Sausage, Potato and Spinach Soup
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Hearty, comforting, and done in 30 min. Made with crumbled sausage, tender potatoes and sneaked in greens!
A bowl of true comfort food that comes together so quickly on your dinner table in 30 min or less. That’s something I can live with all week. And even though it’s a piping hot bowl of soup, I can probably have this all year long, warming me up from the inside out.
Packed with spicy Italian sausage, tender bite-sized potatoes and hearty baby spinach, this is a complete meal in a single bowl, served with all the crusty bread for dipping. It’s like a warm hug in a bowl.
TOOLS FOR THIS RECIPE
DO I HAVE TO USE SPICY ITALIAN SAUSAGE?
Not at all! For a milder option, you can go for sweet or mild Italian sausage.
CAN I USE FRESH HERBS INSTEAD?
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
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, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding heavy cream when serving.
Sausage, Potato and Spinach Soup
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 bay leaf
- 1 pound red potatoes, diced
- 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 2-3 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in chicken broth and bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in spinach until it begins to wilt, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in heavy cream until heated through, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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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.
Excellent soup! Easy to make. My husband loves it. If you use spicy sausage the 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes adds allot of spice. Beware if you are sensitive to spicy! Good with or without the cream. Definitely make this soup.
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!
Not sure we could love soup more than this one! We use ground chicken instead of sausage and it is delicious. The only comment is potatoes always seem to take longer to cook. This is our #1 family fave!
For those of you who’ve had questions about the red color I’m thinking it must be the makeup of the sausage. As I was frying the meat I could see the red chili flakes and sure enough my soup has a reddish color. Great recipe!
Love this soup! I made it just as directed and it was wonderful. Such a tasty hearty soup for this time of year. Actually, anytime of year. If you haven’t tried this recipe, now is the time. Great soup! Everyone will want seconds if not thirds.
Delicious, quick, and nutritious, everything I want in a dish.
I subbed the potatoes for chicken tortellini and the spinach for kale, which I cooked longer since it’s heartier than spinach. We ate it with parmesan and homemade bread. I will definitely make again (and again and again)!
had this soup at a cookie decorating party I am not a fan of potato soup, but this was off the charts… Santa needs to forget the milk and cookiesThis soup will warm him for his long journey.. Merry Christmas everyone Ya’ll need to try this
What can you substitute for heavy cream when lactose intolerant!?
Thank you !
Maybe greek yogurt?
Country Crock Plant Cream – Easy to cook with, doesn’t break down and tastes great. Half of my family has Alpha Gal and this is my go to cream.
It was quite tasty, and I left the cream out because we didn’t have any. The picture looks red, but I have no idea where the red comes from in the recipe!
Used chicken Italian sausage, and added an extra cup of broth to add more liquid. I think next time I will add some cannellini beans or chick peas as someone else mentioned to bulk it up.
Hi There! Making this soup now and it smells delish. I’m just curious…Do you peel the potatoes or leave the skin on? Also, the picture shows the soup as being red, but mine isn’t red (and not seeing anything in the ingredient list that would make it red) – Am I missing something? Thanks so much!
which brand of chicken broth do you use?
Can you substitute something non dairy for heavy cream?
I recommend coconut cream for any recipe that calls for heavy cream.
This is our go-to soup anytime of year and it only gets better the next day! We do add cannellini beans to bulk it up some but nothing needs to be added…a family favorite!
Great soup. Great ingredients!
Very easy recipe quick to make and has a fantastic flavor “
This was a great recipe guide to what I had on hand in the kitchen to make this delicious soup. I had to substitute half and half for heavy cream and the potatoes I used were Idaho potatoes, the sausage I used was Italian mozzarella sausage meatballs and it still turned out pretty good and to round the meal out I made some homemade coleslaw and some Dolly Parton Cheddar Chive biscuits.
A flavourful soup recipe that doesn’t disappoint. It worked well with vegan „sausages“.
Thank you for sharing it!
Have made this soup over a dozen times! Easy, delicious, few ingredients, crowd pleaser! Frequently skip the heavy cream when I don’t have it on hand and it is still just as good! Hands down a favorite for my family.
Can I use russet potatoes instead of red? I just happen to have some on hand and need to use them.
My neighbor Kaneisha made this for our Halloween get together outside on the driveway and it was awsome. This was the perfect hearty and flavorful soup to have on a cold night with some french bread.
I love this recipe and have been making it for years, but did you update the pictures and video? The one I have saved on Pinterest is not red and didn’t originally use spicy sausage. It’s a light colored soup. What changed?
