Italian Sausage Potato Soup

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This rich and creamy Italian Sausage Potato Soup features spicy Italian sausage, tender red or yellow potatoes, carrots, and nutritious spinach. A hearty meal that's ready in under an hour!

 

Recipe Highlights

• Bold & Flavorful – I paired spicy Italian sausage with tender potatoes, garlic, onions, carrots, and fresh spinach. Let’s call it nutritional balance so we can feel good about devouring a whole bowl.
• Hearty & Filling – Packed with protein, creamy broth, and potatoes, it's a complete meal, especially with crusty bread (or my garlic dinner rolls) and a fresh salad. This sausage potato soup is so creamy and cozy it’ll have everyone coming back for more!
• One-Pot Wonder – Easy to make and even easier to clean up—perfect for busy weeknights! And, if you want more one-pot recipes, check out my sausage tortellini soup and vegetable beef soup.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Italian sausage. I used raw, crumbled, spicy Italian sausage. If you purchased sausage links, remove the casings. You can also use mild Italian sausage for less heat or turkey or chicken sausage for a leaner option. 
• Italian Seasoning. If you don't have it on hand, make your own from scratch by combining 1 teaspoon each of dried basil, oregano, and thyme. Add 1 tablespoon of this homemade blend to the soup.
• Potatoes. I recommend using red, yellow, or Yukon Gold potatoes, which work best for the sausage potato soup, as they are not as starchy. Russet potatoes are too starchy and are much better suited for mashed potatoes rather than this soup; they will not hold their shape well in this recipe. 
• Heavy Cream. It makes the soup creamy, but you can swap with half-and-half for a lighter version or coconut milk for a dairy-free alternative.
• Broth. While chicken broth adds more flavor to the soup you can use vegetable broth if it’s all you have on hand. 
• Fresh Herbs. I used fresh thyme and chopped parsley mostly for presentation, but they can be replaced with fresh basil for a slightly sweeter taste, chives for a mild onion flavor, and green onions for a sharper, fresh bite.

How to make Sausage Potato Soup (step-by-step photos)

• Note: This is a recipe overview with step-by-step photos. For a complete recipe with quantities of the ingredients, scroll down to the recipe card.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook crumbled sausage, onion, and garlic for 7-10 minutes until the sausage is browned. Drain excess fat, then stir in Italian seasoning, paprika, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste. Add chicken broth, stir to dissolve the tomato paste, and bring to a boil.

• Cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes and add them along with diced carrots. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15-25 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender.

• Stir in spinach and cook for a couple of minutes until wilted.
• Add heavy cream, season with salt and red pepper flakes, and finish with fresh thyme or parsley.

Cooking Tips

• Browning the Sausage. I love cooking the sausage with the onion and garlic as it adds so much depth of flavor. Be sure to break the sausage into small crumbles for even cooking.
• Draining Fat. If your sausage is very fatty, drain some grease before adding the seasonings, but leave a little for flavor.
• Cooking Time. Simmering for 15-25 minutes will make the potatoes fork-tender. Smaller pieces cook faster, so adjust timing based on size.
• Spinach Texture. I always add spinach towards the end to ensure it stays vibrant and slightly firm rather than overcooked.
• Tomato Paste. Stir it well into the sausage before adding broth to enhance the richness of the soup.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What can I use instead of heavy cream? If you are looking for a dairy-free option or you are looking for a slightly thinner soup, use coconut milk instead of heavy cream. Half-and half will give you a thinner soup as well!
• Can I use a different green instead of spinach? Kale, Swiss chard, and escarole are all great options! They will all give you a different flavor but all work well in this creamy soup.
• Can I adjust the spiciness of the soup? If you are looking to make this soup spicier, add more red pepper flakes and make sure your Italian sausage is seasoned to be spicy. If you are looking for a savorier or even sweeter flavor, decrease or omit the red pepper flakes and use sweet or mild Italian sausage.
• How can I thicken the soup? If you want a thicker, creamier soup, try mashing some of the potatoes in the pot before serving, stirring in a cornstarch slurry and simmering for a few minutes or using more heavy cream for a richer consistency.

Storage & Reheating Instructions

• Refrigerate: Sausage Potato Soup stores well and tastes just as good the next day as the flavors blend together. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Reheat slowly over medium-low heat to avoid boiling, as this can cause the cream to curdle. I often make this soup ahead of time, and for the same reason, I don't add the cream until the end.
• Freeze: The soup freezes well without the cream—add it after reheating to maintain the best texture. I like to freeze in individual portions for easy reheating. Here is how I do it:
• How to freeze soup flat: I use sturdy zip-top bags, fill them with individual portions of soup, remove air, and lay them on a sheet pan (or something similar) to freeze. Once solid, you can stack them horizontally like large flat cookies or stand them up vertically like magazines in a freezer. It's way more space-efficient than bulky containers, and I promise you will have no more freezer treasure hunts!

Serving Suggestions

Sausage Potato Soup is hearty enough to be a meal on its own, but I love pairing it with a light salad to add freshness and stretch it over multiple days. A simple arugula salad or a spinach salad works perfectly—I especially love it with my tomato cucumber lettuce salad or a classic Italian Salad.

And of course, no soup is complete without bread! Keep the Italian vibes going by serving it with a crusty Italian loaf, garlic bread, or even homemade bread from a bread machine for the ultimate cozy meal. I also love serving any soup with my savory bacon and cheese scones or my fool-proof garlic butter dinner rolls.

More Soup Recipes

• Thai Shrimp Soup
• Sausage Tortellini Soup
• Thai Red Curry Soup with Chicken
• Vegetable Beef Soup