Zuppa Toscana

Modified from https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/zuppa-toscana-a-la-olive-garden/ 

Ingredients: 

1 pound ground Italian sausage (mild or spicy)

-1 tablespoon of butter/vegetable oil (might need, might not)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium white onion, peeled and diced

1.5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, diced

5 to 6 cups chicken stock

2 to 3 cups chopped fresh kale

1 cup heavy whipping cream

fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

6 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled (I just cut it into ½ in squares/strips)

Outside of class prep time: ~30 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

Before Class: (you can also try to do these steps in the dutch oven but I found it easier to do it beforehand)

1.  Cook sausage in a large pan over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through, breaking the sausage into small pieces as it cooks. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked sausage to a separate plate, reserving 1 tablespoon grease in the stockpot for later, and discarding the excess grease.  (this is what the recipe calls for, I didn’t have enough grease left over so I added a tablespoon of vegetable oil for the next step and it worked just fine)  Set aside.

2. Add onions to the pan (with the grease/oil), and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic, and sauté for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

In Class:

1. Add prepped ingredients (sausage, unions, garlic), potatoes, and chicken stock to the dutch oven. Let it cook until the potatoes are tender. 

2. Stir in the kale and cream, and let simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

3. Mix the bacon in right before taking off heat. Enjoy!