Zuppa Toscana Soup

Zuppa Toscana (Copycat — Made With Ground Chicken Italian Sausage)

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground chicken Italian sausage (your new one!)

• 4–5 medium potatoes, thinly sliced (Yukon gold or russet both work)

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 3–4 cloves garlic, minced

• 6 cups chicken broth

• 1 cup heavy cream (or half-and-half)

• 3 cups chopped kale (Jared doesn't like this so we skip it)

• 4–6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional but delicious)

• 1–2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

• Salt & pepper to taste

• Olive oil or butter for sautéing

Instructions

1. Cook the sausage
   In a large pot, brown the ground chicken Italian sausage. Break it up as it cooks. Once done, remove and set aside.

2. Cook the bacon (if using)
   You can cook it in the same pot — adds great flavor. Remove and crumble.

3. Sauté the onions & garlic
   Add a drizzle of oil/butter if needed. Cook the onion until soft, then add garlic for the last 30 seconds.

4. Add potatoes & broth
   Stir in the sliced potatoes and pour in the chicken broth.
   Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until potatoes are tender (about 12–15 minutes).

5. Add cooked sausage back in
   Stir it in and let everything simmer together for a few minutes.

6. Stir in cream
   Pour in the heavy cream. Warm it through — don’t fully boil it.

7. Add kale
   Stir the kale in during the last 3–5 minutes so it softens but doesn’t turn mushy.

8. Season
   Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.

9. Top with crumbled bacon
   Optional… but delicious!

Notes

• If you want it thicker, mash a few potato slices against the pot before adding the cream.

• If you want it lighter, use half-and-half or even evaporated milk.

• Leftovers the next day? Somehow even better.