This Sausage Potato Soup is deliciously creamy, packed with Italian sausage, tender potatoes, and fresh veggies!
The Best Sausage Potato Soup
If you love cheeseburger soup, you’re going to be obsessed with this Sausage Potato Soup! Instead of ground beef and Velveeta®, I use sharp Cheddar and flavorful Italian sausage.
It’s perfect for cold weather and a family favorite!
To speed up prep, you can grab pre-chopped mirepoix (onions, celery, and carrots) from the store, use pre-minced garlic, and leave the potato skins on. These simple shortcuts will save you time!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make Sausage Potato Soup:
- Italian Sausage: Hot or mild, based on your spice preference.
- Butter: Unsalted lets you control the salt.
- Mirepoix: This is a blend of onion, celery, and carrot. You can make your own or buy it already chopped from the store!
- Garlic: Pre-minced works just as well.
- Baby Gold Potatoes: Keep the skins on! Less work for you!
- Dried Basil & Parsley: Use fresh herbs for more flavor, if you’d prefer.
- Chicken Stock: Stock gives more flavor, but broth works too.
- Flour: Helps thicken the soup; whisk well to avoid lumps.
- Milk: Use whole milk for a creamier soup.
- Heavy Cream: Adds richness; don’t skip it!
- Cheddar Cheese: Extra-sharp gives the best cheesy flavor.
- Sour Cream: Fat-free works, but full-fat makes the soup richer.
Quick Tip
Spice Levels: For a mild soup, use mild sausage. If you like the heat, use spicy sausage and throw in some red pepper flakes.
How To Make Sausage Potato Soup
- Cook the Sausage: Brown the sausage, then set it aside.
- Cook the Veggies: In the same pot, cook the mirepoix in butter until soft, then add garlic.
- Add Potatoes and Seasoning: Stir in the potatoes, herbs, salt, and pepper. Add the stock, bring to a boil, then simmer until the potatoes are tender.
- Make the Cream Sauce: In a separate pan, melt butter, whisk in flour, and slowly add milk. Cook until thickened, then stir in the cream.
- Combine Everything: Pour the cream sauce into the soup, then add the cheese and sour cream. Stir until melted and smooth.
- Finish and Serve: Add the sausage back to the soup, adjust seasoning, and serve warm.
Sausage Potato Soup Tips
- Cheddar Cheese: Extra-sharp cheddar gives the best flavor. Pre-shredded cheese may not melt as smoothly, so it’s better to shred your own.
- Sausage: Let the sausage sear before crumbling. Avoid over-stirring or crumbling too much — you want a nice deep browning to build rich flavor.
- Potatoes: Cut the potatoes into even pieces so they cook at the same rate, ensuring a consistent texture throughout the soup.
What To Serve With Sausage Potato Soup
- No-Knead Bread: Great for soaking up the soup! Dinner rolls or crackers are also great for dunking.
- Salad: A fresh garden salad to lighten things up.
- Roasted Veggies: Simple roasted carrots or broccoli work well.
- Grilled Cheese: The perfect sandwich to dip in soup!
Storage
Leftover Soup?
- Let the soup cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheat on low, stirring often. If needed, add a splash of chicken stock to thin. Avoid boiling.
- For freezing, place in a freezer-safe bag laid flat. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
More Soup Recipes:
- Tuscan Sausage and Potato Soup with sun-dried tomatoes
- Chicken and Potato Soup with lots of veggies
- Chicken Noodle Soup with egg noodles
- Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup with only 5 ingredients
- Creamy Artichoke Soup with mushrooms
Sausage Potato Soup
Sausage Potato Soup is rich, cheesy, and comforting, with Italian sausage, baby potatoes, and veggies in a creamy broth.
Equipment
- Large pot 6-quart
- Medium pot
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage mild or hot
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2-1/4 cups mirepoix or 3/4 cup each: diced carrots, celery, and yellow onion, see note 1
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 4 cups chopped baby gold potatoes no need to peel
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 4 cups chicken stock or broth
- 6 tablespoons flour
- 3 cups milk 1%, 2%, or whole
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese see note 2
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- Hearty buttered bread for serving, optional
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage and let it sear for 1 minute, then use a wooden spoon to crumble it. Cook until sausage is deeply browned. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels, leaving about 1 tablespoon grease in the pot. If there’s not enough grease, add 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- In the same pot, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add diced carrots, celery, and onion. Sauté for 5–7 minutes (or 7–10 minutes if the veggies are larger). Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
- Stir in chopped potatoes, dried basil, dried parsley, salt, and pepper. Pour in chicken stock, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover pot and cook for 15–20 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender.
- While potatoes cook, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a separate medium pot over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly pour in milk, whisking constantly until smooth. Cook, continuing to whisk, until the mixture thickens and gently boils. Stir in heavy cream, then remove from heat.