Made a meat version and a fake meat version for my son this afternoon. The only thing that makes me sad about this recipe is there wasn’t any leftovers!! Now I have to make some more for next week 🙂
-great recipe
I have made this recipe several times. I always get rave reviews and come back with an empty pot. This makes a generous amount of soup. I added a couple of things but also stayed true to the basis of the recipe. Most of the time I substitute the potatoes for cauliflower and always add carrots. We need all the veggies!! I agree with Charlotte. When I use spicy sausage I omit the pepper flakes. Most of the time I use mild sausage and add pepper flakes. The cream makes the recipe in my opinion, but we have served without it (my daughter has a sensitivity to dairy). Most of the time I pull her portion out before adding cream. Thank you so much for this recipe! I come back to it every winter since I found it!
Could you recommend a low carb version of your recipe? Could I swap the potato for cauliflower for instance? We love this recipe but we are currently doing keto and looking for low carb options.
I have substituted cauliflower for the potatoes, and it turns out great! See my comment that I posted today.
Sorry, I meant to say how much. I usually use a large bag of frozen cauliflower for simplicity (ounces are usually printed on the front of the bag), but I have used a fresh head of cauliflower also.
FAVORITE – Used extra large potato, 1/4 c sour cream because I did not have heavy cream, used mild sausage with red pepper flakes, if using spicy sausage be careful with the red pepper flakes
Hi,I’ve tried a few of your recipes, everything always turns out great.
Can I use a sausage that is more like a Japanese sausage?
Delicious! I forgot to buy heavy cream, so I used half and half. I’ll be making this again, for sure!
Can I make this ahead and put it in the refrigerator and then heat up later?
My grandson is picky about most things, he tastes this soup and fell in love with it.
Love it! I used ground turkey sausage
My friends loved this dish! I make it regularly now.
I made this for our Ladies Devotional Lunch.
So many compliments and asked for it to be in the rotation!
I’m sorry I forgot the rating.
It’s delicious even without the cream, thank you! I’ve tried several of your recipes and have not been disappointed! You’re a great cook!
My friend Zosia made this once while I was visiting. I have made it several times since then. It is absolutely delicious. So filling and satisfying. I love it.
I made this today and it was fantastic. Just wondering if I can save some in the freezer and how long will it be good for?
Following the recipe, it is a favorite of my family and friends.
Hey, do you have nutrition info for thus recipe? Sodium, Carbs, fat and fiber is what im looking for specifically. Subbing pork sausage for turkey Italian sausage.
Try this site: https://samsungfood.com/recipe-nutrition-calculator/
Damn delicious!! A staple soup in our house!! I use farmer sausage and it’s so good!!
tried and true, good for all ages. This soup is so good and hearty (and easy) that I got obsessed and ate it regularly for a few months. I couldn’t shut up about how delicious it is and shared the recipe with many people. Everyone who made it felt like I did. Yummm! You can’t go wrong.
I once had a soup similar in an Italian restaurant and went home and found this recipe. As a family we love this and have been eating it minimum of once a month over the last 4 or 5 years. So simple and so deliscious.
This soup is amazing! I love the sausage and potato flavor.
This is one of my favorite recipes to pull out in the fall and winter! It’s so warming and a little spicy but mellowed out by the cream and potatoes. I have a dairy allergy, so we substitute homemade heavy cashew cream (equal parts soaked cashews and water in a blender) and it works like a charm!
Really easy and delicious! I just used the entire pack of Johnsonville Italian Sausage casing removed it was 19 oz instead of 16oz. I also used Diced Simply Potatoes 20 oz bag instead of 16 oz. Everything else the same. I could only find heavy whipping cream could not tell the difference.
This soup is delicious. I made it for a dinner party at my house and everybody raved about it. They are asking me to make it again. So I bought more ingredients and I make it just the way the recipe says. It is awesome. My friend suggested cauliflower instead of potatoes but it just isn’t the same! So I’ll stick to the original recipe !
I had a pound of spicy sausage in my freezer that needed to be used. Thankfully I came across this recipe after doing a Google search. I forgot to add the cream despite buying cream specifically for this recipe. Next time! Thank you to whoever first mentioned adding mushrooms. They really do compliment the soup perfectly. I ended up using a good bit more broth than the recipe called for. I had a bowl after it was finished cooking and it was fantastic! Especially with some shredded parmesan. This will definitely be going into my “keepers”! Thanks for the delicious recipe. It will get used repeatedly. Winter is coming.
