Zuppa Toscana copycat Olive Garden recipe lower fat

Zuppa Toscana copycat soup
 with homemade breadsticks

If you have ever had Olive Garden's soup, salad and breadsticks for lunch, you may have had zuppa toscana soup.  It's a delicious creamy soup with spicy Italian sausage, kale, potatoes and a whole lot of flavor.

So when a friend posted her favorite copycat recipe for it, I was excited to make it.  However, when I looked at the recipe, it was not even remotely healthy, so I made a few changes to the recipe to make it healthier.  I replaced pork Italian sausage with my favorite chicken Italian sausage.  Then I swapped out heavy cream for milk or half and half.  I used the half and half since I had a lot on hand, but milk would work just fine. 

I find that sometimes chicken or turkey Italian sausage do not have as much flavor as pork Italian sausage and decided that it needed a bit more fennel.  Your sausage may be different and you may or may not want to use the fennel.

Be sure when you make this that you do not overcook the potatoes.  Otherwise they will fall apart.  This was so good that I definitely plan on making it again. 

One other thing; my friend made a version of this where she substituted potatoes for cauliflower.  If you are trying to watch your carbs, this may be a good swap out.  For us, though, potatoes were key.

Let me know how you like this and if you make other changes to the recipe.  Here it is:

Zuppa Toscana (Lower fat copycat of Olive Garden's soup)
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Serves : 6

·       1 tbsp Oil

·       1 lb. hot/spicy Italian sausage – crumbled (I used Sprouts hot Italian chicken sausage)

·       1 medium onion, diced

·       2 garlic cloves – minced

·       1 qt. water

·       1 qt. ium Chicken broth

·       2 large russet potatoes – slice in half lengthwise and then slice into ¼ inch slices

·       3 cups de-stemmed/chopped kale (cut pieces slightly larger than would fit on a spoon)

·       3 oz Smoked Bacon Bits

·       1 cup heavy whipping cream, half and half or milk (I used half and half)

·       2 tbsp all purpose flour, if using half and half or milk

·       1 tsp ground fennel, optional

·       salt and pepper - to taste (heavier on pepper – it doesn’t need much salt because of the bacon) 

1.     If sausage is in a casing, remove casing to crumble. 

2.     Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add sausage and brown sausage, breaking into small pieces as you sauté it.  Drain and set aside.  Remove fat from the pan if there is more than a few tablespoons.

3.     Sauté onions in the same pan as the sausage until the onions are translucent.  Add in the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds.’

4.     Place water, broth, and potatoes in the pot.  Simmer over medium high heat until potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes – don’t overcook because it will be cooking an additional 10 minutes).

5.     Add sausage. kale and bacon to pot; simmer for 10 minutes. (Skim any fat off the top that you can.)

6.     If using half and half or milk, stir a little into the flour and mix well making sure there are no lumps.  Then add cream, half and half or milk, along with flour mixture, if using, to pot.  Season with salt and pepper  Taste and add ground fennel, if desired.  (ground fennel will add more of a sausage flavor that you may want if you use chicken sausage.)  Heat through bringing to almost a boil if using flour in the soup.. 

 

The best eggplant parmesan recipe that is so easy to make

 

 

I made a pact to make at least one meatless meal a week.  Sometimes I do well on this...other times, not so much.  With Lent upon us, there will definitely be more meatless dishes being served.

One of my favorite dishes is eggplant parmesan.  I often order it at restaurants and am equally often disappointed in the dish that I am served.

Since it is easy to make, I'd like to share my version so that you can make it at home yourself.  I also make a very simple sauce that I use on both chicken parm and eggplant parm.  See the recipe after the eggplant parm recipe.

 

Eggplant Parmesan

Serves 4

• 2 Medium sized eggplant
• 2 tbsp Kosher salt
• 1 cup All purpose flour (more if needed)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 cup Bread crumbs (more if needed)
• Kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder
• Vegetable oil
• Cooking spray
• Spaghetti or marinara sauce (see my favorite simple recipe at the end of this blog)
• Parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil

1. Peel eggplant and slice into ½ inch thick slices. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Place in a colander over a plate and set aside for about 15 minutes to let the liquid drain. Rinse very well to remove the saltiness and drain well.  Dry off the eggplant slices.  I like to lay drained eggplant slices on paper towels and lightly press out the excess liquid.

2. To prepare for breading: Place the flour on one plate. Mix together the eggs and water in a bowl large enough to lay an eggplant slice flat. Place the bread crumbs in another plate.

3. Add oil to frying pan so that it is about ½” deep. Heat the oil to about 350°. Do not overheat. You may need to add additional oil as you continue frying the eggplant.

4. Dredge a slice of eggplant in the flour. Shake off the excess flour. Dip the eggplant into the egg mixture letting the extra egg drip off. Finally, cover the eggplant with bread crumbs, shaking off the excess crumbs. Make as many as will fit into your frying pan. If you have time, you can place the breaded eggplant in the refrigerator for an hour or so.  This will help the breading set.  If not...start frying.

 

5.  Place the eggplant in the oil and fry until the first side browns. Turn over and let the second side brown. Do not overcook or the eggplant will become soggy. Place fried eggplant on paper towels to absorb any extra oil. Repeat until all the eggplant pieces are fried.

6. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. Spray a baking pan with cooking spray. Place a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan. Shingle the eggplant rounds into the baking pan. Ladle some of the sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle with some grated parmesan cheese. Place in the oven until the cheese melts. Optionally, use the microwave to heat the sauce and melt the cheese over the eggplant.

7. Place on a plate, sprinkle with more cheese, if desired. Tear some fresh basil over the top and serve.

 

If you have more eggplant than you are going to serve, it freezes well.  I just bread and cook it, then place in a plastic ziptop bag.

 

   You can always use bottled spaghetti or marinara sauce, but I absolutely love the simple red sauce that I make to go with my eggplant or chicken parm.  It's easy, made with ingredients I almost always have on hand, and I can control what ingredients are used.  

 

 

Basic Red Sauce for Chicken and Eggplant Parmesan

Makes about 6 cups 

·       2 tsp Extra virgin olive oil

·       1 large Onion, chopped fine

·       3 cloves Garlic, minced OR

·       1 tsp Garlic powder

·       3, 15-oz cans Crushed tomatoes

·       ¾ tsp Kosher salt

·       Heaping ¼ tsp Freshly ground black pepper

·       2 ½ tsp Dried Italian seasoning

·       ¼ to ½ cup Water, as needed

·       ¼ cup Grated parmesan cheese

·       ¼ tsp Baking soda (optional) 

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan.  Add onions and sauté until translucent.  Add garlic and sauté another 30 seconds or so. 

2. Carefully add the crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.  Stir well.  Bring pan to a boil then bring down to a simmer.  Simmer until flavors meld….about 20 minutes.  If mixture becomes too thick, add a little water.  

3. Add parmesan then simmer another 5 minutes.  Right before serving, taste it one more time.  If it is a too acidic, add in baking soda until the flavor is less acidic.