Sausage, Potato and Spinach Soup
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This cozy sausage and potato soup is made with crumbled sausage, tender potatoes, and sneaked in leafy greens! A weeknight 30 min dinner!
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This soup is AMAZING. It’s been my go-to soup since I found this recipe ages ago. I always add extra spinach and extra broth because we always seem to have more “stuff” than broth leftover. This is probably one of my favorite recipes in existence!
Why you’ll love sausage, potato and spinach soup
- Weeknight worthy. Made in just 30 minutes start to finish with a short ingredient list using pantry staples, this is a one pot soup dinner that is an absolute weeknight hero.
- Hug in a bowl. Whether you’re under the weather or it’s -6°F outside involving a blustery snow storm, this is the dreamiest, coziest potato soup, warming you from the inside out with crumbled Italian sausage, tender bite-sized potatoes, and hearty baby spinach for all the sneaked in greens.
- Perfect with crusty bread. This is a soup you’ll keep coming back to again and again, served alongside all the crusty bread for sopping and dunking.
- Flexible, forgiving recipe. Add in your favorite kind of meat or any protein (ex. leftover rotisserie chicken) and vegetables you have on hand, an excellent clean-out-the-fridge meal. And the leftovers freeze and reheat like a dream.
Types of potatoes to use
- Red potatoes or yukon golds (recommended): these waxy-to-medium potato varieties hold their shape exceptionally well without falling apart when simmered
- Russet potatoes: russets are more starchy and therefore breaks down more easily
How to make Sausage, Potato and Spinach Soup
- Brown the sausage. Remove the casings from the sausage (if needed). Place a Dutch oven over medium heat with a small drizzle of olive oil. Add the sausage to the pot and break into bite-sized crumbles using a wooden spoon (or meat chopper, my favorite tool!). Drain the excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot.
- Sauté the aromatics. Stir in the garlic, onion, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes until the onions are soft and tender.
- Simmer the potatoes. Pour in the chicken broth and add the potatoes and bay leaf. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 10 minutes.
- Finish. Stir in the baby spinach and heavy cream until the spinach begins to wilt.
- Serve. Ladle into bowls and serve warm with crusty bread.
what to serve with sausage, potato and spinach soup
Tools For This Recipe
Sausage, Potato and Spinach Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
What can I use instead of spicy Italian sausage?
For a milder option, you can go for sweet or mild Italian sausage.
What can I substitute for the spinach?
Kale, cabbage, swiss chard, and collard greens are all excellent swaps.
What is heavy cream?
Heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) has one of the highest fat contents with about 36-40% fat. Half and half or whole milk are suitable substitutes, but will yield a lighter result.
How can I thicken the soup?
Mash some of the tender potatoes (about 1 cup) using the back of a wooden spoon directly against the side of the pot.
How can I make this dairy-free?
Substitute unsweetened canned coconut milk for the heavy cream.
How can I store leftovers?
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, gently reheating on the stovetop until warmed through.
Is this freezer-friendly?
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the heavy cream (cream soups tend to separate when frozen) in individual freezer bags. Label, date, and freeze up to 2 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and gently reheat on the stovetop, adding heavy cream when serving.
Sausage, Potato and Spinach Soup
This cozy sausage and potato soup is made with crumbled sausage, tender potatoes, and sneaked in leafy greens! A weeknight 30 min dinner!
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casing removed
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 pound red potatoes, diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cups baby spinach
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add Italian sausage and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Stir in garlic, onion, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 3-4 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in chicken broth, potatoes and bay leaf. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in spinach and heavy cream until the spinach begins to wilt, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- Use your favorite meat. Italian sausage (sweet or spicy), ground beef, chicken or turkey will all work very well here.
- Red potatoes hold up very well. Baby red potatoes hold up much better for soups than russet potatoes, which tend to break down and fall apart. Yukon golds can also be used.
- Add in leafy greens. This is a great recipe to sneak in leafy greens (spinach, kale, collard greens, swiss chard, or arugula) for those picky eaters to boost nutrients.
