
Sides
Serve with your favorite salad and a good loaf of crunchy bread
Recipe
I like to bake my bacon. So stick your bacon on a parchment lined sheet and in to a preheated oven set to 400 degrees F. Bake for 20 minutes. Depending on your oven, you may need more or less time, so keep an eye on it. Take it out and transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Let it cool and chop it up into bits!
Pour some of the bacon grease into your soup pot (I use 6 quart or bigger). Throw in your ground pork of choice and cook until it is nicely done. I find this takes about 10ish minutes on medium heat. This is where you would also spice your meat if you are doing plain ground pork. Once that has cooked, scoop it out with a slotted spoon of sorts and set it aside for a bit.
Using the same pot, throw your onion into the yummy grease and sauté for about 3-5 minutes (times vary depending on your stove/pot). When they are nice and translucent, add your garlic and cook for about 90 seconds. Again, if your stove is pipping hot, it may be done sooner. I measure the done-ness of garlic by the look and smell. Chef Tip: DO NOT ADD YOUR GARLIC IN AT THE SAME TIME AS THE ONION. IT WILL BURN.
Once your garlic and onion are nicely cooked, add in your broth and water. Turn your stove up to medium high and bring it to a boil. After the water starts boiling, SLOWLY add your potato in. All of that potato is going to take a few minutes to re-boil. Let it boil again and turn your heat down to medium to let your potatoes soften up. Here is where this can get tricky. You gotta keep an eye out on your potatoes. Test the potato softness every 8 minutes. By 16-20 minutes they should be done- but again, keep an eye on it.
After the potatoes have hit that perfect spot, throw in your sausage and let it cook for 2 minutes. The kale comes next. Let all that goodness come to a boil.
That boil then means you can throw in your heavy cream. Let it softly boil real quick. Adjust your seasonings as needed.
Finally, serve and top with the bacon and cheese. Sit your booty down and enjoy with a side salad and yummy loaf of bread. Bon Appetite!
The Salty Exchange 