I use frozen spinach since I rarely have fresh, and most of the time I forget the cream. It taste even better the second day. We love this one.
Amazing !! Can I freeze it after making? Anything I should leave out before freezing? Thanks again!
I have come back to this recipe again and again throughout the years. I’ve made it probably 60-70 times. I always follow the recipe exactly and it’s always delicious. This is a tried and true for me, for sure!
Easy and delicious recipe. I didn’t have potatoes so I just added a cup of orzo for texture and it was great. I also added additional 3 cups of broth coz of the orzo. I will definetely make this again.
I love this soup. Been making it for years and it’s always a hit! Sometimes I throw extra sausage in it, sometimes I use turnips instead of potatoes, sometimes I throw tortellini or lentils in there.. it’s so versatile and yummy! Thanks for sharing!
My mom made some version of this that I wanted to try to emulate tonight. This is a different recipe, but very good all the same. I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, chili powder, and Badia All Seasoning spice mix. Will make again someday.
Yummy, easy and impressive. This will be made again and again.
We love how this has cream, but is not heavy at all- a delicious soup! We topped it with shaved parmesan!
This was delicious and I’m about to start a pot now despite the hour!
Thanks so much
I tried a couple others but yours made me quite happy
Keep ‘em coming
I appreciate you more than you know
The perfect soup. Especially for a cold, windy, wintery day! I’ve made it maybe 5 times and I don’t change the original recipe because it’s amazing just as it is. I’ve made many soups over the last 30+ years but this may be our favorite of all time. We have been going through a kitchen remodel since late October and I’ve made this in the slow cooker by letting the sausage cook first (draining the fat has not been necessary), then adding the onion and garlic until they have cooked a little, then adding everything but the spinach and cream, adding those two things last. I use spicy ground Italian sausage and it doesn’t need any other red pepper, at least for us. Great recipe!
Very yummy and perfect for a cold weather night. I didn’t add the 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes because my sausage was spicy enough. I also added 2 extra cups of broth. I did add the cream but felt you could do without. Served with crusty bread. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
This soup is absolutely perfect for a cold winter’s night. I quadruple the ingredients, so that my husband and myself have plenty of leftovers for other nights. This is very quick and easy to make, and I highly recommend this recipe to everyone that loves a bit of spiciness in their dinner meals, or even lunch meals. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!
I made this with slight changes because I didn’t have all the ingredients: 1/2 c. Sour Cream instead of 1/4c. whole milk, 1c. frozen spinach instead of 3c. fresh. I also ended it with a corn starch slurry to thicken, just a personal preference. I served it to my father who doesn’t like soup and he went back for seconds!
The beauty of this recipe is how fabulous it is even with adaptations. I only had cooked sausage,and omitted the cream(my daughter is allergic) do added mushrooms. It was still damn delicious!
I made this almost exactly as instructed (the only change was that I left out the extra red pepper flakes). It was great. Spicy enough (but not too spicy for my 8 year old), flavorful, and filling. Just thought I’d cut through the noise of all these recipe adaptation reviews for purists like me who are wondering how the recipe is as written. It’s good. And will likely be added to our normal rotation AND our “new baby meal gift” repertoire.
Fabulous soup !! I did not add cream and it’s so yum w/0. Trying to cut on calories ! I also added less potato and roasted cauliflower (I always do this for my soups) And brussels sprouts and some carrots . Roasting just gives it that next level of flavor. Seriously we could’ve eaten it all in one sitting . I always use jenni-0 Italian chicken sausage. it’s my favorite sausage , some other brands have hvy fennel and is too overpowering . This whole dish is spicy yummy and fulfilling. My husband just can’t get enough of it, making it again tomorrow since we have no left overs !!!
Soups like this are just the “refrigerator “ what ever veggie I got it goes in . I often will Add roasted zucchini but it’s not my honey’s favorite anything works in this sou, it’s just it’s heaven in a bowl ❤️
This soup is absolutely amazing! The “as written” recipe is wonderful. It’s also a very versatile recipe that is equally (damn) delicious with cauliflower florets (replacing potatoes) and chopped kale (replacing spinach) added early so it can wilt down during cooking. If you’re dairy free, unsweetened plain almond milk works well in place of the cream. I’ve even tossed in diced celery and carrots with the onion. What I’m saying is – this is DELICIOUS soup! Use your favourite sausage and you can’t go wrong. It’s a quick, easy to get on the table recipe. If I’m going to freeze some I leave the cream/almond milk out (and add it after thawing/reheating the soup). I love it when I find one in the freezer that I didn’t realize was still there! Thank you for this recipe.
