Zuppa Toscana

recipe slightly modified from 40Aprons

Ingredients:
4 slices organic, uncured bacon , cut into about 1/2″ pieces
1 pound Italian sausage , made from below recipe
1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
16 ounce organic potatoes, I used small bite sized potatoes cut in half
1 medium white or yellow onion , diced
2 tablespoons garlic , minced, about 4 cloves
4 cups organic chicken stock
4 cups chopped kale
1 can coconut milk
Salt and pepper , to taste

Homemade Italian Sausage
1 pound organic ground pork or turkey (I used turkey)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley or 2 teaspoons dried
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground fennel seed optional (I didn’t have this, delicious without)
pinch dried oregano
pinch dried thyme

Instructions
If making Italian sausage: combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Alternately, combine all ingredients in saucepan and stir well when browning.

In a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed medium pot over medium heat, add Italian sausage and sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes over. Use a spoon to break up the pieces. When browned and cooked through, drain and set aside.
Cook the bacon pieces in the same Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 5-10 minutes. Remove the crisp bacon and set aside – don’t get rid of the bacon fat! Stir in the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Pour the chicken broth into the Dutch oven with the onions and garlic, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, and boil until fork tender, about 10-20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the coconut milk and the cooked sausage; heat through. Add the bacon and the kale into the soup just before serving and cook ’til the kale is bright green and softened. Add salt and pepper to taste.