Homemade Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

Ingredients:

5-6 washed medium potatoes, russet or red, sliced thin -1/4 inch thick or less- (I use a mandolin slicer), I don't peel the skins off, but you can.  

1 pound of hot italian sausage, break it up while cooking

1 medium yellow onion, diced

10 cloves of garlic, minced (basically use an entire head)

bacon, I usually use about a pound, diced

32oz chicken broth or stock, one of those vacuum sealed tetrapak cartons with the twist-off cap or you can make your own if you're ambitious

6 cups of water

1 bunch of kale, torn into pieces. I like to use a bag of pre-washed kale, you can put as much or as little as you want

1 cup of heavy cream (you can use dairy, personally I use coconut cream, just a can of coconut milk with the water drained, turn the can over and open the bottom, you can just pour the water out and use it for something else then spoon out the cream)

salt and pepper to taste

parmesan cheese for garnish, if you like that sort of thing

red pepper flakes if you like it spicier

Directions:

1) cook the bacon in a large dutch oven or stock pot over medium to medium-high heat, then remove it to a paper-towel lined plate and leave some of the bacon grease in the pot

2) cook the sausage in the bacon grease until browned over medium to medium-high, let it get a little texture, it's ok if some of it is "burned" on the bottom of the pan, remove the sausage to a paper-towel lined plate, again leaving some of the grease in the pot

technically you can cook the sausage first and then cook the bacon in the sausage grease, it really doesn't matter what order, just don't cook them together

3) saute the onions in the bacon/sausage grease until translucent, then add the garlic for about a minute

4) add the broth and water, bring to a boil then put in the potatoes and boil them until fork tender (10-15 minutes)

5) add the sausage, kale and cream and bring it back to a boil

6) reduce heat, add the bacon, season to taste and serve