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My family loves this sausage potato soup recipe made with Italian sausage, potatoes, and kale. It reminds us of Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana, only lighter and just as delicious.
This sausage and potato soup is a dream for busy nights. Thanks to flavorful Italian sausage, you only need a short list of ingredients, and it comes together quickly.
Hearty, comforting, and incredibly flavorful this simple soup keeps well for leftovers the next day. For more like this, try our potato leek soup or creamy potato soup.
Key Ingredients
- Italian Sausage: Use sweet or hot Italian sausage. I usually reach for sweet Italian and then adjust the spice level with crushed red pepper flakes.
- Potatoes: I highly recommend Yukon Gold potatoes for their buttery texture and how well they hold up in the broth. Baby red or white potatoes also work beautifully.
- Onion and Garlic: These add so much flavor to the broth. I don’t add other veggies to keep the ingredient list short.
- Spices: Italian sausage already brings flavor from fennel and other spices, but I like to add more spice with oregano, red pepper flakes (optional), a bay leaf, and fresh thyme.
- Broth: Use a good-quality chicken stock or homemade broth. For store-bought, choose low-sodium and darker-colored stock for more flavor. Boxed bone broth is an easy shortcut that adds richness, or use homemade bone broth if you have it.
- Kale: Kale adds color, texture, and a bit of nutrition. You can also substitute spinach, Swiss chard, or other hearty greens.
- Cream and Parmesan Cheese: A splash of cream and some grated Parmesan stirred in at the end make the broth velvety and rich. Both are optional but add so much flavor.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Sausage and Potato Soup
Tip 1: Brown the sausage. The secret to this soup’s flavorful broth is browning the sausage in the pot before adding any other ingredients. It brings out the flavor and helps render a bit of fat, which the onions and garlic will cook in a bit later.
Tip 2: Soften the onions. So that they are sweet and tender, quickly sauté the onions and garlic in the pot with the browned sausage for a few minutes. This takes away their raw bite, making them really delicious in the soup.
Tip 3: Add spices, broth, and potatoes. Next comes the broth and potatoes. Simmer until the potatoes are tender. When they are, your soup is almost ready!
Tip 4: Add kale and cream. When your potatoes are tender, stir in the kale and cream and allow it to cook for a few minutes until the kale is tender and bright green. The splash of cream makes the broth silky. It’s optional, but really delicious.
More Easy Soup Recipes
Easy Sausage Potato Soup
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You will love this easy sausage and potato soup recipe. It is comforting and incredibly delicious. For the best texture, use Yukon Gold potatoes. They have thin skins, so you don’t need to peel them. The red pepper flakes are optional and add a bit of spice to the soup. If you use hot Italian sausage (spicy), you may not need them.
4 to 6 Servings
You Will Need
8 ounces bulk Italian sausage or links with the casings removed (226g)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced, 1 tablespoon
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs thyme
1 ½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed, 2 to 3 medium (680g)
5 cups chicken stock (1182ml)
¼ cup heavy cream or half-and-half, or more to taste (60ml)
4 cups chopped kale leaves with ribs removed or use baby kale
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese, optional, 1 ounce (28g)
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Directions
1Brown the sausage: Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until browned and slightly crispy, about 8 to 10 minutes.
2Cook the onions: Add the onions and cook, stirring every few minutes, until they soften, 5 to 6 minutes.
3Add garlic and spices: Stir in the garlic, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring often, for about 1 minute until fragrant.
4Add potatoes and stock: Add the bay leaf, thyme, and potatoes. Pour in the stock, then increase the heat to medium-high and bring the soup just to a simmer (avoid a full boil). Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5Add cream, kale, and cheese: Uncover the pot and remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Stir in the cream, kale, and parmesan cheese. Add a small pinch of nutmeg, then taste and adjust with more salt and pepper as needed. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the kale is tender and wilted, about 5 minutes more.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- Storing: Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and reheat gently on the stovetop. Potatoes may soften slightly after freezing. The cream may separate when reheating, so do it over low heat or leave it out when freezing and add fresh after it has reheated.
- Thick and creamy soup: For a creamier and thicker broth, grab a potato masher and mash some of the potatoes in the pot just before adding the kale.
- Kale: The kale softens in the broth over time. If you like extra soft and tender kale, leave the lid on the pot and keep warm for 10 to 15 minutes more.
- Lighter soup: For a lightened-up version, use chicken or turkey sausage and substitute the cream for additional stock.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
1 cup of soup
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Calories
268
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Total Fat
11.5g
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Saturated Fat
3.9g
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Cholesterol
33.9mg
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Sodium
639.4mg
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Carbohydrate
26.2g
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Dietary Fiber
2.9g
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Sugars
9g
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Protein
15.2g
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