Recommended with Zuppa Toscana

Happy Soup Season, y'all!

I've had a love-hate relationship with soup for years.  There were some that I liked, some that I loved, and some that made me think I hated soups altogether.  I've been talking with Caleb to try and find soups that we both like.  We all know that when you make soup, there's going to be a lot of it, and it would take a long time to eat an entire pot on my own.  Roaming through Pinterest last week landed me on Annie's recipe for Zuppa Toscana of Olive Garden fame, and even though it was a soup we hadn't discussed, I decided to try it.  It has meat in it (which Caleb would approve of), it has kale in it (which I've been wanting to experiment with), and it looks creamy and hearty and just perfect for fall.

Guys.  Using this recipe was an excellent decision, my soup was better than what you'll get at Olive Garden, and I highly recommend it.  See my notes after the jump.

I used Annie's recipe, and unusually, I was able to follow it exactly!  I wouldn't make any changes, either.  The broth had a clean feel to it, which was peculiar considering the sausage grease was included.  The bitterness of the kale mellowed out, which made it an nice addition that didn't bring in too wild of a flavor.  What surprised me the most, though, were the potatoes.  If you taste Olive Garden's version of the soup, the potatoes will have disintegrated a bit and made the broth thicker.  When making this at home, though, you're able to serve immediately, which means the potatoes are soft but not mushy, and the broth remains simple and pure.

Caleb and I both had seconds.  And Thirds.  No tea star for me.

Even the leftovers are tasty, but I will say that the potatoes start to break down a little after sitting for just 30 minutes.  During my first helping, the cut lines of the potatoes were still smooth with the potato being soft and tender.  They outsides got just a smidgen mealy after waiting in the soup a while, and I bet that's why the broth at Olive Garden feels thicker: the potatoes sit and wait and begin disintegrating because it's not fresh-fresh.  I certainly wouldn't recommend against eating leftover zuppa toscana, but just keep in mind that the peak feeding time is immediately after the potatoes are tender.

Googling other variations on this recipe and reading the comments sections is a great way to learn of different ways to prepare this soup.  One girl uses spinach instead of kale and adds bacon.  One girl adds in a little nutmeg.  Another adds some vanilla and lots of fennel.  I'd like to experiment with the nutmeg and a little fennel, but the soup was perfection as is.

Let me know if you try it!  I promise that this recipe will not disappoint you!

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