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.
This soup is delicious! Easy to make as I had all ingredients at my fingertips ready to go. I did not have 1% milk so I used whole milk and the consistency is fine for my family. Pair with a multigrain baguette. Yum!
This recipe was delicious. Made exactly as directed. Used sweet Italian sausage. Can it be frozen?
So glad you enjoyed it! Unfortunately with all the dairy in this soup it’s not a great candidate for freezing (it turns grainy)
Ive made this a few times now, ive used less dairy and lactose free for my son and husband but we love love love it. My toddler cant get enough of it
I am so happy to hear this Lisa! Thanks so much! 🙂
I made this! Everyone loved it. I went ahead and cut up and from the vegetables to make 2 more batches.
Yay! So happy you loved this Sausage Potato Soup! Thanks Melinda! 🙂
So much flavor in this hearty soup! Comfort food at its best! Delicious recipe that I will for sure make again.
I’m so happy to hear this! Thanks Wendy! 🙂
Oh my GOODNESS! This was so good on a rainy cold night. I made it as you prescribed and it is amazing! Thank you.
So happy to hear this! Thanks Gregory! 🙂
Thank you for a delicious soup recipe.
You’re so welcome! 🙂
Excellent, particularly with spicy sausage!
Yum! So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for your comment Jan! 🙂
Great base recipe! I doubled the amount of vegetables and seasonings with the same amount of sausage and sauce/broth. Also used a locally made hot Italian link sausage (Sindoni) and cut it into slices to add at the end. I posted pix and description to FB here:
Glad you enjoyed!
This soup came together perfectly and tastes divine! Excellent recipe. Thank you!
So happy to hear! Thanks Cristi! 🙂