Sausage Potato Soup
A creamy and hearty sausage potato soup made with Italian sausage, tender Yukon Gold potatoes, onion, celery, carrots, garlic, chicken broth, cream, and optional kale or cheddar cheese. This easy one-pot comfort-food dinner is perfect for cold nights.
Ingredients
For the Sausage Potato Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil if needed
- 1 pound mild or hot Italian sausage casings removed
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 celery ribs diced
- 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 cup whole milk or half-and-half
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese freshly shredded, optional
- 2 cups chopped kale or baby spinach optional
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Optional Toppings
- Extra shredded cheddar cheese
- Crumbled bacon
- Sliced green onions
- Chopped parsley
- Red pepper flakes
- Crusty bread or biscuits
Instructions
- Heat a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add Italian sausage and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it into small pieces, until browned and cooked through.
- Carefully remove excess grease if needed, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot.
- Add onion, celery, and carrots. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
- Add garlic, Italian seasoning, thyme, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes if using. Stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Sprinkle flour over the vegetables. Stir constantly for 1 minute.
- Slowly add chicken broth, stirring well to dissolve the flour and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Add diced Yukon Gold potatoes, salt, and black pepper. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender.
- For a thicker soup, mash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot with a potato masher or wooden spoon.
- Reduce heat to low. Stir in milk, heavy cream, and cheddar cheese if using. Stir until the cheese is melted. Do not boil after adding dairy.
- Add kale and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or add spinach and cook for 1 minute, until wilted.
- Taste and adjust salt and black pepper. Serve hot with your preferred toppings.