The Closet Professor

I know that Olive Garden does not have the best reputation in the restaurant industry, and their food only has a passing relationship with Italian cuisine. The last time I went to an Olive Garden, the food was not only inedible, but nearly everything we ordered was “out of stock.” It was not a pleasant night, because I went with a good friend of mine, and we were going to see the movie Bros afterwards. We only went to Olive Garden out of a sense of nostalgia. At one time, I thought their food was good, but then I went to Italy and have eaten at some great Italian restaurants here in the U.S., and my opinion changed dramatically. 

Anyway, there is one thing on Olive Garden’s menu that is a favorite of mine: their Zuppa Toscano. The “Tuscan Soup” is a sausage, kale, and potato soup, that is delicious when it is made correctly. The salad and breadsticks were always good, but the Zuppa Toscano was always the best thing on the menu. By the way, that last time I had it at Olive Garden, it was watery and tasteless. Luckily, I found a wonderful copycat recipe. Some of the copycat recipes you can find online are a pretty good approximation of the original dish. 

The recipe below is, in my opinion, even better than what Olive Garden serves. Some people don’t like kale, and I will admit that I am not a huge fan, but it has the perfect consistency for this soup. I would not use anything as a substitute because while kale wilts in the soup, it has a better consistency and does not add a bitter taste like some greens would. Even if you don’t like kale, give it a try. I think you will be glad you did.

I don’t make this recipe very often, and usually only in the winter. I tend to eat too much of it when I make it, so it’s best to limit myself. I’m actually planning on having some leftover Zuppa Toscano for lunch today. The link for this copycat recipe in on Delish; however, the recipe is now behind a paywall. Below is the version that I have found to be the best.

Zuppa Toscana

Prep Time: 20 min
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb. hot Italian sausage, casings removed *
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth **
• 2-3 cups of russet or red potatoes peeled, sliced, and cut into bite sized pieces ***
• 1 bunch curly kale, leaves stripped and chopped
• 3/4 c. heavy cream
• 4 slices cooked bacon, chopped
• 1/4 freshly grated Parmesan, for serving ****
• French bread or a crusty rustic bread for serving, if desired (it’s delicious for dipping in the soup)

Preparation Steps

1. In a large pot over medium heat, cook sausage, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon, until browned and no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes.

2. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

3. Add onion to pot and let cook until soft, 5 minutes, then add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.

4. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Add chicken broth and potatoes and cook until potatoes are tender, 23 to 25 minutes.

6. Stir in kale and let cook until leaves are tender and bright green, 3 minutes, then stir in heavy cream, sausage, and bacon and simmer 5 minutes more.

7. Season with pepper, garnish with Parmesan, and serve.

Notes:

* I buy the Italian sausage with the casing already removed. It saves time, and I find the casing disgusting anyway. Also, the hot Italian sausage adds the right amount of heat that is needed to make this soup very tasty. I have tried mild Italian sausage, and the soup was just bland. If you think the hot Italian sausage will be too much heat for you, I suggest using half hot and half mild Italian sausage.

** Make sure that you use low-sodium chicken broth. If you use unsalted chicken broth, the soup will be somewhat bland, and if you use regular chicken broth, it will be too salty. Using the low-sodium chick broth allows you to add the amount of salt you desire.

*** I actually use two 15 oz cans sliced potatoes. It is up to you whether you drain the potatoes or not. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. If I don’t drain them, it adds a thicker consistency to the soup. The canned potatoes stay together better than fresh potatoes. If you cook the potatoes fresh, the red will stay together better than the russet, but they too will begin falling apart. If not using the canned potatoes, a waxy potato works best. Canned potatoes do not need to cook for 23-25 minutes because they are already cooked and just need to be warmed up, but I cook them for 25 minutes anyway to allow for the chicken broth to reduce a little.

**** Because this recipe calls for low-sodium chicken broth, the parmesan adds the perfect amount of additional saltiness to the soup. It also adds a wonderful additional layer of flavor to the soup.

Additional Note:

 If you want to make a large batch and freeze the soup, the canned potatoes do not become as mealy as the fresh potatoes when they are frozen. If you decide to make a large batch and freeze this soup, take out the amount of soup you’d like to freeze before adding the cream. If you add the cream and then try to freeze it, it will not freeze correctly. As a coworker of mine recently said, cream does strange things in the freezer.