Zuppa Toscana

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 5 minutes
• total time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

4 slices bacon (sliced into ½-inch pieces)

1 pound Italian sausage (made from below recipe)

½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

4 medium yellow potatoes (diced into bite-sized pieces)

1 medium white or yellow onion (diced)

2 tablespoons garlic (minced, about 4 cloves)

4 cups chicken stock

½ bunch kale (stems removed and leaves chopped, 4 cups)

1 13.5-ounce can unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk

Salt and pepper (to taste)

1 pound ground pork

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon ground fennel seed (optional)

pinch dried oregano

pinch dried thyme

Directions

If making Italian sausage: combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Alternately, combine all ingredients in the saucepan and stir well when browning.

In a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed medium pot over medium heat, add Italian sausage and sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes over. Use a spoon to break up the pieces. When browned and cooked through, drain and set aside.

Cook the bacon pieces in the same Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 5-10 minutes. Remove the crisp bacon and set aside - don't get rid of the bacon fat! Stir in the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Pour the chicken broth into the Dutch oven with the onions and garlic, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, and boil until fork tender, about 10-20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the coconut milk and the cooked sausage; heat through. Add the bacon and the kale into the soup just before serving and cook until the kale is bright green and softened. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition

• Calories: 394 kcal
• Total Fat: 24 g
• Saturated Fat: 16 g
• Cholesterol: 14 mg
• Sodium: 765 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 35 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5 g
• Total Sugars: 5 g
• Protein: 13 g