The Mommy Monologues

I totally dig Fall. I love everything about it! One thing I really love about it is making warm yummy soups. The pregs in me has been craving Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana, but I pretty much have no interest in going there. (Way overdid that restaurant on random dates in college.) So when I saw this recipe on Studio 5, I thought I would give it a whirl and make some of my own changes. I must say it was darn-tootin' good (well not literally), but honestly I liked it better than the Olive Garden's (as did the whole fam). Here it is, try it!

* 1 (12 oz) Jimmy Dean hot pork sausage (I actually used 1 (12 oz) reduced fat and 1 (12 oz) hot.
* 1 yellow onion, chopped (2 onions is the only way to go)
* 2 tsp minced garlic
* 2 cups chopped collard greens (I used Kale, I liked the texture better and I probably used about 3 cups total, next time I will probably still use more.)
* 1 (49 oz) can chicken broth, plus 1 (14 oz ) can chicken broth (Trying to cut down on sodium I used the large can and then water instead of the smaller can)
* 4 russet potatoes, chopped, skins left on (5-6 large russets)
* 2 tsp red pepper flakes (I did 1 1/2 tsp, but in making it again I would only use 1 tsp, the soup turned out a little bit spicier than I thought)
* 2 tsp Italian seasoning
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 pint heavy cream (Use milk, I am afraid the heavy cream would make it way too rich to eat.)

Method:

1. Heat wok or large soup pot. Add sausage, onion and garlic. Fry until sausage is cooked through and onions are tender. Break sausage into small pieces as it is cooking. (DRAIN THE SAUSAGE and pat with paper towel. I honestly don't know how you could eat it without draining the fat!) Add chopped kale and stir fry 3 minutes.
2. Add chicken broth, potatoes and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer until potatoes are tender. Stir in milk and warm through. Adjust seasonings and serve. Serves 6-8 as a main dish. Even with draining the sausage grease, I suggest skimming the grease off the top if there is any!)

Enjoy! You might like her version better, but try one of them. It was SO yummy. I am especially thankful that I was able to cook, it's been a long time and this soup was pretty quick prep. Wow, three days of blogging in a row, I rock!