Sausage Potato Soup

This rich and creamy 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! Serve it with the savory bacon and cheese scones or my fool-proof garlic butter dinner rolls.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword sausage potato soup

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Servings

Calories 344kcal

Author Julia

Ingredients

16 oz spicy Italian crumbled sausage raw
1 cup chopped onion
5 cloves garlic minced or finely chopped
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon paprika regular or smoked
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup diced carrots
5 cups chicken broth or stock
1.5 pounds red or yellow potatoes (not russet) - cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups spinach or kale
½ cup heavy cream or more, up to 1 cup if it makes sense
4 tablespoons fresh thyme or chopped parsley - purely for aesthetics

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a large saucepan, cook crumbled sausage, chopped onion, and finely chopped (minced) garlic on medium heat for about 7 or 10 minutes until the sausage is cooked, regularly stirring. Drain excess fat. Add Italian seasoning, paprika, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste, and stir everything well. Add chicken broth. Stir to dissolve the tomato paste and bring to a boil.
Clean the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes and add them to the soup. Add diced carrots to the soup. Reduce heat slightly, and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are fork tender, about 25 minutes (can be as little as 20 or 15 minutes - depending on what kind of potatoes you use and how small you cut them).
Once the potatoes are tender, add 2 heaping cups of spinach and cook for a couple of minutes until the spinach is submerged. No need to cook for long.
Add heavy cream. Season with salt and red pepper flakes (if desired) to taste. Top with fresh herbs (fresh thyme or chopped parsley) and red pepper flakes.

Notes

Sausage: I used raw, crumbled, spicy Italian sausage. If you purchased sausage links, remove the casings.
Potatoes: use red potatoes, yellow potatoes, or Yukon Gold potatoes. These potatoes have a waxier consistency and are not so starchy, so they will hold their shape well in the soup. I wouldn’t use Russet potatoes that are starchy and fall apart easily (better for mashed potatoes).
Greens substitutes: Swap spinach for kale, arugula, Swiss chard, or escarole.
Heavy cream substitutes: I love using coconut milk here for a dairy-free option or half-and-half for a lighter texture.
To thicken the soup, mash some potatoes, stir in a cornstarch slurry, or add extra heavy cream for a richer consistency.
Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat over medium-low heat to prevent the cream from curdling. If making ahead, add the cream last.
Freezing: Freeze without the cream and stir it in after reheating for the best texture. I also provide great tips on how to freeze soup flat in zip-top freezer bags above the recipe card under "Storage & Reheating Instructions." These tips would be great for any soup (not just this sausage potato soup) and also for freezing beans, broth, and other similar liquid foods.

Nutrition