I made this exactly by the recipe and it’s fabulous! The biggest issue is that I can’t seem to make enough for me to get more than one serving. My husband loves it! Making a larger batch this time and freezing part of it w/o cream and spinach. And hiding it where he won’t find it. Thanks!
It was great!
Quick search yielded this recipe and it was perfect for this crisp fall morning. Lunch is served!
Delicious, plus it’s super quick and easy. I wanted something a little more fall-y so I used sweet potatoes and added a little brown sugar. So so good and super duper easy. A staple for sure. 맛있는!
Very good. I made about one cup of homemade roux to add (using butter, flour, milk, chicken bullion cube and seasoning) as I didn’t have heavy cream. It turned out perfect.
This is a must have soup! Our house calls it “Comfort Soup” and have to make a double batch if not triple depending on how many people find out it’s on the menu at our house.
This soup is sooooo damn good! LOVE it! It’s super easy and quick to make too!
I love this recipe! I used pork breakfast sausage instead of mild italian. I also have used frozen hash brown diced potatoes instead of doing all that dicing myself!
This recipe sounds wonderful! I will prepare as noted! People that prepare a dish and say “I substituted this for that drives me crazy! Don’t even bother if you cannot prepare as indicated!
Please consider that a lot of us appreciate both the original recipe and the variations, as long as variations are not then used to criticize the original recipe.
I totally agree. While this recipe looks divine and I have no doubt it will be, I also appreciate variations. Some people are lactose intolerant, some people don’t have all the ingredients on hand and some people have to feed very picky eaters. I like knowing what others substitute in
those circumstances.
I love your recipes! They are always delicious and never fail. I made this soup last night. I don’t eat meat so I used the Morning Star Italian sausage vegetable crumbles instead. It was the first time I ever used them so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It actually turned out great. My husband was surprised thinking it would be too mushy but actually held up pretty well. The soup was delicious. Thank you for this delicious, versatile soup.
Hi I want to make this for meal prep can anyone tell me how much is considered a serving ? I’m assuming a cup ?
I’m wondering the same. What is the serving size.
Tried this recipe tonight and just used pork sausage instead of Italian sausage. Substituted coconut milk for the cream as I am sensitive to dairy. Seeing another review on here, next time I make this I’m adding fresh mushrooms.
Delicious!
Oh my!
I really love Jimmy Dean hot sausage so decided to try this soup using it instead of Italians saysage. Got everything prepped and started cooking and realized had no spinach! Used garden peas since only thing that seemed like an okay substitute. Of course then had to add mushrooms. Other than all that… followed recipe. Wish me luck!
For all those adding freshly grated parmesan into soup, is that during the cooking process or after when it’s in a bowl?
Thanks
After, and into each bowl as it’s served – or it will all clump together in the pot
I had low expectations for this soup. I just wanted to use up some pork sausage and spinach that were languishing in the frig. This fit the bill. I found a recipe to convert pork sausage to Italian sausage and then followed the recipe. It was wonderful!!! Even my husband thought so and he is frustratingly picky. The only change I made was to use vegetable broth instead of chicken and added some za’atar (my new favorite spice. It brightens everything) A new favorite soup.
Fantastic. I leave out the cream and it’s Whole 30 compatible. My husband loves it too. I’ve used lots of different types of sausage.
I used arugula instead of spinach, added a wee little bit of sugar and accidentally added more cream than the recipe called for but it all came out wonderfully. There’s so much flavor, I wish my sister were here to devour it with me.
Absolutely delicious. I changed a couple items. I used Yukon gold potatoes instead of the red. Sweeter and better tasting. Double the amount of heavy cream.
Perfect heat, subtle but you know its there.
Definitely a new family fave.
Absolutely fabulous! Very easy and the whole family loves it. I added a small can of tomato paste, 28oz can of crushed tomatoes, and frozen corn. So yummy!
Amazing soup! I am not a great cook so I always look for easy. I was looking to use up some ingredients in the fridge before they started to spoil and came across this recipe. Used one package mild Italian sausage meat and one hot Italian sausage (because that is what I had) other than that followed the recipe. I made it for my hubby and a worker in his shop but as I was tasting I ate two huge bowls myself because it was so good. I could eat this ever week. Absolutely on our rotation. (The boys LOVED it and my hubby was shocked I made this because it is that good. Lol) ….must follow this amazing chef!
