Zuppa Toscana - Ala Olive Garden, and Bread Bowls
 

Ok. My wife simply loves the Olive Garden, especially the Zuppa Toscana soup. It's basically an Italian Sausage soup with potatoes and some kale and cream. I told her I could make this at home. "Yeah, right.." I get home, load up my browser, and do a search. Tons of links! The first one looked easy, so I tried it and she said it was even better than the Olive Garden.

Here ya go:

1 tube of Italian Sausage (as spicy as you like).
2-3 large russet potatoes, cut as you like them
Couple cloves of Garlic
1 Large Onion
3/4 cup chopped bacon (optional, but necessary)
Large can of Chicken Stock
Bit of Butter
2 cups Kale
1 small carton heavy cream


Brown Sausage in pan, or cook on oven until done.
Melt butter in soup pot, and saute minced garlic and chopped onion.
Add Chicken Stock and potatoes cook until potatoes are tender.
Add bacon, sausage, cream and kale
Cook on low until heated through


Now the bread bowls... I cheat. I use the bread machine to mix the dough. I use the Large French Bread recipe, and "dough only" setting. When the machine beeps, I take out the dough, and cut into 4 sections. Ball it up and let rise on the pizza stone for 45 minutes, or until they have risen. Place in 350 degree oven and bake until golden brown and delicious.

Important! Allow bread to cool a bit before cutting. Carve the top out of the bread and set next to the bread bowl. Fill bread bowl with soup and eat.

I have no idea what kind of beer goes good with this. I just drink whatever I have on hand. It usually goes down good.:mug:

I run the kitchen at the OG...we have people that always ask us for the recipe. We keep telling them "its online" no one believes that its the real recipe, just scailed down. We make 20gal at a time.

If you want that true OG, Olive Garden, not Original Gravity, when you saute the sausage mix in crushed red pepper with it, saute that all up then add the garlic and onion.

this sounds yummy. I'll have to try it soon. thanks for posting.

I made this last night. It was excellent. I ate way too much of it though! Thanks for the recipe. (btw, 8 oz heavy cream is right for this recipe - that might be the "small carton" but there is also a quart carton, which would be too much).

I also made sourdough bread from a berliner weisse trub. Great with zuppa! Thanks, Homer.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/gallery/...t_12_04_25.jpg

After I saw this, I decided that it was going to be on the dinner menu tonight. As much as I enjoy making bread, unfortunately there is not enough time this afternoon to get it done, so I am cheating and using sourdough bread bowls from the store. And, of course, my local grocery store was out of kale, so I am substituting baby spinach instead. Will let you know how it turns out.

Thanks for the recipe!

Ryan M.

Kale maintains it's shape and some of it's crunchiness when in the soup. Spinach will be flaccid. I'm sure it will still taste great!

That does look good, and the recipe looks easy. Did you use Italian sausage in the casing, cut into coins, or loose sausage crumbled?

Thanks for the recipe! I'm going to have to try this sometime this week. I love this soup!

I bought loose ground sausage and browned it in the soup pot as the very first step. I think if you bought cased sausage and cut it up it would be exactly as good. I did a double batch, which was a LOT.

I'm gonna PM Homer, it's his thread, I'd like him to comment.

I see. I will have to try it with kale in the near future. I am looking forward to cooking this when the SWMBO gets home! BTW, I am using loose, mild ground sausage (I would usually buy spicy, but the crib midget doesn't like anything spicy... yet...).

Excuse me for hijacking a little here, but this post reminded me of this recipe, which I say is one of the best soups I have had to date. Super easy, very good with spicy sausage, and will warm your ass up on a cold evening!

I hope tonight's meal changes my opinion! Thanks Homer!

Ryan M.