Zuppa Toscana...Beer Based Soup

Similar to Olive Garden's soup, only better!  

This soup starts with a base of beer, butter and onion that is leftover from the Beer Brats recipe that I posted yesterday.  It had such a nice flavor and I just couldn't bring myself to throw it away.  I thought I could easy turn it into a soup, so I did!  This base paired with a copycat of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana is scrumptious!  I couldn't stop "sampling" it before dinner. 

Ingredients 

Beer Brat soup base w/ 1 or more beer brats - see yesterday's recipe or see the note below***

1 Jimmy Dean's fully cooked sausage patty

1 Box of chicken broth

3 medium potatoes (red)

2 large mushrooms

1/4 c. diced onion

1 t. minced garlic 

6 turns of a pepper grinder 

2 c. chopped kale

1/4 c. heavy whipping cream 

Directions

Heat the beer brat soup base in a large stockpot along with a box of chicken broth.  Add thinly sliced potatoes. 

Thinly slice the leftover beer brat.  If you have more than one great!  These have a really nice beer infused flavor to them and the base adds a richness to the soup that you are going to love!  Use up to 2 more brats.  If you only have 1 brat, add a finely diced sausage patty.  

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and thinly slice the stems and caps.  Cut the cap slices in half. Add the diced onions, remember you already have some beer infused onions from the stock!  YUM! Add the minced garlic and the black pepper.  I prefer fresh ground pepper, but if you don't have a pepper grinder use about 1/4-1/2 t. of black pepper.  I don't add additional salt to my recipes for health reasons, but please do not add salt to this recipe.  It has enough in it already from the butter, chicken broth and brats/sausage.  Simmer everything until the potatoes and fresh onions are tender. 

(I wish you could smell this!  ...AMAZING!) 

 Add the cream and chopped kale.  Allow the soup to simmer for a minute or two before serving.

ENJOY!!!  

***NOTE:  To make the beer soup base without making the full beer brats recipe:  

1 bottle of beer

 4 T. butter 

1/2 c. onions

  2 - 3 beer brats 

Cook until the brats are fully cooked.  Grill the brats and return to the saucepan.  Allow them to sit in the beer based broth to soak up all the goodness.