Cold Rainy Day Potato and Sausage Soup gluten free, everyday ingredients.
After temps in the 90's last week, down to 60's beginning of this week and raining heavily. Time to make easy potato and sausage soup for warmth.
seems to be similar to Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana
gluten free, easily dairy free.
I was looking at AllRecipes.com for advice on cube steak and saw a mention of copy cat soups. I looked at zuppa toscana and thought it was very similar to my Potato, onion and sausage soup, and I had the kielbase already. Interestingly the allrecipes version quotes smoked sausage but TOG menu says spicy ground Italian sausage, and one of reviewers said she worked at TOG for 4 years and they did make it with spicy ground Italian sausage. Changes to my recipe, add smoked paprika to the kielbase, frozen chopped spinach instead of kale (others said the same) and skimmed evaporated milk instead of lots of heavy cream. We enjoyed it but have never had TOG's soup.
Potatoes on their own are a vehicle for whatever else they are served with. They soak up juices from the beef stew or chicken casserole, they melt down in a soup or they are layered with cream etc in scalloped potatoes. So for a soup they need tasty additions. Plenty of onion and a good stock are the first basics. I generally also like to add chopped carrots and celery for the base in the traditional French style of a mirepoix (onion, celery and carrot mixed together) but that means more work, time and cost.
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
4 slices Oscar Mayer center cut bacon or Jones Dairy Farm bacon scissored thin-stated to be gluten free. You can leave bacon out if you want.
1 lb gf kielbase or Italian sausage, removed from casing and crumbled or buy ground without casings. (recipe suggestions on line said 1/2 lb sweet Italian and 1/2 lb Hot/Spicy Italian, removed from casings and crumbled. Market Baskets raw kielbase says about 30% less fat and it's true. I had cooked sausage separately and there was almost no fat in pan. I do find salt content varies from batch to batch if you want to eat the sausage on its own. I've also substituted 2 fully cooked Old Neighborhood, HOT chorizo sausage, labeled gluten free, quartered lengthwise and cut small. Very definite heat in the mouth, too hot for my husband, I was fine with heat.
2 tbsp olive oil
1+1/2 lbs Red potatoes cut in ½-1” cubes. Quicker without peeling (why do you think restaurants make a big deal about smashed red potatoes) , more color and more fiber. I've also used a large raw sweet potato (some shredded, some cubed) that I wanted to use up instead of regular potato.
6 cup (48 fl oz) gluten free chicken or beef broth.
½ tsp dried thyme (1 tsp,5 ml fresh thyme). Tie herbs up in a coffee filter bag if family don’t like to see the green ‘bits’ floating in a soup.
2 bayleaves.
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2- 1 tsp smoked paprika. 1/2 tsp is a gentle whisper of heat. Not necessary if you use hot sausage.
about 1 c frozen chopped spinach - about 1/4 of 1 lb bag of frozen. I keep it in the freezer and add to various soups. It's very finely chopped so not so obvious. I've also substituted chopped stalks of fresh broccoli with potatoes, and florets added at end.
12 oz (1+1/2 cups) evaporated skimmed/fat free milk or Asian style coconut milk, fat free half and half.
1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water if needed. I use Argo cornstarch labeled gluten free. optional.
shredded cheddar, Swiss, smoked Gouda to finish - optional.
1. In a large pan cook bacon with olive oil until it is giving up its fat and juices, add onion and cook until onion is softening, add crumbled sausage and cook for about 5 minutes until looking cooked. It won't really change color.
2. Stir in garlic and potatoes, add stock, herbs, smoked paprika, some salt and pepper, and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. 5 minutes in my electric pressure cooker. In a regular pan, liquid can evaporate if lid is loose so extra liquid might need to be added at end.
3. Add spinach, bring back to the boil, and simmer for about 5 minutes to cook spinach.
4. Add evaporated milk or coconut milk and cornstarch mixed with water, stir well, bring back to the boil and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes or until soup has thickened slightly. My husband likes it thick enough that vegetables are bound up in thin sauce rather than floating in a liquid. Don't thicken if you don't want to or don't need to.
4. Stir in cheese, turn off the heat and leave covered for a few minutes while cheese melts. Stir cheese into soup and serve with some fresh chopped parsley or green of green onions. I also prefer to just sprinkle some cheese on each portion as you serve it.
Al Fresco, Old Neighborhood and Thin and Trim do a range of cooked, gluten free sausages - chipotle chorizo, buffalo, feta and spinach, sun dried tomato, apple and maple, Chinese, pineapple and pork. German style with sliced hot dog/frankfurter. Any leftover cooked chicken, beef, pork, ham will work. Cook a ham or pork bone with raw potatoes from the beginning., even cook a raw pork chop and then shred the meat into soup at end.
