Word on the street is this soup is a knock-off of a soup served at a psuedo-Italian chain restaurant.  I’m not sure if this is true or not; but, what I do know is that it’s a delicious winter soup and I can’t say enough how pleased I am to have a recipe on hand that uses kale…and not just a little bit of kale…but the entire bunch. I’m convinced this is an often-overlooked vegetable; I can vouch for this fact as I’ve overlooked it for years!  Hopefully this recipe will inspire you to get excited about incorporating something new, something different, and something full of nutrients, into your eating lifestyle.  Enjoy!

Zuppa Toscana

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 {32} ounce containers organic chicken broth (or homemade if you have on hand; also, Costco carries a great organic chicken stock at a great price)

4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes

4 cups kale, chopped, stems discarded

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

pinch of red pepper flakes

3/4 lb. mild Italian sausage links, casings removed (a local grocery store, Harmons, makes the best house-made sweet Italian sausage with hints of fennel, which compliment this soup nicely)

1/2 cup heavy cream

In a large pot, saute onion in olive oil over medium heat until onion becomes translucent–about 10 minutes. Add broth, potatoes, kale, sea salt, pepper, and pepper flakes then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the sausage until browned in a pan over medium heat, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon. Once cooked thoroughly, add the sausage and cream to the soup. Heat to desired temperature and serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on top. Enjoy!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 at 1:01 am and is filed under Recipes, Steph B, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.