Creamy Italian Sausage Soup

Why you’ll love it

This Italian sausage and potato soup is one of those warm you to your core kind of soups that’s rich, hearty and flavorful, and a real treat. The crumbled Italian sausage makes every single bite special. I like to make this soup on the coldest of winter days to perk me up.

It comes together easily with everyday ingredients. There’s nothing fancy in this potato and sausage soup, just a whole lot to love! Everyday ingredients like garlic and half-and-half shine. It’s potato soup but upgraded, and you can feel good knowing what’s in it.

What you’ll need

• Italian sausage – use mild or hot sausage to kick it up a notch
• Butter and olive oil – a classic combo for frying up the aromatics
• Onion, celery, and garlic – this trio is the flavorful base for our soup
• Flour – it thickens up the broth
• Chicken broth – gives depth of flavor to the soup broth
• Half-and-half – it’s half whole milk, half heavy cream and gives this soup its luxurious creamy quality
• Worcestershire sauce – my secret ingredient to give the soup an additional savory boost. You can’t taste it itself in the soup, don’t worry! I wouldn’t recommend leaving it out.
• Crushed red pepper flakes – optional, but it gives a little warmth rather than making it spicy
• Potatoes – we’re using Russet potatoes. They’re my go-to variety for soups.

How to make creamy sausage soup

This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.

Crumble the sausage into a soup pot and cook it until it’s browned, then transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Add in the butter, then sauté the chopped onion and celery. Stir in the garlic and flour.

Whisk in the broth until the flour has dissolved. Add in the half-and-half, Worcestershire sauce, potatoes, red pepper flakes, and sausage. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Season with salt & pepper.

Substitutions and variations

• You can use ground sausage meat if that’s easiest for you. I just buy a pack of Italian sausages and take the meat out of the casings.
• I used Russet potatoes since they are great for soups. They get nice and soft and fall apart, but another variety would be fine.
• The crushed red pepper flakes don’t make the soup particularly spicy, so feel free to add more in as needed or leave them out altogether. Use hot Italian sausage if you want even more heat.