Potato Sausage Soup - An Olive Garden Knock Off

I made a soup last weekend from a recipe I got at work that was so delicious I just have to share it.

Olive Garden Potato Sausage Soup

Ingredients - 1 lb vegetarian Italian sausage, 4-6 strips veggie bacon, 1 large white onion - diced, 3 lb. russet potatoes - peeled and sliced, 2 TB garlic puree (or one entire bulb diced), 1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper, 5 chicken bullion cubes, 10 cups water, 1 C. heavy cream (I used fat-free half and half), 1/4 bunch kale.

Brown the sausage and the crushed red pepper. Set aside. Fry the bacon, onion and garlic. Add bouillon cubes and water. When the water comes to a boil, add the potatoes, sausage, and pepper. Gently simmer 30 minutes until potatoes are soft. Add cream and heat thoroughly. Add chopped Kale before serving. Makes 6-8 servings. Delicious!

This is a full body recipe. When I browned the sausage with the crushed red pepper, the smell and the tang of the peppers filled the entire house. Everybody knew I was cooking something spicy. You might want to add less than 1 1/2 tsp. of crushed red pepper.