Zuppa Toscana {Olive Garden Inspired}

When I eat at the Olive Garden, I pretty much stuff my face with bread sticks, soup and salad.  When I discovered this Zuppa Toscana recipe I knew I had to try it.  It’s absolutely amazing! With every bite my two year old would say, “Mmmmmm, I like this.”

So I looked up online about 5 recipes and they were all pretty much the same ingredient but slightly varied. Here’s what I came up with and our family absolutely LOVES!

Update: I just started trying to eat healthy so I am sharing with you a healthier alternative for those of you who are trying to eat less carbs. I substituted the potatoes for cauliflower because from what I have read potatoes are a starchy food that produces an insulin reaction which then makes your body focus on trying to get your blood sugar level to normal levels instead of burning the fat you just ate: sausage, bacon, whole cream. So I kept the heavy cream and used cauliflower. Since the rest of my family doesn’t have to worry about this I just boiled some potatoes in another pan and sliced them into their bowls instead of cooking them inside the soup.

You can also use almond milk and thicken it up with glucomannan  powder or low-fat milk instead of the heavy cream.

Zuppa Toscana Recipe

• 1 pound sausage (your favorite)
• 6 slices of bacon cooked
• 1 tbl olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 pound potatoes diced or 2 cup of cauliflower
• 4 cps of chicken broth
• 2 cps of water
• 2 cps of chopped kale or swiss chard
• 1 cp of heavy whipping cream or almond milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• parmesan

1. Cook the sausage.

2. Use the sausage grease and add the garlic, onions and cook for approximately 3 minutes.

3. Then add the sausage, potatoes or cauliflower, bacon, broth and water. Cook for 10 minutes.

4. Add kale and simmer for another 10 minutes.

5. Then add the cream or almond milk.

Sprinkle with parmesan and add salt and pepper to taste.