Can we finally just acknowledge that “keto” has become a buzzword now? Can we? Please? For those like me who can’t stomach gluten at all without getting really sick, it’s at least helpful because if I see this buzzword, it means I can usually have it. But for this recipe, it just means I’m omitting the potatoes. (But if you really, really need the potatoes here, I’m not going to say no, okay? Potatoes are food and food shouldn’t mean sacrificing yourself or making yourself miserable.)
So if you love being able to go to Olive Garden and get their unlimited soup/salad/breadsticks as much as I have, then you’ve probably come across their big win, the zuppa toscana soup. I think they’re the first place to get me to ever actually eat kale, I always thought it was a garnish. These days I’ll make it and I’ll go find some gluten-free bread and toast that up to have with it if I really feel inclined.
You’ll find a dozen and one different recipes out there with this title, but I want to tell you that this is my own spin on it, so bear with me here. Most of the recipes are fairly the same: italian sausage, onion, chicken stock, cream, kale… cooked in that order. I stick mostly to that, but, if you’ve read any of my other recipes, you’ll know that one of my favorite things in this world is buttery soft cooked onions and garlic, so of course I have to do those, too.
What You’ll Need:
1 Medium White Onion
Minced Garlic
1lb ground italian sausage (I prefer “sweet” if available, but “mild” also works)
1lb regular bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
1qt chicken stock
1pt heavy whipping cream
Salt
Pepper
1-2 bunches kale
Thyme
Bay Leaves
Parsley
Heat up your pan, add a little bit of oil to keep the meat from sticking, and add in the sausage, breaking it up into crumbles as it cooks and browns. Once the sausage is fully cooked, remove it from the pan but let the grease stay. (If you were adding potatoes to the mix, this is where I’d say cut into 1/2″ cubes and fry the potatoes until browned, then remove from the pan so you have room for onions if you’re using only one pan.)
In a separate pan, take the bacon and saute until browned. Keep the heat on medium-low to keep from burning, and toss occasionally. If you’re more averse to pan-frying your bacon, you can also take the slices and put it into the oven on a baking sheet at 400F for about 18 minutes or until your desired cook level.
Hot tip: take a cooling rack and put it on the baking sheet to allow the grease to drip and be separate from the bacon. It’ll make crispier bacon.
Dice up the onion and cook it on medium-low in the pan until the onions begin to brown and become translucent. I generally like to cook my onions in bacon grease if it’s available. I tend to cook them until they’re cooked down, using this recipe/tip I’ve already written, but it’s not necessary. Once you’ve reached this step, add back in the sausage, bacon, and the chicken stock and bring it to a low simmer for about 20min. I’ll add a couple (read: 2-3) bay leaves and about 1/2tsp of dried thyme while the soup simmers. After that time has passed, add in the cream and let it come back up to temperature while you chop up the kale into bite-sized pieces while avoiding the stem. About 5 minutes before serving, add the kale and about a tsp or two of parsley into the soup. Salt and pepper to taste.
The Family Cookbook 