Olive Garden's Zuppa Tuscana

Difficulty: Moderate

Reason: Somewhat time-consuming, multitasking

My family and I all love to go to Olive Garden for many of the delicious dishes, and one of our favorites is their Zuppa Toscana soup. We love the creamy broth, the tender potatoes, and the spicy sausage in it. However, it can get a bit pricey. Luckily, I found this recipe that tastes just like it came from the kitchen at Olive Garden, and it makes a lot more soup for a lot less money! To replicate, you'll need:

16 oz spicy Italian sausage (or 8oz spicy and 8oz mild for wimps like me)

3/4 cup chopped onion

3 cloves minced garlic

4 cups water

2 tablespoons chicken base (optional: for chicken broth instead of chicken base, use 2 cups broth with only 2 cups water instead of 4)

2-3 brown potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

2 cups kale, chopped (optional: substitute for spinach)

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

(Optional: bacon crumbles)

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Bake sausage for about 30 minutes, checking periodically. If sausage is still rare after a long time, this is okay, because it will continue cooking in the soup. If you need to fry the sausage in a pan, this is okay also.

While the sausage bakes, place onion with a few tablespoons of oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook until glossy. Add garlic (and bacon) and cook until they are golden brown. Add chicken base (or broth), water, and potatoes. Cook until potatoes have become tender. Add the cream, kale, and sausage, making sure to drain the fat from the sausage before adding. (I did not drain all the fat the first time, and the soup turned out very greasy and unpleasant!) Turn the burner down and let simmer for another five minutes, or until kale becomes limp like cooked spinach. Serve with garlic bread or an Italian salad and enjoy!