- Pour the cream slowly. Always add the heavy cream at the very end, pouring very slowly to prevent curdling. Use half and half or full fat milk for a lighter soup.
- Make it lighter. Swap out the heavy cream for half-and-half or whole milk.
- Freeze without the heavy cream. Dairy soups tend to separate and turn grainy once thawed. If planning for leftovers, skip the heavy cream and add just before serving.
Did you make this recipe?
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I have made this soup over and over! So good to feed a crowd. Everyone raves about it and wants the recipe. I always add carrots. I will also frequently sub the potatoes with cauliflower, but have also just added them with the potatoes. I use mild sausage and add the red pepper or use spicy sausage but not both. If I don’t have heavy cream I will sometimes substitute half and half or whole milk, but then will use a bit more. If dairy is an issue I have omitted the cream before. You might also be able to use coconut milk or some blended silken tofu to replicate the creaminess.
This is my husband‘s favorite soup recipe that I make! Thank you! Tried something new this time and it was awesome, blend it up about a third of the total soup once it was cooked and then put it back in the pot, it thickened it into an incredibly beautiful, thick soup, we loved it!
I have made this so many time over the years for my family. It’s my daughter’s favorite soup
This has become a staple in our home 🙂 how many days is it good for, in the fridge?
Most soup lasts about 3 days, though it freezes well. Make sure it’s in an air tight container, and cooled off a bit before refrigerating for longest shelf life in the fridge.
This is my go-to soup! So easy and delicious. But can you change the picture back to the original one? I like to share the recipe but it does not look like the revised photo, so it’s misleading.
This soup is fabulous as is but I put in a splash of white wine. I make it often and everyone loves it!
We have made this soup over and over again. We have shared this recipe with loved ones too- it is always a hit! Making it for kids, I just use mild sausage and tone down the red pepper flakes. It’s the perfect cozy, comfort meal!
We had this at a restaurant and loved it so much i had to find the recipe. Only thing I changed up was using mild sausage . We will make again.
We loved it! I skipped the cream and added canned cannellini beans, and added more broth to the leftovers.
Question …would using russet potatoes instead of red potatoes ruin the soup?
I used russets because they were what I had on hand. This is the kind of soup you make with what’s in the cupboard. My fella is allergic to onion so I use extra garlic.
My husband and I love this spicy hot soup… heartburn and all!
I made this soup last night and it was wonderful! I would cut the crushed red pepper to 1/4 teaspoon. Thanks so much!
I have made this soup many times. My sons favorite. I do add carrotts. Great comfort food on a cold day.
I have made this wonderful soup so many times and each time it is better. I am chef for a friend’s dinner party tonight and they specifically requested this soup and one of the courses. So easy and a winner every time. Thank you. Louie
Love this quick & easy soup. I subbed radishes for the potatoes to keep the carbs down. (Originally wanted to use turnips but couldn’t find them.) Surprisingly good & didn’t miss the starch. In my regular rotation.
I used this as a starting point for my soup. I used an extra cup of chicken broth, only had cooked chicken apple sausage, so sliced it. I had frozen diced potatoes. At the end I did add some cheddar cheese and some sour cream as I was out of cream. I think the cheese really added to the flavor. Delicious.
I used this recipe as a template to use up some excess grocery items I had on hand, and it worked great! (If anyone’s curious, I had about 1/2 lb of spicy chicken sausage instead of the full pound Italian sausage, frozen diced butternut squash + a handful of instant rice instead of the potatoes, and half-n-half instead of the heavy cream.) Thanks!
Loved the flavor – just felt (unlike other reviewers) that there was too much broth. I even used an entire bag of spinach. What else could I add to the soup?
FANTASTIC!!!!! Great for the winter but the spicy sausage can help with colds as well.
Such a simple recipe and so delish. Other than adding an additional cup of broth and a little extra heavy cream, I made the recipe exactly as written. I think the recipe is perfect as is.