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This cheesy sausage potato soup recipe has melt-in-your-mouth potatoes in a rich cheddar broth. It’s easy to make and incredibly indulgent!
Love Italian sausage? Try my Zuppa Toscana or this Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup next.
Why you’ll love it
This cheesy sausage soup with potatoes is thick, creamy, and so comforting. It’s made with everyday ingredients for a simple to make and filling meal. Tender Italian sausage is the star along with a perfectly seasoned creamy and velvety broth.
It’s sure to be a hit with both kids and adults, so I would definitely give it a try if you have some picky eaters in your family. Who can resist all that cheesy goodness? Sometimes you just need a luxurious pick-me-up on a chilly day, and this soup is it!
What you’ll need
- Italian sausage – I used a 5-pack of Johnsonville Italian sausages. You can definitely use a different brand or buy bulk sausage meat.
- Butter – for sautéing
- Onion, garlic, celery – the aromatic base for the broth
- Flour – a thickening agent
- Broth – we’re using low-sodium chicken broth
- Heavy cream – for added richness. I wouldn’t recommend substituting something with a lower fat content since this meal is a treat!
- Worcestershire sauce – it’s a trick to give a special savory depth
- Red pepper flakes – they don’t make this spicy and just add a gentle warmth, but they’re optional
- Potatoes – Russet potatoes are generally my go-to variety for soups
- Cheddar – make sure to use high-quality cheddar cheese you enjoy the taste of since it’s a key component to the soup!
Pro tips
- As always, for this type of recipe, I recommend grating your own cheese as it tastes and melts much better than the pre-grated bagged kind. I grate the cheddar with this grater and it only takes me a few minutes. Use a good quality old/sharp cheddar.
- For best results, be sure to dice the potatoes fairly small so they cook quickly.
How to make cheesy sausage potato soup
This is an overview, and full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In a soup pot, cook the crumbled sausage until it’s browned, then transfer it to a plate.
- Add in the butter, then sauté the chopped onion and celery. Stir in the garlic and flour to make a roux, then whisk in the chicken broth until the flour has dissolved.
- Add in the cream, Worcestershire sauce, potatoes, red pepper flakes and cooked sausage. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes have cooked. Stir in the cheddar and season to taste with salt & pepper!
Substitutions and variations
- This soup is not spicy when you use mild Italian sausage even if you add the red pepper flakes, so you can definitely up the spice by adding more red pepper and/or by using hot Italian sausage.
- You don’t need to go out and buy a bottle of Worcestershire sauce just for this recipe, but I like how it adds a little extra something-something to recipes, so I always keep some in my fridge.
- This soup is actually quite delicious without the cheddar, so you can definitely leave it out if for whatever reason you aren’t a fan!
What to serve with potato sausage soup
- A slice of crusty bread or a dinner roll would be perfect, but you can go all-out and pair it with Cheesy Garlic Bread.
- A side salad would lighten up the meal. Try mixed greens with this Olive Garden Salad Dressing. This Homemade Ranch Dressing is also a reader favorite.
Leftovers and storage
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- This soup reheats quite well. Warm it in a saucepan over a low heat to avoid any separation.
- I don’t recommend freezing this one. Creamy and cheesy soups don’t tend to freeze well.
More cozy soup recipes
If you made this sausage and potato soup, please leave a star rating and review below! You can also tag me on Instagram if you made this or any of my recipes.
Cheesy Sausage Potato Soup
This cheesy sausage potato soup recipe has melt-in-your-mouth potatoes in a rich cheddar broth. It's easy to make and incredibly indulgent!
Ingredients
- 17.6 ounces (500g) Italian sausages see note
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 medium onion chopped small
- 2 sticks celery chopped small
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 6 tablespoons flour
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 1 pound Russet potatoes peeled & diced small
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Crumble the sausages into a soup pot. Over medium-high heat, cook until browned (about 10 minutes). Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Leave the fat in the pot, but if it's more than about a tablespoon, drain some of it out.
- Add the butter to the pot and once it's melted, add the onion and celery and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in the garlic and flour. Cook for about 2 minutes, breaking it up with your spoon/stirring it as you go along. This step cooks the raw flour flavor out.
- Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until all the flour has dissolved and there's no lumps.
- Stir in the cream, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, potatoes, and add the sausage meat back to the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat so it's bubbling but not boiling like crazy (medium-low heat works with my cast iron pot and gas stove). Cover the pot with the lid slightly open.
- Let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the soup has thickened up to your liking. I like to stir it a few times to ensure nothing is sticking and that the stove's temperature is still correct.
- Turn the stove off, and then stir in the cheddar gradually. If the soup seems too thick, add in a splash more chicken broth (milk or cream works too).
- Season with salt & pepper if needed.
Notes
- I used a 5-pack of Johnsonville Italian sausages (use mild or hot) for this recipe. Anything in the ballpark weight-wise will work. Or use ground sausage meat to skip the step of taking it out of the casings.
- Be sure to cut the potatoes into small pieces so that they cook fast.
- Serves 4-6 depending on how much people eat.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Calories: 746kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 60g, Saturated Fat: 30g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 22g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 172mg, Sodium: 977mg, Potassium: 795mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 1246IU, Vitamin C: 8mg, Calcium: 341mg, Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Leave a star rating and comment below!
This turned out delicious! The only item I substituted was ground breakfast sausage instead of Italian sausage. I also needed to add more butter than 3 tbls to form the roux. Your recipe is a winner.
Thank you, Sheila!
Absolutely delicious! I’ve tried several of your recipes and have loved all of them. I look forward to getting the email every Sunday. Thanks for sharing with us.
Aww thank you, Heather!! I’m so glad to hear it.
I used a can of cheddar cheese soup and some Colby jack cheese but otherwise followed the recipe and it was so delicious! 2 out of my 4 kids loved it (the picky ones are hard to please)
Thanks for your review, Cassie!