- Once veggies are tender, stir in the milk/cream mixture. Turn off heat and add shredded cheese, a handful at a time, stirring gently until melted. Stir in sour cream, then return the sausage to the soup. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the soup warm with hearty buttered bread, if desired.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Cut the veggies and potatoes into even pieces so they cook at the same rate, ensuring a consistent texture throughout the soup.
Note 2: Extra-sharp cheddar gives the best flavor. Pre-shredded cheese may not melt as smoothly, so it’s better to shred your own.
Storage: Let soup cool to room temperature, then store in the fridge in an airtight container for 3–4 days. To freeze, place in a freezer-safe bag laid flat. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 533kcal | Carbohydrates: 23.8g | Protein: 18.6g | Fat: 41g | Cholesterol: 110.6mg | Sodium: 635mg | Fiber: 2.3g | Sugar: 6.8g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I omit the cheese?
You can, but it will change the flavor (less flavorful) and be less thick/hearty
This recipe was very delicious! I followed it pretty closely, but changed a few things based on some of my previous experience making potato soups. I added more carrots, potatoes, onions and celery than called for, which ended up in a bit more broth. I added some cayenne, chili flakes, hot sauce and thyme, as well as some fresh parsley and basil as well as the dried. I did not use any heavy cream or sour cream. Instead I used about 3.5 cups of 1% milk. When making the roux, I added the cheese once the milk/flour/butter mixture was thickened, so it made a creamy cheese sauce roux. I let it simmer on the stove for about 20 minutes once the sausage and roux were in the soup. Turned out delicious. Thank you!
Sounds awesome! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
If I make the soup Saras way omitting the heavy cream & sour cream, then could it be frozen?
Will all soups containing dairy become grainy when thawed?
I’ve never successfully frozen a dairy-filled soup; it always turns gritty or just a little “off” when thawed. I also think that soups with a lot of cooked veggies when frozen and thawed aren’t ever as good either.
I’m going to make it your way! Your ideas will easily cut the fat by 1/2.
I hope it’ll still taste great.
Made this according to the recipe and I wouldn’t change a thing. Delicious as is! Thank you!!!
Yay! So happy this sausage potato soup was a hit! Thanks so much Allison! 🙂
I made this vegan style and it was a hit! Still full of flavor and had great consistency! Thank you for sharing this recipe, it’s a keeper!
YAYY!! I’m soo happy it turned out delicious! I’d love to hear the subs you made! 🙂 Thanks for your comment!
How did you make this vegan? Did you use almond milk or coconut cream? I want to do that but I’m not sure how much to add
I made it vegan and added Ripple milk (as to coffee, cereal, oatmeal, sauces). Just add more flour to make the soup thicker since you’re not adding heavy cream. I added grilled burger “meat” and some Italian sausage. Instead of cheese, I added kale and we are garlic people so added more of that and all veggies, too.
Sounds delicious! Thanks Julia! 🙂
My family and I loved this delicious soup! So full of flavor! It was a big hit, and I’ll definitely make it again. I look forward to trying other recipes of yours. Thanks for a great addition to our meal rotation.
So happy to hear that! Thanks so much for the comment and review Anna 🙂
Has anyone ever tried this recipe in a Crock Pot?
I could be blind as a bat, but I don’t see anywhere in your recipe, when you add the sausage back? After boiling the potatoes or with? Thanks 🙂
So sorry Ella! It’s right after the sour cream! Enjoy!
It calls for two cloves of garlic minced in the ingredients list but I can’t find where it goes in on the recipe
Sorry never mind I found it?
Glad you found it; hope you love it! 🙂
It goes in the mirepoix at the last 30 sec- 1min
We are going to try this tonight! Question: near the top of the printable recipe card it says 4-6 servings; but the nutrition information below that says 8 servings. Which is correct? Both say 533 calories per serving. Thanks!
Hope you loved it! And sorry about that Gretchen! It’s 6-8 servings; it’s a very filling soup 🙂
That soup was amazing! The whole family loved it. We will definitely make it again! Made it exactly as written.
My husband and I loved this soup! I made the recipe as directed, but also added some frozen broccoli and cauliflower when the potatoes were almost done before adding the cream sauce. Love your recipes, Chelsea! Your site is my go-to for new recipes.
Yay!! So happy to hear you both enjoyed the soup 🙂 The broccoli and cauliflower addition sounds delicious! And thank you so much for saying that, it makes my day! Hope you love whatever you try next <3
I tried this recipe out last night and it was delicious, my in-laws couldn’t stop raving about it! The hot italian sausage gives it such a good flavor. The only thing I would do differently in the future would be to add a bit more vegetables and a little less milk. Thank you for a great recipe!
So happy to hear it was a hit 🙂 And glad you liked the hot italian sausage in it! Both sound like great changes for the future. Thanks Shannon!
Soo good! Loved it.
So happy to hear this! Thanks! 🙂