Is there a more perfect comfort food to heat you up on a frigid winter night than this hearty creamy sausage soup? With bold, flavorful Italian sausage, melt-in-your-mouth potatoes, and bright fresh spinach in a rich, creamy broth, this rustic one-pot wonder tastes just like the fancy soup you’d order at a high-end Italian restaurant, only it’s quick and easy to make at home.
I make this super simple soup often during the cold weather months whenever I want an easy, filling dinner that I can prepare in minimal time to feed my whole family. Since there’s plenty of flavor from the sausage itself, you don’t need to boil up a broth all day long. You’ll have dinner ready in 35 minutes on the stove, which makes it a great option for busy weeknights.
The best thing about this soup recipe is the incredibly rich, creamy broth that thickens from the starchy potatoes. It’s thick enough to coat a spoon and loads with all the delicious garlic and sausage flavor. Get some warm, crusty bread to sop up every last bit of soup in your bowl.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
This is a great recipe for busy families since everything is made in one heavy bottomed Dutch oven. You sear your meat, sauté your veggies, and make your rich cream soup all in the same pot, minimizing cleanup. This soup is forgiving and can sit on the stove while you let the potatoes cook and soften.
I love this comforting soup in the colder months because it strikes a nice balance between rich and light ingredients. The rich cream and porky sausage are contrasted with the subtle earthiness of the spinach, which is added toward the end of the cooking process. It’s a family-friendly meal that’s affordable and sneaks in a lot of healthy produce even for the pickiest of eaters.
What You Need
This creamy and comforting soup is made with a handful of pantry ingredients. Ground Italian sausage, russet potatoes, chicken broth, heavy cream, and fresh baby spinach give you everything you need. A few other simple ingredients will round out the flavor profile.
Ground Italian Sausage
Ground Italian sausage is the star of this recipe. It has a bold flavor profile full of fennel, garlic and herbs. Using ground sausage saves you from needing to hunt down a handful of other spices to create the right flavor. Be sure to brown the sausage well, breaking it up into tiny bits as you go so the fat renders out and flavors the onions. You can use mild, sweet or spicy Italian sausage based on the taste preferences of your family.
Russet Potatoes
Russet potatoes are the primary vegetable ingredient in this recipe. These starchy potatoes break down a little bit as they simmer in the broth. This makes them a great thickener to give this soup its signature creamy texture. Peel and cube the potatoes into ½-inch pieces so they will cook evenly and melt in your mouth when paired with the sausage.
Chicken Broth
Chicken broth creates a rich, savory broth in which the potatoes will simmer. The broth also helps to release all those delicious browned bits of sausage from the bottom of the pot. It adds saltiness and savory notes without overpowering the cream. If you like a darker, richer flavor, you can substitute beef broth for the chicken broth.
Heavy Cream and Fresh Spinach
Stirring in heavy cream right at the end of cooking transforms the clear broth into a rich, creamy broth. After the cream is added, stir in a few big handfuls of baby spinach. The heat of the soup will wilt the spinach almost immediately, adding color and a nutritious boost to this decadent meal.
How to Make Hearty Creamy Sausage Soup
Start with your largest heavy bottomed Dutch oven or soup pot and we’ll have this hearty meal bubbling on the stove before you know it!
Brown the Sausage
Over medium-high heat, add the sausage and diced onion to your soup pot. Cook and break up the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon for 8-10 minutes until browned. Transfer the onions and sausage to a plate and drain off any excess fat. Return just a tablespoon of the fat to the pan.
Sauté the Aromatics
Add the minced garlic and crushed red pepper to the sausage and onion mixture. Cook and stir for 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant. Do not let it burn.
Simmer the Potatoes
Add the chicken broth to the pot and use a wooden spoon to vigorously scrape all the flavorful browned bits from the bottom. Add the chopped russet potatoes, salt, and black pepper. Increase the heat to bring the soup to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and simmer the soup for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Add Cream and Greens
When the potatoes are fully cooked, reduce the heat on your stove to very low. Stir in the heavy cream. Add the baby spinach to the pot and stir gently for 2 minutes until the spinach has fully wilted.
Garnish and Serve
Remove the soup from the heat so the heavy cream does not boil. Ladle the hot soup into bowls, top with freshly grated parmesan cheese, and serve.
My Top Recipe Tips
The number one rule for making cream soups is to reduce the heat to low BEFORE you add the cream. If the soup comes to a hard boil after the cream is added, the cream will break and you’ll end up with a greasy, grainy soup instead of a smooth and creamy soup.
Make sure to chop the potatoes into evenly sized pieces. If the potato pieces vary in size, the smaller pieces will melt away and the larger pieces will stay hard in the middle of your soup.
To give the soup an incredible burst of umami flavor, drop a leftover parmesan cheese rind into the pot at the same time you add the chicken broth. As the soup cooks, the cheese rind dissolves and flavors the entire soup with a salty, savory taste.
Hearty Creamy Sausage Soup Recipe (One-Pot Comfort!)
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot
- Wooden spoon
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage mild or spicy
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 medium russet potatoes peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach roughly chop if leaves are large
- Optional: Freshly grated parmesan cheese for topping
Instructions
- Place a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium high heat. Add the ground Italian sausage and diced yellow onion.
- Cook for 8-10 minutes, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is cooked through and completely browned, and the onions are soft. Drain all but 1 tbsp of excess grease from the pot.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Stir in the minced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pot with the wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits.
- Add the diced russet potatoes, kosher salt, and black pepper. Bring the soup to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium low, cover the pot with a lid, and simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Turn the heat to low. Stir in the heavy cream until fully incorporated.
- Stir in the fresh baby spinach. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes, just until wilted and bright green. Don’t let it boil.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if desired.
- Ladle the hot soup into deep bowls, top with freshly grated parmesan cheese, and serve with crusty bread.
Nutrition
Storage and Reheating
- Store: Store leftover creamy sausage soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The soup will be very thick when stored in the refrigerator.
- Freeze: I do not recommend freezing this soup. The cream may break and the potatoes will be grainy and mushy after they thaw and reheat.
- Reheat: Heat leftover soup in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Add a little bit of milk or chicken broth and stir to thin out the soup.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with warm, freshly baked French bread or sourdough bread.
- Serve with a refreshing Caesar salad with crunchy croutons.
- Serve with freshly baked garlic knots.
- Sprinkle with an additional pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, for those who like it spicy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use kale instead of spinach?
You sure can! The famous Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana uses kale, and this soup is similar enough that you can easily make that substitution. You’ll just need to remove the woody stems before chopping the kale into small pieces. You should also add the kale about 5 minutes earlier than you would add the spinach, because it takes a little bit longer to wilt and get tender.
Can I substitute the heavy cream?
Yes! For a lighter soup, replace the heavy cream with an equal amount of half-and-half or whole milk. Be very careful that the soup doesn’t boil when you add the milk products, because they are much more likely to curdle than heavy whipping cream.
Leave a Reply