“I live on good soup, not on fine words.” -Moliere

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and loved their food so much that you wish you could make it at home? My husband and I absolutely love the Zoupa Toscana at Olive Garden so he suggested that I try to make it. Well, using Pinterest, I was able to find a copycat recipe that actually works. It’s so delicious and it’s really easy to make. We have made some of our own adjustments to it but it’s really to your liking. The recipe we use is at High Heels & Grills. Here is the recipe with the changes we made, though.

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Copycat
Recipe from Food.com
Makes about 8 cups
Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground Italian sausage {I use mild}
• 1 can chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 3 russet potatoes cut in rounds
• 1 small white onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup  real bacon bits {about 5-6 slices of cooked bacon}
• 2 cups fresh kale
• 16 oz heavy whipping cream
• Italian Seasoning
• Romano cheese
• Olive oil

Directions:

1. Add  olive oil to pan, let heat. Once heated, add sausage and Italian seasoning.
2. Brown sausage in a large skillet on medium heat. Strain and rinse fat. {You don’t HAVE to rinse your sausage, but you’ll get a greasy orange film if you don’t. There’s a little more flavor to it though, so it’s your preference.}
3. Combine chicken broth and water in a large pot and stir. Add the sausage, potatoes, onion, and garlic. Cook on medium heat until potatoes are soft, about 10-15 minutes.
4. Add bacon, salt, and pepper and let simmer on medium-low for another ten minutes.
5. Turn to low heat and add kale and cream. Heat through completely and serve.
6. Add cheese on top to liking

We have made this recipe countless times and each time it gets better. If you really want to learn how to make a certain food from your favorite restaurant, just check Pinterest. I’m sure you’ll find help there. Thanks for reading. If you try this recipe, let me know how it went!