Zuppa Toscana

Tags

kale, potato, sausage, soup

Olive Garden used to be one of my favorite Italian recipes. I loved their minestrone and salad, and most of all, their bread sticks. Somehow, I never really payed attention to their Zuppa Toscana, a creamy sausage and potato soup. Maybe because back then, I wasn’t a big fan of potatoes. But now that I am, I knew this was a soup I had to try. I searched online and found a lot of copycat recipes, most of which included bacon. While that might make for a better duplicate, I’m not a big fan of using bacon for flavoring in soup. I do love bacon, but I only want to use it if it will be a dominant flavor, not just a hidden component.

I settled upon these two recipes, and tweaked from there. I’ve made multiple batches of this soup over the last few months, making small changes here and there to make it exactly how I want it to taste. My biggest change was adding more potato… you can’t go wrong with more potato!

On a side note, I realize this isn’t an ideal summer recipe. But it’s a great comfort food. And despite the weather, sometimes I just crave soup! Besides, I read somewhere that when it’s hot out, you’re supposed to eat hot food to make you sweat, thus helping to cool you. So I’m helping you, and me! 🙂Zuppa Toscana

1 pound ground Italian sausage
1 large onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ cup white wine
3 cups water
3½ cups chicken broth
2 pounds Russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
3 cups fresh kale (about ½ a bunch) chopped
1 cup heavy or whipping cream

In a large pot over medium heat, cook the ground sausage until browned, crumbling with a spoon as it cooks. Remove the cooked sausage with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside. Add the diced onion to the pot and cook until soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for about a minute, or until fragrant. Add the wine to deglaze the pan, stirring to loosen any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken broth, water, potatoes, and kale to the pot. Return the sausage to the pot. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cover and let simmer for about 20-25 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Source: Adapted from Annie’s Eats and Tuscan Recipes

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Tortellini Soup

Quick meals are the best, especially when most of the ingredients can be kept on-hand, either in the pantry or the freezer. This is one of those meals that are perfect for when you get home from work and are exhausted, and just need to throw something together for dinner. The first time I made this, I needed something fast for dinner unless I wanted to be eating super late. The second time I made it was this past weekend (or I guess my past weekend, which is my two days off during the week). I wanted something easy for lunch for my husband and myself, and this fit the bill. It’s light and tasty while still being filling. It was easy to double, too, so now I have leftovers for future lunches!

Tortellini Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup onion, minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 quart (4 cups) low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
9-10 ounce package cheese tortellini, fresh or frozen
3 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed
Parmesan cheese

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion; cook until the onion is softened and the garlic has turned light gold, about 5 minutes.

Add the oregano, broth, and tomatoes (undrained); salt and pepper to taste. Bring the soup to a boil and add the tortellini. Cook according to the package directions. When the tortellini are cooked, remove the pot from the heat immediately so they do not overcook; add the spinach and stir until wilted and combined. Season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.

Serve the soup immediately, topped with grated or shredded Parmesan cheese.

Source: Adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod, via The Well-Fed Newlyweds

Baked Potato Soup

Tags

bacon, cheddar cheese, potato, soup

The weather in Northern California has been kind of weird lately. It’s May, and it’s been getting quite warm during the days. But every now and then, we have been getting cold days with random bouts of rain. We were even snowed on at work last week, and hailed on today! It’s these random cold days that it’s nice to have warm comfort food. A nice, creamy bowl of soup really hits the spot.

This soup combines the wonderful flavors of baked potatoes. Potatoes, bacon, and cheese all combined in a creamy medley. I would highly recommend using the cream and the whole milk. Low-fat or non-fat milk don’t thicken the same, and the soup will remain thin. You deserve a tasty splurge every now and then!

Baked Potato Soup

½ pound bacon
1 cup white onion, diced
4 large russet potatoes
3 cups whole milk
1 cup whipping cream
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Poke holes in the potatoes and microwave them for 8 to 10 minutes, or until tender. Chop the potatoes, including the skin, into bite sized pieces.

In a large pot, cook the bacon until browned and crispy. Remove the bacon strips and crumble, leaving the drippings in the pot. Cook the onion in the bacon drippings until tender, then add the chopped potatoes. Stir in the milk and cream and heat thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly add the cheese to the pot until melted. Add the crumbled bacon to the pot and stir everything together until it thickens.

Source: Adapted from Food Network