Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup (my style)

Nick really likes sausage and this is a great soup that doesn't have too many ingredients.  The only thing I had to buy is the Kale.  The finished product was really good!  I really liked it to and I am not a sausage fan.  Hope you enjoy :)

Ingredients:
1 lb OR 1 cup cooked sausage (spicy if you prefer more heat)
5-7 slices of bacon OR 1/4 cup crumbed bacon
5 medium russet potatoes (with skin)
1 1/2 cup chopped carrot
2 cups kale, chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream OR 1/3 cup sour cream with 1/3 cup water
1 qt water
2 cans of chicken broth
1/2 large onion OR 1 onion, chopped
2 - 3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

Instructions:
1. Cook sausage and bacon then set aside.

2. Slice potatoes between 1/8" and 1/4".  Try to make the slices about the same so they will cook evenly.  Dice up the onion and mince the garlic.  Throw the potatoes, onion, garlic, chicken broth, and water into a large pot on medium heat until the potatoes are cooked through.

3. Add the sausage, bacon, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4.  Prepare the kale by chopping into bite sized pieces.  Kale is wonderful for soups because it holds up to the heat so well.  It's also delicious!

5. During this time the potatoes will start breaking apart into smaller bite sized pieces because they are so tender.  Turn the heat to low and add in the kale and heavy cream.  Let soup heat through and serve.  You can serve this with some grated Parmesan cheese on top.

For things that I changed I marked in the purple color.  The directions are a little different in the original but I think it makes more sense this way.  And I cooked the whole thing in the pressure cooker on the saute setting.  One dish to clean up!  That is the best part!

For the original recipe click here.