Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana

It's been a chilly January here in California

(And, by chilly, I mean it's been in the 50's....we are wimps!)

The cold weather makes me crave soup.

I love soup....especially soup that I can make in my crock pot!

Here is one of our favorites....Zuppa Toscana...have you had it at Olive Garden?

One reason I like this soup is because it is packed full of kale....so healthy!

All the kale balances out the 1 cup of cream that you add to the soup, right? ;)

Here is what you need:

1 pound Italian sausage, cooked (I use spicy, but you can use mild)

3 russet potatoes, cut into bite-sized cubes

1 onion, chopped

 1 cup Hormel black label bacon, cooked and chopped (plus, save some to garnish your soup)

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

32 ounces chicken broth

2-3 cups of kale, cut/torn into bite-sized pieces

1 cup whipping cream (you can also use 1/2 & 1/2 or milk)

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Cayenne Pepper, to taste

Directions:

 Brown sausage in pan.
 Place cooked sausage, chicken broth, garlic, potatoes and onion in slow cooker. Add just enough water to cover the vegetables and meat.

Cook on high 3-4 hours (low 5-6 hours) until potatoes are soft.
(This is when I cook my bacon. I cook it in the oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. I let it cool & then I chop it up. I usually cook 4-5 slices of bacon)

15- 30 minutes before serving the soup:

  Add cream, kale & 1 cup of chopped bacon to the crock pot, stir.

Cook on high 15-30 minutes or until broth thickens slightly (if you want a thick soup, you can whisk 1 Tablespoon of flour to your cream/milk before you add it to the crock pot)

Add salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste.

 Top with more bacon immediately before serving.

Mmmmm....I love bacon, which is why I always add more as a garnish. You can never have too much bacon...am I right or am I right? :)

Hope you love this soup as much as we do!
You can serve it by itself or with a salad & crusty french bread.
 

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Be sure and enter my FitBit Giveaway on THIS post if you haven't done so already!
 Giveaway ends this weekend!

Speaking of Fitbits.....this video cracked me up....so true....gotta get those steps in, even while cooking! I have been known to do laps around my house just so I get my 10,000 steps in for the day! Ha!

I don't know about you but I gotsa get my steps in anyway I can...B'Neika TashelleWhat are some unique ways you make sure you get your steps in for the day? #dontjudgeme #gettinginthosesteps #cookandjig
Posted by Once Upon a Squat on Monday, October 5, 2015

Soup's On: Cheesy Broccoli Soup

Welcome to the 2nd Annual Soup's On Recipe Link Up!

I have a delicious soup to share with you today.

It's one of my favorites and SO easy to make!

 Here is what you need:

1 stick butter
Diced Onion (I am a cheater & buy pre-diced onion because my eyes are so sensitive to onion)
2 Tablespoons Minced Garlic (I am a lazy with this also & buy the pre minced garlic)

1/3 cup flour 

  4 cups of whole milk (I like it creamy so I do 2 cups whole milk & 2 cups of Half & Half. I am sure you could use low fat milk if you wanted to cut the fat)
1 can chicken broth

3 heads broccoli, cut into florets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups grated cheddar cheese

Directions

In your soup pot, melt the butter and saute the diced onions and garlic:

 This is what pre-minced garlic looks like. Love it. Lazy cooks unite!

 After 5 minutes of sauteing the butter, onions & garlic, add in the 1/3 cup of flour.

Stir it in until it is all dissolved and cook heat it up for a few minutes.

 Add the can of chicken broth.

Add in your milk/half & half and have your stove on simmer.

 While the soup is simmering, dice up your broccoli. I just use the florets & discard the thick stems.

I like big broccoli chunks, but cut them up to whatever size/consistency you like.

 Add the broccoli to the soup!

Add some salt & pepper. I like LOTS of pepper.

 Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Make sure the soup doesn't boil. Nothing is worse than boiled milk. Yuck!

 After 30 minutes & right before you serve the soup, it's time to add the cheese.

You will need 4 cups of cheese. Again, I am lazy so I use the pre-grated bags.

I like a mix of cheeses, so I always do a 2 cup bag of Sharp Cheddar and a 2 cup bag of triple cheddar.

 SLOWLY add the cheese to the soup, a handful at a time.

Stir each handful in so that the cheese is nice and melted.

 You will get a very nice consistency:

 Sometimes, if I have bacon in my fridge, I will cook some up to add as a garnish to the soup.

The soup is wonderful on it's own, but who doesn't love bacon?!!?\

I dice up some bacon, line a baking sheet with foil & bake in a 375 oven for 15-20 min.

Oven cooked bacon is the way to go. So easy!

 When it's time to serve the soup, I add another sprinkle of cheese & some bacon!

And, I always serve it with french bread. I love bread. And carbs. And bacon.

 Yummy. Comfort Soup at it's finest!

 Very easy to make & delicious. And, like I said before, you don't need to add the bacon, the soup is still wonderful without out it!
**Serves about 8-10 people**

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I can't wait to see YOUR recipes!
The linky will be open until next Wednesday February 27th.