8 oz. sliced mushrooms (baby bella, crimini, or white; whichever you prefer)
4-6 slices of bacon crumbled (real bacon, not bacon bits)
2 packages Swanson Natural Goodness lower-sodium chicken broth – 32 oz each. 64 oz total.
6-8 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled & diced
1 C heavy cream (alternatives: 1 C sour cream, or 8 oz cream cheese)
8 oz. baby spinach (or to your liking) or baby kale
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional, if you prefer a lot of spice)
RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS:
In a soup kettle, cook Italian sausage until crumbly and browned—about 10 minutes.
Add bacon slices (or pre-cooked real bacon crumbles) in the same pan as Italian sausage and cook until crisp.
Transfer the Italian sausage and bacon mixture into a side bowl, making sure to leave about a tablespoon of fat/oils in the pan. Drain excess fat.
Add the sliced mushrooms to the remaining tablespoon of bacon/sausage fats in your soup kettle. Cook until mushrooms sweat and absorb the oils.
Add the diced onion and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onions start to turn translucent.
Add both cartons of broth and bring to a low simmer.
Add the peeled and diced potatoes to the soup kettle.
Add the cooked Italian sausage and crumbled bacon slices to the soup kettle.
Let simmer on low until potatoes are cooked.
Once potatoes are cooked. Turn off the heat. Add the cream and stir.
Add the baby spinach and stir. I like to add the spinach when the soup has cooled a bit so that it wilts in the warm soup without getting overly cooked.
Add red pepper flakes to taste or omit them.
Serve.
Keeps well in the refrigerator for 5 days. It can be easily microwaved for a quick meal. Great with crunchy bread for dipping.
