When I go to the Olive Garden I never choose salad anymore, it’s always the soup. And I have such a hard time choosing between the Zuppa Toscana and the Pasta E Fagioli. Normally I get the Pasta E Fagioli because I make the Zuppa Toscana at home BUT…I have a recipe for that as well and today I’m going to share it with you. It does take a little bit longer than the Zuppa Toscana but in the end it’s totally worth it. Not only does it taste almost exactly the same as what you get in the restaurant, it’s a lot less fattening. That’s a WIN WIN if you ask me!


In case you missed it, here is the Zuppa Toscana Recipe.

• 1 pound ground beef – I use the leanest I can get to keep the fat down
• 1 onion – diced
• 2 good sized carrots – julienned
• 3 or 4 stalks of celery – chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic – minced
• 2 – 14.5 ounce cans of petite diced tomatoes
• 15 ounce can of light red kidney beans (including the liquid)
• 15 ounce can of great northern beans or cannellini beans (including the liquid)
• 15 ounce can of tomato sauce
• 12 ounces of V-8 juice
• 1 tablespoon of white vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon of dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
• 1/2 package of ditali pasta (since I can never find this I make ziti noodles and cut them into 1/4′s)

Directions

Brown the ground beef in a large soup pot. Drain off any remaining fat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and simmer until soft. Add the remaining ingredients except for the pasta and simmer for 1 hour. Meanwhile, cook the pasta, drain and set aside (or cut into 1/4′s if necessary). Add the pasta after simmering and let sit for about 5 minutes and serve!

When I want a good soup that’s easy to make and takes no time at all, I turn to this recipe. I almost always have everything on hand with the exception of the heavy cream (which you can always use milk to make it lighter anyway). The best part about this is that it’s made with frozen broccoli!!

Ingredients

• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 large onion (diced – I like using Vidalia onions because they are sweeter)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 6-8 cups chicken broth or stock (I used whatever I have in my pantry)
• Frozen broccoli (I use about 10-16 ounces)
• 3/4-1 cup heavy cream (I use 1 cup since that is the size of the container I buy)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Melt the butter in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Cook the onions and garlic until they are softened and translucent, about five to ten minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir until the flour becomes browned, making a rue. Gradually whisk in the broth or stock. Add the broccoli and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes (adjust this time to your liking – I like my broccoli to still have a firm bite to it). Add the cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.

It does say to roughly puree with an immersion blender in the original recipe but I don’t have one of those fancy things so I leave my broccoli in big chunks.

*Original recipe from the show “Good Deal with Dave Lieberman”
*Image from Food Network.com until I can get my own

When I go to the Olive Garden I have a hard time choosing between soup and salad, but most of the time I go with soup. And that causes a headache too – which soup to get??? I absolutely love the Pasta e Fagioli and the Zuppa Toscana. I have found a recipe that replicates the Pasta e Fagioli that makes it taste even better than what you get at the restaurant but my mom found a recipe for the Zuppa Toscana. I didn’t think it would be so easy to make but it really was! So now I don’t have to choose, I can go to Olive Garden and get one or the other and make the other one at home! I thought I would share this because I know I’m not the only one that loves this soup!

Zuppa Toscana

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground Italian sausage (I used the Johnsonville brand)
• 1½ tsp crushed red peppers (Use less if you don’t want it spicy)
• 1 large diced white onion
• 4 Tbsp bacon pieces (I like bacon so I put a whole package of thick bacon in it)
• 2 tsp garlic chopped or pureed
• 10 cups water
• 5 cubes of chicken bouillon
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes (I used 4 large potatoes because I like more – slice in half and then slice into ¼” thick slices with skin on.)
• ¼ of a bunch of kale (I used 1 bunch of kale because I didn’t want any to go to waste – slice off the stem and then cut into chunks or tear apart.)

Directions:

1. Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, set aside while you prepare other ingredients.
2. In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 mins. or until the onions are soft. *Make sure to render the fat off the bacon, I would put the bacon in first and then add the onions and garlic after you start to render some of the fat off. I also read in another recipe to use real bacon bits instead.
3. Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil.
4. Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.
5. Add the heavy cream and just cook until thoroughly heated.
6. Stir in the sausage and the kale, let all heat through and serve.

Ever have those days that you are craving some chicken dumpling soup? You know, like the stuff that mom used to make. And when you’re sick, you just want some of mom’s homemade chicken dumpling soup. Well now you can make your own! This literally tastes like my mom’s but I have made a few short cuts! This doesn’t take long at all to make either!

YES! It IS that easy!!! And so warm and hearty! This is also very affordable and you can freeze leftovers! If my friends are sick I try to whip this up quickly for them because it always makes people feel better. Share the love!!!

So over the weekend I decided I wanted to make some soup. I wanted to try a new recipe since I tend to make a lot of the same things, chicken dumpling soup, chili, taco soup, etc. etc. So I found this Emeril Lagasse recipe for Broccoli and Cheese soup and decided to try it except there were a few things that I wanted to add or add more of, so I did. That is the best part about cooking vs. baking – you can add or omit whatever you would like! Whatever you do, don’t leave out the croutons! They added a whole different level of seasoning and they were so easy to make! I added the carrots to this recipe and I think next time I might add some cauliflower as well – if you have any ideas of things to add let me know!

Cheesy Broccoli Soup

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup yellow onions – I used 1 large onion because I like onions
• 1 cup carrots (I cut them into matchstick size)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper – I used black pepper
• Pinch nutmeg – I used freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic – I used about 2 cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves – I used probably a good tablespoon because I love thyme
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups chicken stock or canned, low-sodium chicken broth – I used 4 cups of chicken stock to make it a bit more ‘soupy’
• 1 (16-ounce) package frozen broccoli, thawed and separated
• 1/2 cup heavy cream – I ended up using about a cup of heavy cream since I used more stock
• 1 1/4 cups shredded medium Cheddar - I used mild cheddar
• Croutons, for garnish, recipe follows – don’t skip this part!

Directions

In a medium pot, melt the 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme, cook, stirring until fragrant, for 20 seconds. Add the flour and cook, stirring until the mixture is well blended and smells fragrant, 2 minutes. Slowly add the chicken stock, whisking constantly, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook, stirring, until tender, for 10 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and puree with a hand-held immersion blender. (Alternatively, in batches, puree in a blender or food processor and return to the pot.) – I skipped this part because I had cut down the size of my broccoli and I like chunks of veggies in my soup.

Add the cream and bring to barely a simmer to heat through. Add the cheese and cook over low heat, stirring, until melted. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter, stirring to blend.

Remove from the heat and ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle croutons and shredded cheese over the top of the soup and serve immediately.

Croutons:

• 1 cup 1/2 to 3/4-inch cubed French bread – I used about 3 cups to make more to put away.
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon Essence or Creole seasoning, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the bread in a medium bowl and toss with oil and Essence. Spread evenly on a small baking sheet and bake, stirring twice, until light golden brown on top, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly before serving.

Emeril’s ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme – I skipped this because I didn’t have any but I did put a bit more oregano in

Combine all ingredients thoroughly. – I didn’t use all of the seasoning because there was a lot! I saved some for next time