Tuscan Soup a La Olive Garden

Submitted by Koechin Chef

"If you have enjoyed the "ZUPPA TOSCANA" at the Olive Garden, then you will love this Copy Cat recipe. If you have not had it, then you need to try it. :-)"

 

• Ready In: 45mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 2 cups spicy sausage (Jimmy Dean)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tablespoons chicken base
• 2 quarts water
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cups coarsely chopped potatoes
• 6 cups chopped fresh kale
• 5 ounces evaporated milk
• parmesan cheese

directions

1. In some olive oil sauté the onion and garlic until transparent.
2. Add water and chicken base or 2 quarts chicken broth.
3. Add the potatoes (I like to use frozen hash browns that I always have on hand).
4. Add the seasonings.
5. Bring to boil. Cover with lid and simmer.
6. Brown the sausage, breaking up into small pieces, and drain in a stainer.
7. Wash the kale, remove the stems/rib. Slice across you can add fresh or thawed frozen spinach squeezed dry).
8. Add the sausage and kale to your saucepan and cook until potatoes are tender.
9. Add the can of evaporated milk and heat through.
10. Check to see if you want to add any salt.
11. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy.:-).

Reviews

[AJDcooks]

Great soup I sprinkled a little fennel seed on the sausage as it cooked. Probably about 1/2 tsp. The recipe is just like Olive Garden!

 

[bes1111]

This was indeed yummy! I used a 20 ounce package of frozen hash browns, and when all was done, added another 4 cups (approx) of chicken broth as it seemed thicker than I wanted. Perfect for lunch today in cool, rainy Minneapolis!

 

[adymommy]

FABULOUS! The only thing I would change is the amount of hash browns. 4 cups of the shredded kind was not enough for our tastes. Next time I will add more. Thanks for a great recipe!

 

[Ms. Mother Earth]

Thanks for a fantastic O.G. take off Koechin! Absolutely loved it. And so much healthier then the version made with heavy cream. I used turkey Italian sausage to make it even lighter and chicken stock. I love the idea of the frozen cubed hash browns, worked great and what a time saver. This will be made again and again.

 

[Merlot]

Don't know if this is like Olive Garden's (never ordered it there) but I can tell you this is a wonderful tasting soup that is extremely easy to prepare. While I had potatoes on hand, I was intrigued with the hash brown potatoe suggestion so I ran out to buy some. Wonderful and so easy too. I also used spinach instead of kale. I highly recommend this soup to everyone.