Slow Cooker Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

I love, love, looove the soup and salad deal at Olive Garden and my favorite soup is the Zuppa Toscana.  It is delicious :) 

I know the picture looks a little oily because well, it is... I need to figure out a way to drain the sausage more and make the soup a little bit thicker.

Zuppa Toscana

www.365daysofcrockpot.com
Serving Size: 2-4 people


1/2 lb ground italian sausage, browned and drained
1 can chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1/8 cup onion, diced (or as little or much as you want)
3 potatoes, cut into slices or cubes with skins
1/2 garlic, minced
Bacon bits or real bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Kale, chopped
Red pepper flakes (to taste)
Cheese (optional)


Brown and drain italian sausage (You can either cook them how it is or shape them into balls).  Place italian sausage, chicken broth, water, garlic, potatoes, and onion in slow cooker.  Cook on HIGH for 2 hours until potatoes are cooked and soft (While you are waiting for the soup to cook, you can cook and crumble the bacon).  Add however much you want of bacon, whipping cream, and kale right before serving.  Top with cheese and red pepper flakes.


Next time, I want to try it with these breadtwists because the Pizza Factory breadsticks are amazing! But for now, I ate this soup with my grandma's [secret?] garlic bread recipe. Yummy!