Zuppa Toscana Soup from Olive Garden

Update: This recipe is VERY good -- tastes very much like the Olive Garden soup. It is a little spicy though -- so if you don't like spicy food better use mild Italian sausage. :-)

So, it has been chilly the last couple of days so I thought soup sounded REALLY good right now. I went through my soup recipes, but just nothing sounded good. I thought ... "the potato soup from Olive Garden sounds really good." So, I googled for the recipe -- I knew somebody had probably came up with something similar to that soup. I found a recipe and tried it today. It is simmering on the stove right now. I'll be anxious to see if it tastes close to the one from Olive Garden. I will add to this post later and let you know if this recipe is good or not!

Zuppa Toscana Soup

5 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup light cream
2 medium russet potatoes
4 cups chopped kale (I didn't know what this is -- it's a type of cabbage -- so you could substitute cabbage or spinach)
1 lb. hot Italian sausage
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Combine the stock and the cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Slice the unpeeled potatoes into 1/4 inch slices, then quarter the slices and add them to the soup. Add the kale. Grill or saute the sausage. When cooked and cooled, cut the sausage in an angle about 1/2 inch thick. Add the sausage to the soup. Add the spices and let the soup simmer for about 2 hours. Stir occasionally.