This recipe is a pretty close approximation of my husband’s favorite soup at Olive Garden. You can adjust the level of spiciness with the type of Italian sausage you use and the amount of red pepper. The original recipe calls for kale, but I’m more likely to have spinach on hand, so I substitute that frequently and it works great!
Serves: 8-10 servings
Copycat recipe for Olive Garden's sausage, potato, and kale soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground Italian sausage
- 1½ tsp. crushed red pepper
- 1 large white onion, diced
- 4 slices bacon, cut into pieces
- 2 tsp. minced garlic
- 10 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream (or half & half)
- 3-4 large Russet potatoes, sliced thin
- ½ cup kale or spinach
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook sausage and red pepper 8-10 minutes or until cooked through.
- Remove from pan and set aside. In the same pot, add bacon, onions, and garlic.
- Saute about 15 minutes or until the onions are soft and transparent.
- Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.
- Add the potatoes and continue to cook until potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes.
- Once soft, add the cream and stir in the sausage.
- Just before serving, add the kale or spinach.
Like this one? You’ll also want to check out our recipe for Chicken and Gnocchi Soup–another Olive Garden taste-alike recipe!
