Whenever our family goes out for dining, I try to find something on the menu I have never had before, a combination of foods I wouldn’t have thought of before. Zuppa Toscana was on the menu at the Olive Garden restaurant in the States, where we were vacationing. I was intrigued by the description:  a soup with sausage meat, potatoes and spinach – I had to try it! The meat was very finely minced and had a little surprise element: it was spicy! Normally, I don’t like my food too spicy, but this added such a nice kick to the otherwise bland soup that I was hooked! This soup is hearty and at the same time delicate in its simplicity. So I tried to replicate it at home, and this is what I came up with:

Ingredients:

4 hot Italian sausages, casing removed
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb of small potatoes, unpeeled and sliced
5-6 cups chicken broth
10 oz. fresh baby spinach
3/4 cup cream

Instructions:

Brown the onion and the crumbled sausage meat in a soup pot. Add garlic and saute, then add the chicken broth and cover the pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 30 minutes or until the sausage meat has become soft. Then add the sliced potatoes and let cook for another 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Sir in the cream and the spinach. Serve right away.

Note: I used “Allians” potatoes, which are very buttery and flavourful. They are just a little bigger than fingerlings, and just the right size when sliced. But you can substitute with mini potatoes or fingerlings.