Fast, Easy, & Yummy Zupa Toscana Replica
Fast, Easy, & Yummy Zupa Toscana Replica
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Make your very own Zupa Toscana Replica right at home!
When it’s pouring cats and dogs outside and you feel like there’s nothing that can warm the chill inside your bones and all you can think about is a warm bowl of that heavenly goodness of Italian sausage, creamy potatoes, and crisp kale from Olive Garden.
You know the one I’m talking about it.
The only reason you have that’s worth you getting up out of your chair for.
That’s right!
The only other special that matters besides the Never Ending Pasta special.
It’s during their seasonal soup and salad specials, of course! 😉
Yep! It’s that famous Zupa Toscana!
I just love that stuff, and apparently, and so does the rest of my family, especially, my son, who’s a super huge foodie!
This year, we are trying to get into the mindset of eating to live.
One too many trips to Olive Garden has spurred me to recreate this wannabe bowl at home. Not only does it save us money from eating out so much, but it also helps curb our appetites and waistline.
Truth be told, since I have decided to make it a family goal to be a little bit more intentional about our diet as well as our food budget this year. It has become quite a challenge for us on a weekly basis to follow through on that though.
However, what happens more often than not is that we tend to live to eat! 🙂
We love our food, and we do not want to sacrifice on the flavor nor the freshness of the ingredients that we use to prepare our meals. This Zupa recipe is a very close contender if not, a good replica of the real thing from our favorite Italian Food Chain Restaurant.
Cost Breakdown of the Fast, Easy, & Yummy Zupa Toscana Replica Meal:
Since I am all about living frugally, here is the true cost breakdown for this meal. I am using this helpful guide to assume prices at Kroger’s website, only because I like their search feature the best.
This meal serves a family of 4 and plenty for seconds and leftovers for meals during the week. You can also freeze the leftovers and eat them later. Just pop it in the microwave between 30 seconds – 1 minute per serving.
-1 Tube (1 lb) Ground Turkey 85/15————————-$2.49
-2 Tblsp. Olive Oil———————————————-on hand
-1 tsp. Salt——————————————————-on hand
-1 tsp. Ground Black Pepper———————————on hand
-1 tsp. minced garlic——————————————–$1.99
-1/2 tsp. Granulated White Sugar—————————on hand
-1/2 tsp. garlic salt———————————————-on hand
-1/2 tsp. onion powder—————————————–on hand
-2 Tblsp. Soy Sauce———————————————-on hand
-1 qt. Heavy Cream———————————————-$3.69
-1 package of frozen raw kale———————————$0.89 (I buy these fresh, wash, & freeze them for this recipe)
-1 chopped white onion—————————————–$0.67
-4 russet potatoes———————————————–$3.99
-1.5-2 qts. water (or ½ of a pot)
*Optional:
-Can also substitute ground turkey for Veggie Crumbles as a Vegetarian option
-2 strips of leftover cooked bacon from this morning’s breakfast
-Grated Parmesan as a garnish or to taste——————————-$2.49
-Bacon Bits/Imitation Bacon Bits as a garnish or to taste————–$1.49
Total Cost of this Family-Sized Meal: $17.70, which is $4.26 per person to feed a family of 4 plus leftovers!
Give it a try and see for yourself! Want more quick and frugal meal ideas, try this one here.
Let me know how it turns out for you, in the comments below.
Directions:Â
1- On your stovetop, drizzle in the oil. Then add your garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Next, add your onions and saute another minute or until translucent.
2- Add your “ground meat” and the rest of the dry spices to your soup pot and cook and brown it evenly. No need to dirty another pan, just drain the oil after the meat is cooked. This can be ground beef, turkey, ground Italian sausage, or even veggie crumbles. The choice is yours on how “healthy,” you’re choosing to consume your zupa tonight.
3- Add soy sauce to your meat mixture. This is my not-so-secret ingredient obviously because I always have it on hand and also because I can never justify buying Worcester sauce only to use it once in a blue moon. Sautee for another 2 minutes.
4-Add your potato wedges over top of your meat mixture and saute well for another couple of minutes.
5-Add cold water to cover and submerge your potatoes in the soup pot. Cook on high until water is boiling, about 2 minutes depending on your stove.
6-Then simmer on low medium for at least 15 minutes, until potatoes are flaky and fully cooked.
7-Add the kale and the heavy cream right before serving.
8-Serve with your favorite garlic bread or freshly baked baguette. Enjoy!
*Note:
This recipe can also be made in the slow cooker if you are pressed for time. Just have all of your ingredients ready the night before and toss everything inside your slow cooker before you head off to work.
You will have a gourmet meal waiting for you when you come back home in a few hours. No need to order takeout.
Set the setting on your slow cooker to cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
Remember to ONLY add the kale and the heavy cream last, right before you serve.
Enjoy!

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