Restaurant Style Zuppa Toscana

Link to original recipe on allrecipes.com http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Restaurant-Style-Zuppa-Toscana/Detail.aspx

Yield 6 servings (easy to make more to freeze though!)

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) smoked sausage
2 potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices
3/4 cup chopped onion
6 slices of bacon
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 cups kale- washed, dried, and shredded
2 tablespoons chicken soup base
1 quart water
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:
1 Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2. Place sausge links onto a sheet pan and bake for 25 mins or until done. Cut links in half lengthwise then cut at an angle into 1/2 inch slices
3. Place onions and bacon slices in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until onions are almost clear. Remove bacon and crumble. Set aside
4. Add garlic to the onions and cook an additional minute. Add soup base, water, and potatoes, simmer 15 minutes.
5. Add crumbled bacon, sausage, kale, and cream. Simmer 4 minutes and serve.

My thoughts:
I'm not sure why I posted the original recipe because I altered it quite a bit off the readers comments and availability. I used about 1/2 pound of crumbled italian ground sausage instead of the smoked sausage and turkey bacon (which I microwaved and put in the chopper instead). I also used spinach leaves in place of the kale because it was easier available and how I think it's served at Olive Garden. I do recommend chopping the potatoes as directed because I used red potatoes and cubed them and they still didn't quite get soft enough on the bigger chunks. Also to reduce the fat I used half and half cream and the turkey bacon as another allrecipe user recommended and it still tasted just as great! 6 bouillon cubes will work in place of the powdered chicken base. Enjoy!