When you have fresh apples in the fall, this recipe is a fantastic one to use.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 55 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 15 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
Ingredients
- 1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage
- 1 ¼ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 5 (13.75 ounce) cans chicken broth
- 6 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ bunch fresh spinach, tough stems removed
Instructions
- Cook Italian sausage and red pepper flakes in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crumbly, browned, and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Cook bacon in the same Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain, leaving a few tablespoons of drippings with the bacon in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Add potatoes and simmer until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; stir in cream, cooked sausage, and spinach. Cook and stir until spinach has wilted and sausage is warmed through; serve.
- Please note the differences in serving size and the substitution of lacinato kale for spinach when using the magazine version of this recipe.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 554 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 46 g |
| Cholesterol | 99 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Protein | 20 g |
| Saturated Fat | 15 g |
| Sodium | 2386 mg |
| Sugars | 5 g |
| Fat | 33 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Love this recipe! I add the spinach one serving at a time to keep it from being too wilted. I store in fridge then reheat a serving, then add the spinach.
I made this recipe several times. I speed up the preparation time by browning the sausage with the bacon (I use pre-cooked bacon bits) and garlic and onion flakes. And continue with the recipe by adding the broth and rest of the ingredients, except for the spinach, I substitute it with kale. It is a really good recipe.
I just made this exactly like the recipe calls except used plain pork sausage since what I had, not spicy so per Instructions says to add a 1 teaspsonnof of Herbs De Provence,and a pinch of red pepper which I did. I used kale even to not my favorite but makes this soup and since I eat at my local Olive Garden, they slice their potatoes, russet, thin and leave the skin on so I did that too but the rest was measured and incorporated like instructions. It was excellent! I made the full recipe even now alone but will take some to my husband to enjoy since he’s now in a home. I will freeze bowls of this yummy soup when cooled down to enjoy later too! Thanks again, best soup!!
The recipe calls for 5 (13.75) cans of chicken however that isn’t an actually size of cans. The standard is 14.5oz. The closest I could get was 2 (32oz) containers. Could I use that instead? Or maybe even 1 (32oz) container and add 2 cups water? Haven’t made but hoping to do so in the near future.
100000/5 this recipe is amazing!!! I reduced the chicken broth and used water, but only a little bit because I do orefer my food on the saltier side. Kale instead of the spinach is a must, I can’t think of a single other way to improve this perfect recipe!!!
I make this recipe often. Like another reviewer I use milk and cornstarch instead of cream. If the sausage is not very spicy I use a few drops of Tobasco Sauce instead of red pepper flakes. For convenience I often use a can of cooked diced or sliced potatoes. It is a delicious soup and tastes much like the one at Olive Garden. Sprinkle Parmesan on top for an extra treat.
I made this one just last night, and it’s a great recipe (though I use kale instead of spinach). But I cannot emphasize enough that you should include one thing to take this dish from a solid 8 to a stand-out 10, and that’s a tablespoon of kosher salt added into the broth. It makes a world of difference in flavor, so much that I was surprised with the difference. And, as another commenter noted, *do not use condensed soup* for the recipe. Just use 70-75 ounces of regular chicken broth and add that salt that I mentioned. I will add that I tend to serve this as a meal instead of as an appetizer/soup course, which means that I roughly double the greens and half-again the sausage. It’s very good for that purpose.
Yummy, easy recipe and a hit with the boys!
Love this recipe. Our kids and grandchildren love it as well. We use spinach and low sodium chicken broth. Simply can’t make enough.
Me and my mom were win the car we were talking about Olive garden and decided to make a soup of there’s but didn’t know which one so we decided to make something simple and easy we chose Zuppa Toscana here’s how it turned out
I typically make a pot of soup about 2xs/ month…. This is EVERYONES favorite. Adjustments: I drain the sausage grease & omit the bacon, add seasonings to compensate …. Still delicious!
I’ve made this several times… Fixed a pot when I visited my granddaughter and was pleased to see her going back for left overs… I use Kale instead of spinach and I add a can of drained corn and 1/2 cup celery in my soup. I didn’t have any heavy cream when I made it so I threw in an 8 oz package of cream cheese… It was awesome… No idea what it did to the calorie count…
This is a delicious recipe, better than Olive Garden’s. I use kale in place of spinach.
Loved recipe but one change. I used vegetable broth since I find chicken broth overwhelming with dishes not contain chicken. Got better each day. Great recipe.
It is better made at home! I loved it even more when I made it myself, you have to make it.
I make it… But this recipe is different… They use Kale not spinach, they also use Fennel at that certain restaurant chain… I got this info from a chef there, several years ago, around the time they opened. Try it, you’ll love it
Do not add salt! May want to use low sodium broth or make own. I doubled the recipe, except onion and red pepper, for my big family. I did 1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup low fat milk then added 3 tbs cornstarch and 1/4 cup warm water whisked together to thicken slightly. I also spruced it up with garlic powder, ground nutmeg, sage, and thyme. Don’t forget the finely shredded Italian cheese blend on top. We all loved it!
This was a great recipe and turned out delicious.
We liked this soup. Substituted evaporated milk for the cream, used two handfuls of bite sized super greens for the kale, and added shredded Parmesan to top it off the bowl.
Terrific flavor. All I had on hand was frozen spinach and it was really good if not best. If yours is too salty that’s on you. Make your own chicken broth.
Great recipe! Next time I will double it for leftovers. Perfect as is with fresh spinach.