Zuppa Toscana ala Sid for Soup Saturday Swappers

I joined a group called Soup Saturday Swappers a few months ago.  And I've had this recipe on my back burner for awhile now.
Every time I planned on making it, plans fell through or I got busy or... 
Life happened....

I tasted some Zuppa Toscana at a potluck a few months ago,  and fell in LOVE!!!  It was spicy and brothy and yet hearty as well.
I love soup.  I can eat it year round and I do.   Even though it's not that cold outside.
I do live in Florida after all.
This month's theme is Copy Cat Recipes and it is being hosted by Heather of All Roads Lead to the Kitchen.  

And my Copy Cat recipe is Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden,  but I had to put my own twist on it.  There was no kale or swiss chard to be found in my local store. sigh.
I however, had a package of spinach in the freezer.  So I used it.  I also  had a couple of sausages left over from a BBQ we'd attended a couple of days prior to, so they got chopped and added to the soup.
A good soup is all about adding good things to it.
Because I had that lovely sausage, I chose not to add the bacon as I was already getting a lovely smoke bacony flavor. 

Yield: 4 servingsAuthor: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking (inspired by many recipes)

Zuppa Toscana ala Sid

prep time: 10 MINScook time: 30 MINStotal time: 40 mins

This is a copy cat soup with my own twist, personally I think it's better than the original.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. Hot Italian Sausage, cooked and sliced
• 2-4 russet potatoes, cut into large dice
• 1 onion, diced
• 2-4 slices bacon, cooked
• 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and chopped
• 4 cups chicken broth (home made is best)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, tempered
• 2-4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon + red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using commercial chicken stock)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons water

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Brown the sausage in the bottom of a heavy pot. Add the onion and garlic and cook until just translucent. Then add the chicken broth to the pot and stir, adding the potatoes just as the stock comes to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are just done, adding the red pepper and tasting if it needs more. Add cornstarch slurry and stir. Then add the chopped spinach, and bacon and let come to a boil. Take a little of the broth and add to the cream to temper it, take the soup off the heat, and slowly pour in the cream while stirring. Serve immediately. You can always add more red pepper and in fact can add it when browning the meat as well.

Created using The Recipes Generator

   

An InLinkz Link-up