Italian Potato Soup- Olive Garden

1 lb. ground Italian Sausage 5 cubes chicken bouillon

1 t. crushed red peppers 1 cup half & half

1 large onion, diced 1 ½ cups white beans, dry(or I use a can), 2-3 small potato's

3 cloves garlic, pressed 1 cup kale, chopped

10 cups water ¼ cup parmesan cheese

2 stalks celery, dice


Place beans in sauce pan, cover with water and soak overnight. (or use can of beans) Saute’ sausage and red pepper in a large pot. Drain fat and rinse sausage. Sauté onion, celery and garlic in 1 T olive oil until onions are soft. In a crockpot, mix chicken bouillon and water and then add sauted vegetables. Cook on low for 4 hours. Add *half & half, stir in sausage. Keep on warm until ready to serve. Just before serving, add kale and parmesan cheese. Garnish with grated Asiago cheese or Parmesan.


*For a lower fat recipe, omit half & half. Then remove 2 cup of beans with a slotted spoon and set aside. In a blender at low speed, blend remaining soup in small batches until smooth. Once blended pour soup back into crockpot; stir in reserved beans and add sausage.