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.
Delicious! Easy to make. I made it according to your recipe with a little extra potatoes and onion and it was outstanding. It reheats beautifully in the microwave. My husband hasn’t stopped raving about this soup. Thank you for the great recipe!
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Laurie! 🙂
Absolutely delish, looking forward to the leftovers! Thanks
I am so thrilled you loved this Sausage Potato Soup! It’s seriously so yummy as leftovers too! 🙂
Can this be cooked in a crockpot?
This is my absolute favorite soup of all time. I make it a few times every fall/winter and it’s a staple for my husband and I. Thanks for creating such a delicious soup!!
So thrilled to hear this! Thanks Lindsay! 🙂
Made it more chunky, used sausage links. Cut them into 1/2 inch pieces. Also chunked the potatoes and parboiled them to ensure softness. I happen to like chunky soups.
So happy to hear this! Sounds delicious, thanks for sharing! 🙂
I made this exactly as directed. I felt it was too thick & needed more flavor so I added more stock and 1/2 c Parmesan cheese (+/- to taste) Huge difference! . I’ll also use Sharp cheddar vs Colby next time. Turned out really good.
Delish! So glad you were able to adjust to your preferences! Thanks so much Christine! 🙂
This looks amazing! Can it be made without the cheese? (Yes, I’m a weirdo that doesn’t like cheese, I know!) 🙂
Yes! You can leave out the cheese. You’ll likely need some extra seasonings to make up for the flavor difference and it will be a bit less thick!
While the basic recipe is good, why are you adding butter, cream, and cheese!
Like the Italian sausage isn’t fatty enough? I was just wanting to find a recipe using Italian sausage because my husband requested it. I just smushed up some of the potatoes to thicken it and added milk as needed. No cream or cheese needs to be involved unless you’re trying to gain weight and clog your arteries! Also used basil and Italian seasoning instead of dried parsley.
I’m just sharing how we like this recipe best 🙂
Oh Nancy. Some people enjoy tasting their food. What a weird comment for you to leave.
I made this tonight and it was a huge hit across three generations and different taste buds! Is it possible to freeze the non-cream portion of it for ease of making during the winter?
I am so thrilled to hear this! And yes, the non cream portion should freeze wonderfully! 🙂
Tried this recipe and my whole family absolutely loves it! My kids say that, “it’s a keeper!” I followed the recipe exactly. Is delicious as is.
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks Korri! 🙂