This sausage potato soup browns Italian sausage over medium heat, simmers red potatoes, carrots and celery in a seasoned chicken broth with heavy cream, and finishes with optional cheddar stirred in at the end. Stove top in one hour, or crock pot on low for six.
Three hidden ingredients do the heavy lifting in the broth and none of them can be tasted on their own. Mustard powder, a teaspoon of soy sauce and a teaspoon of hot sauce act as flavour enhancers that deepen everything around them. Skip them and the soup tastes fine. Add them and it tastes like it simmered all day.
Cooking the sausage at medium instead of medium-high keeps it juicy and leaves behind enough drippings to build the roux. That tablespoon of reserved fat goes back into the pot with the butter, and the flour cooks in it for two minutes before the broth goes in. The roux is what gives the broth body without needing to add more cream.
Sausage Potato Soup
Course: Soups, DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy11
servings15
minutes45
minutes359
kcalGround Italian sausage browned and set aside, then carrots, celery and onion sautéed in the drippings and butter, thickened with a flour roux, simmered with chicken broth, heavy cream, red potatoes and a seasoning mix of basil, oregano, parsley and mustard powder. Optional cheddar stirred in at the end.
Ingredients
- Seasonings:
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon each: dried parsley, oregano, mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
- Soup:
1 lb ground Italian sausage, hot or mild
2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup diced carrots
2 ribs celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 lbs red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, optional
Directions
- Brown the sausage:Cook and crumble the sausage in a large pot over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes until cooked through. Set the sausage aside and reserve 1 tablespoon of drippings in the pot.
- Sauté the vegetables:Add the butter to the drippings. Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Build the broth:Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth in splashes, scraping the bottom of the pot. Stir in the heavy cream, hot sauce, soy sauce and all the seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Cook the potatoes:Add the cubed red potatoes and simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes until fork tender. Stir the sausage back in.
- Finish and serve:Reduce heat to low and stir in the cheddar cheese if using. Serve hot.
FAQs
Why red potatoes instead of Yukon Gold or russet?
Red potatoes are waxier and hold their shape through a 25-minute simmer without turning to mush. Yukon Gold is the backup if you cannot find them. Russets work but they are starchier and break apart more easily, which thickens the broth but leaves fewer intact pieces.
Can you make this in a crock pot?
Yes. Brown and crumble the sausage on the stove, add the vegetables halfway through, drain the grease and transfer to the crock pot. Add everything except the cream and cheese. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4, then stir in the cream at the end. The roux, butter and drippings are skipped for the crock pot version.
What do the mustard powder, soy sauce and hot sauce actually do?
They are flavour enhancers, not seasonings. None of them can be tasted individually in the finished soup, and the hot sauce does not make it spicy. They amplify the sausage and broth the same way salt does, just from different angles.
Can you freeze this soup?
Yes, for up to 3 months. Make sure the potatoes are not overcooked before freezing or they will not hold up when reheated. Store in airtight containers with headspace for expansion.
How long do leftovers keep?
Up to 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Reheat on the stove over medium heat, stirring often. The microwave works in 30-second intervals with a stir between each.
