October 12, 2014

Lighter Zuppa Toscana

If you've never tried Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana, you really should, its fantastic. Spicy sausage, hearty potatoes, and kale all in a wonderfully creamy broth. Its definitely my favorite soup. You have to be careful though, its easy to gulp down 3 or 4 bowls, but with all the bacon, potatoes, and cream, your waistline might not be so happy later. So here's my guilt-free version! I cut out the bacon, substituted nonfat milk for the cream, and swapped half of the potatoes for cauliflower.




Here's what you'll need:
  • 4 Cups Low-Sodium Chicken Stock $1.49
  • 1 Medium Yellow Onion $1.49
  • 1 1/2 Cups Nonfat Milk $0.48
  • 3 Cups Kale $0.99
  • 1 1/2 Cups Cauliflower $1.74
  • 1 Medium Russet Potato $0.94
  • 1 Package Jennie-o Italian Turkey Sausages $5.00

Serving Size: ~2 Cups
Total Servings: 6
Price Per Serving: $1.99
Nutrition (per serving):
      Calories: 225
      Carbs: 17 g
      Fat: 9 g
      Protein: 20 g




If you bought italian sausage that comes in links like I did, then the first thing you need to do is remove the casing. Don't worry, this is really easy. All you need to do it squeeze in the center and then slide your fingers to one side so the meat comes out, then repeat for the other side.




Do this for all of your sausage, and you should be left with something like this. 




Heat your pot over medium high heat and then add in your sausage. As the sausage cooks, break it up into bite sized pieces using a fork or spoon. 




While the sausage is cooking, go ahead and dice up your onion. If you need help with this, refer to my Turkey Chili recipe.




Once your sausage is done cooking (no more pink) go ahead and drain out most of the grease from the pot. Leave about a tablespoon in the bottom of the pot. Set aside the sausage and move the pot back on the heat, then add in the onions. Continue cooking the onions until they have softened, about 10 minutes. 




While the onions are cooking, go ahead and cut up your potatoes and cauliflower. Feel free to peel the potatoes if you want, either way, make sure you give them a good wash. 




To cut up your cauliflower, turn it upside down and remover all of the big green leaf things.




Now you can see the cauliflower stems. With you knife, cut through the stem and then pull of the cauliflower. Do this until you have enough for 1 1/2 cups (about half of a medium cauliflower) and cut the florets into bit sized pieces. 




Once the onions are done cooking, add in the potatoes, cauliflower, and chicken stock. Bring this to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium and let simmer for about 20 minutes until the potatoes and cauliflower have softened. 




While the potatoes and cauliflower are cooking, go ahead and cut up your kale. To cut kale, lay it on its side with the stem facing out, then run your knife down the back to remove the stem. From there, just chop the leaves up into bite sized pieces. You could also just tear the leaves off of the stems with your hands if you want. 




 Once the potatoes and cauliflower are cooked, add the sausage back in along with the kale and milk. Then let simmer for about 10 more minutes. and you're done!




Happy Cooking!


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