Tuscana Soup – Olive Garden Rip-Off – BUT BETTER!

Tuscana Potato Soup (Olive Garden Rip-Off – but BETTER!!!)

This makes a HUGE pot because I have a large family – so you may need to scale it down.

8 potatoes – baked, cooled, skinned, chopped

1 package bacon 1 – 2 lbs italian sausage (I use mild) 2 large onions 6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

2 liters (about 8 cups) half & half cream 2 cartons (900 ml – about 3.8 cups) chicken soup stock (I use Campbells)

bunch Kale, finely chopped

Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Scrub potatoes. Poke with fork. Bake about an hour then cool.

2. While potatoes are baking and cooling, fry bacon in fry pan until crispy. While bacon is frying, chop onion. Drain bacon. Put bacon into your soup pot.

3. Clean bacon fat out of fry pan, add Italian sausage, onion and garlic. Fry. When done frying, add to soup pot.

4. Add chicken soup stock to soup pot. Heat until quite hot.

5. Add Half & Half cream and continue heating. Heat but do not boil or the cream will curdle.

6. Add salt & pepper to taste. You should not need much salt – if any.

7. Finely chop Kale and add during the last 5 or so minutes of cooking.