Zuppa Toscana

My cousin emailed me a recipe for Zuppa Toscana and I absolutely think this is the real thing! It tastes just like the Olive Garden soup to me. I made it for dinner tonight and we really enjoyed it. This makes about 4 quarts of soup when it's all put together. The one thing I did differently from the recipe is the sausage. Instead of a pound of spicy Italian sausage, I used a half pound of spicy and a half pound of mild Italian. My cousin had warned me that the spicy was really spicy! So I thought I would share the wealth. Here's the recipe:

Zuppa Toscana
Serves: 10
Prep Time: about 40 minutes

1 pound Italian sausage (half spicy/half mild) crumbled
1/2 pound smoked bacon - chopped (I used Real Bacon crumbles)
1 quart water
30 ounces chicken stock or broth
2 large russet potatoes, scrubbed clean, cut into cubes
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped (I used dried since fresh bothers me)
2 cups chopped kale OR Swiss chard (I used kale, a bit firmer than chard)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste

*In a skillet over med-high heat, brown sausage, breaking into small pieces as you fry it; drain and set aside.
*In a skillet over med-high heat, brown bacon; drain and set aside.
*Put water, broth or stock, potatoes, garlic, and onion in a big pot (6 quart); bring to boil then simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender (about 15 minutes).
*Add sausage and bacon to pot; simmer for 10 minutes. Taste. Add salt and pepper according to taste.
*Add kale to pot and cook for 10 minutes.
*Add cream to pot and heat through.

Note: If you are on a low-carb diet (like Atkins) you can substitute cauliflower for the potatoes and you will hardly notice the difference.