Jump to Italian Sausage and Potato Soup Recipe
This is a delicious, comforting soup, perfect for cold winter months. It definitely serves as a meal on its own, maybe with a little bread and/or salad. If you like the Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden you will like this soup a lot .
I hope 2021 is starting out well for you. I know it’s still a really difficult time for many, but I have hope for bright, warm days ahead. My girls are excited to head back to school a couple days a week and get a little normalcy back in their lives. I look forward to some days alone in the house to concentrate on the blog and work on the cookbook.
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Italian Sausage and Potato Soup
(serves 8 – 10)
1 pound mild Italian sausage
1 yellow or white onion, chopped
olive or canola oil, as needed
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell pepper (red or orange)
5 – 6 Yukon gold potatoes, chopped (yields about 3 – 4 cups)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (3 -4 cloves)
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (+more if needed)
pinch of red pepper flakes
freshly ground black pepper
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock/broth
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
If your Italian sausage came in links, as mine did, take a sharp knife, cut the casing lengthwise, remove it from the sausage, then discard the casing.
Place a large stockpot or Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat and add the sausage, breaking it up with a spatula as it cooks.
While the sausage is browning, work on chopping the onion, celery, peppers and potatoes if you haven’t prepped them already.
Turn/stir the sausage occasionally, until it is browned and fully cooked. Remove it from the pot/ Dutch oven and place it on a paper towel lined plate to drain the fat. Set it aside while you sauté the vegetables.
Add the onions to the pot/ Dutch oven first.
The bottom might be brown from the sausage; this is good and adds great flavor. You can deglaze it with a little splash of stock/broth to prevent it from burning while you cook the onions. You could also add a little cooking oil if you feel it’s necessary to keep the onions from sticking but the liquid will act more quickly to keep it from turning black.
Once you get the onions started and the pan deglazed, add the celery, peppers, and potatoes. Add a little cooking oil, if needed, and sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally, while you chop the garlic and gather the herbs/spices.
Stir in the chopped garlic, then the parsley, thyme, oregano, basil, salt, red pepper, and black pepper.
Add the cooked sausage back in then the stock/broth. It should come to the top of the sausage/vegetables; if it doesn’t, add a bit more stock/broth or water.
Allow the soup to simmer, covered, on low-medium heat for approximately 30 minutes. The potatoes should be tender before proceeding to the next step.
In a small pan, combine the butter and flour over medium heat to make a roux. Cook for a few minutes, stirring often.
Slowly, add the roux to the soup, stirring constantly until is is well combined. (If your roux seems too thick/clumpy, thin it out with a bit of the soup broth before adding it to the soup). Allow it to simmer (very low boil) and thicken a bit on medium for about 10 minutes.
Stir in the heavy cream and keep the soup warm until you are ready to serve it. Taste it first and add salt and pepper as needed.
I recommend some crostini, sourdough bread, or Grandma’s Rolls to go along with it.
Remember that there is only one important time and that is now. The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion. The most important person is always the person you are with, who is right before you, for who knows if you will have dealings with any other person in the future? The most important pursuit is making the person standing at your side happy, for that alone is the pursuit of life.
Leo Tolstoy, Three Questions
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