Zuppa Toscana (Kinda)

Ah, the soup nazi. I miss Seinfeld. With the exception of Kramer, I loved that show so much!

Happy New Year everyone. I hope 2016 has been treating you well thus far. It's been ridiculous levels of cold here in the great northeast. We've had many a day under 10 degrees F.  I know! That doesn't even sound real. And on top of that, about 14 or so inches of snow dumped on us. So suffice it so say, a hot, hearty soup, is exactly what the doctor ordered.


So if you've ever been to Olive Garden, you've probably had a version of this soup. And although I'm not a huge fan of theirs, (although their salad and breadsticks still seems like a really delicious memory), this soup is something I remember fondly. And I guess you could call this a lean version of that. Hence, the kinda in the title. But lean or not, it was really really tasty. And of course, it was also easy! So shall we!

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
2 small onions
3 cloves garlic
1-2 normal potatoes, or 8-10 tiny potatoes
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 bunch kale (about 2 cups cut)
1.5 tsp cayenne
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper
3 - 4 slices bacon

Step 1: Slice onion, mince garlic and add along with turkey to large pot with a tiny bit of oil and begin browning

For some reason I only have this fuzzy picture of turkey. I think the traditional ingredient used here is sausage, but I went with a lower fat option of ground turkey

 Step 2: Chop large potatoes, or slice small potatoes in half and add to pot

Step 3: Remove ribs from kale, so you only have the leafy parts, and add to pot

Step 4: Mix well, and add chicken broth and milk to pot

Other recipes call for heavy cream, but I used fat free milk. It was still magnificent. 

Step 5: Add cayenne, paprika, salt and pepper, and cook for about 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender

Step 6: Meanwhile, cook bacon in a separate pan. When crispy, drain on paper towels. A couple minutes before soup is ready, crush and add to pot.

I store my bacon in the freezer and usually have a packet that has been cut into 4 sections or so. I used two sections for this. 

Drain

Crush using the paper towel 

Serve with a good bread. I made an easy Rosemary bread in my bread machine, that was just really amazing, and probably delicious on its own with some olive oil.

Enjoy!!


Printable Version (right click on image, open in new tab, and print from browser)