Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Healthy Zuppa Toscana (Whole30, Paleo, Dairy-Free)


I am pretty positive I like this version over the regular one! My whole family devoured this on a cool evening! Make this asap-you won't regret it! Recipe and photo from 40Aprons. (I do not make my own sausage, by the way. Just used store-bought. Keepin it real, folks! )

 Prep Time 5 minutes
 Cook Time 45 minutes
 Total Time 50 minutes
 Servings 6
 Calories 394 kcal

Ingredients for soup (not the sausage):

4 slices Whole30-compliant bacon cut into about 1/2" pieces
1 pound Italian sausage made from below recipe or storebought
1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
4 medium yellow potatoes about 1 pound 3 ounces, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 medium white or yellow onion diced
2 tablespoons garlic minced, about 4 cloves
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 bunch kale stems removed and leaves chopped, 4 cups
1 can coconut milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Homemade Whole30 Italian Sausage:

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
1/4 teaspoon ground fennel seed (optional)
pinch dried oregano
pinch dried thyme

Instructions:
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 'til the kale is bright green and softened. Add salt and pepper to taste.