Faking the OG (Faux Zuppa Toscana)

I love the Olive Garden's Unlimited Soup, Salad and Breadsticks, although I try not to indulge too often in the real thing.  I've tried my hand a couple times at making my own version of Zuppa Toscana, and Sunday I ended up making a big pot of it with only a little peek at a recipe online (I needed a little guidance on what order to throw the ingredients in).

This is a super easy, hopefully somewhat healthy (what do I look like, a nutritionist?) take on the OG classic, try it out on a week night and be amazed at how fast it is to get on the table!

Faux Zuppa Toscana
7-8 Italian sausages
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
10 c water
3 tbsp chicken base
3 russet potatoes, sliced
2-3 c raw kale, chopped
1 can evaporated milk

I started with a package of Italian sausage, kale, 3 potatoes, an onion and some chicken base (pictured), as well as some minced garlic and a can of evaporated milk (not pictured, because I kind of threw them in last minute.

I pushed the sausage out of the casings while Elora took pictures, and started it browning in the bottom of my Dutch oven. 

I added the onions to the browned sausage, and let them cook until soft. 

Add in the water and chicken base (you can use stock or bouillion, I just keep the base around and love that it dissolves faster than a cube), and bring to a boil.  Add in your potatoes and let cook 20 minutes or so, until potatoes are cooked.

Throw in your kale and let it wilt for a few minutes, then toss in the can of evaporated milk.  This makes a creamy soup but leaves out all the fat that heavy cream would add.  The finished product is quite delightful with some homemade breadsticks (try this recipe if you have a bread machine, they are ridiculously easy and have great Italian flvor) and a big bowl of salad!!!