I made a recipe based on Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana soup. It's a rich and spicy potato soup and so far has great reviews.
http://www.food.com/recipe/better-th...toscana-493203
Zuppa Toscana
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1 lb ground mild Italian sausage
4 -6 russet potatoes, thinly sliced or peeled and diced
1 -1 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large white onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons real bacon pieces
10 cups water, divided
7 teaspoons better than bouillon chicken base
1/3 bunch fresh kale, stemmed and torn
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper
shredded pecorino romano cheese (optional) or parmesan cheese (optional)
Directions:
1 In a large pot on medium-high heat add the ground sausage and crushed red pepper flakes. Using a spatula, break up the sausage until it's cooked through. Pour sausage into a large bowl and set aside.
2 In the same pot add the olive oil, chopped onion, and bacon pieces until the onions become translucent. Add garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
3 Add 2 cups of water to the pot and stir well. Add the chicken concentrate and stir to combine. Then add the remaining 8 cups of water.
4 Add potatoes and cook until fork tender. Add a little salt to the broth if necessary to make sure the potatoes will absorb for maximum flavor.
5 After potatoes are done, add the cooked sausage back into the soup. Skim off most of the fat from the sausage that floats onto the surface.
6 Add the fresh kale and stir in to allow the leaves to soften slightly.
7 Add the heavy cream and stir.
8 Salt and pepper to taste.
9 Garnish each serving with shredded parmesan or pecorino romano cheese, if desired.