Zupa Toscana!!!

My mom bought me this cool copy-cat recipe book for Christmas. We finally tried one of the recipes in it the other day and it was AWESOME! And it tastes exactly like Olive Garden's version. So for all you Olive Garden lovers (Jessica) here is the recipe!

1 pound Italian sausage (we bought sweet Italian sausage which was pretty good)
8 ounces smoked bacon, chopped (I like to chop mine after I cook it, its easier that was)
4 cups water
2 14.5-ounce cans chicken broth (I bought the kind that is flavored with garlic)
2 large russet potatoes, scrubbed and cubed (or whatever potatoes you have on hand, mine were slightly old so I peeled them instead of leaving the skin on)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups kale or Swiss chard (the recipe says to chop it but I just ripped the leaves off the stems, do whatever works for you)
1 cup heavy cream (or something lighter if you are health conscious like half-and-half)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In a skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage (don't forget to remove the casings, breaking it into small pieces; drain and set aside.
2. In a separate skillet at the same time, fry the bacon until brown, drain (chop if you haven't already) and set aside
3. Combine the water, broth, potatoes, garlic, and onion in a pot; simmer over medium heat until the potatoes are tender, 10 - 15 minutes. (I did this while the bacon and sausage were cooking to save time)
4. Add the sausage and bacon; simmer for 10 minutes. (If you did everything at the same time you can just add these in when they are done, that will be plenty of time for your potatoes to get tender.)
5. Add the kale and cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste and simmer until the soup is heated through. Do not allow to boil.

The recipe says it only serves 4, but it made way more than that, enough for at least 5 or 6 adults depending on serving size. If you really want the Olive Garden feel you can make a salad and buy or make some bread sticks to go with it. MMM, it was SO good! And surprisingly easy. I will definitely be trying more of these recipes, I will be sure to share if the others turn out as good as this one. Happy cooking!