Since I found this recipe in 2015 I have made this recipe probably 25 times. It’s safe to say that it has become my go-to soup recipe! Sometimes I add spinach at the end and sometimes I add kale. It’s especially delicious with a bit of real parmasean grated into it with a slice of crusty bread on the side. If you’re in need of some extra comfort, don’t be afraid to add in an extra splash of cream. Careful with the salt. It’s delicious.
I have made this several time just this winter! Sliced my sausage to add to pot, also sliced portobellos and finished with crumbled, crispy bacon! Made tonight. Yum 😉
I’ve made this several times.. once with bacon.. once with sausage, and another time with Kielbasa.
All of them were delicious.
Made this for the first time.. it was super easy and now my go to soup. So hearty with the potatoes and kale ( substituted the spinach) My family loved it.
I have made this several times now, each time I tweak it a bit. The first time I made it the only complaint was not enough enough spinach. I always use more garlic than the recipe requires. I just made a batch using sweet and hot sausage.
Just made this. DELICIOUS!! I have never used spicy sausage before, and found some that was flat, not rolled – by Johnsonville ( so, no casing). I wasn’t sure how hot it would be, so used a mild and a hot. It was perfect, but I think the all hot would have been fine, too.
Thank you for sharing this, we loved it!
This soup is fantastic. I had to mke some substitutes, used canned spinach and turnip greens and added black beans.
The seasonings were perfect. Thank you
I love it. Absolutely delicious
I’ve made this many times with all kinds of variations. It’s super easy and tastes great.
Yessss thank you for this recipe! I love cooking without recipes and doin’ my own thing, but I am just all cooked out after 2020. I’ve been looking for simple delicious recipes that I don’t have to think too much about for just a brain break and this was ittttt. It was delicious, didn’t change a thing and had with a side of toasty warm bread. 🙂 <3
This is my new favorite soup! It’s delicious! Only changes I made were: I used mild Italian sausage; no red pepper flakes; more red potatoes, 2 lbs? (don’t dice too small). I also have reflux and this doesn’t aggravate it.
Quick, easy, and delicious. I added peas because I like them. Little grated Parmesan on top and it was perfect.
Wonderful recipe on it’s own. I am not a “cook”, however, so keep this all in mind. But I used this recipe as a base. I’m really bad about following directions but often need a place to start. I was in a rush; running late; had company coming and this was the main course. So, I did use all of the ingredients, however, I was attempting to double the recipe and due to time constraints, measurements went out the window. It was still great, but this is what I, ultimately, did. I probably added more heavy cream and chicken broth than needed. I also added cooking sherry (maybe a cup) and fennel (maybe 2 tsp)just because I like the flavors. Then, today, I went back and added the rest of a 5 lb bag of red potatoes. I cooked them in a portion of the leftover soup. (FYI – In the future, I will be a bit more careful about how much red pepper flakes I add since I used 2 lbs of hot (not mild) Italian sausage. Also be careful about salt.) But after adding the extra potatoes that I wish had been in my first batch, I also added 16 oz of sauteed baby bella mushrooms. It is such a great recipe to have fun with and I’m grateful to have found it. Oh, yes! I had no time to chop onions so added a pkg of frozen onion, red, & green peppers. You’ve gotta do what works, sometimes. 🙂
I have made this soup several times. It is absolutely delicious.It’s easy to make and everyone loves it.
I made this for the first time last night at a friend’s house. It was excellent! So good I had to leave them the leftovers. Made some for just me today. I like it more hearty so upped it on the sausage, potatoes and added a can of white beans. My new favorite soup.
I made this last night and am eating the leftovers now. It turned out delicious and was so quick and easy to make! The only change I made was I used half spinach and half kale. Next time I will stick with just the kale as the spinach gets a little soggy for my liking once it wilts. 10/10 will add this to the rotation.
I’m about to make this soup again, it has become a family favourite. Very delicious and so easy and quick.
Made this last night! Was a huge hit on a cold night. Will be making many times again. I did add chopped carrots to get an extra veggie.
Easy, hearty, and delicious
This is an excellent recipe! It has been in my regular rotation during the fall/winter months for about 3 years now. I make it pretty much per the instructions, except for I typically add a bit more heavy cream than it calls for (about 1/3 cup). I’ve made this for groups a few times, and have had several people ask me for the recipe. Definitely a winner!
Absolutely amazing and I even add a few more potatoes and then a can of Thai coconut milk and fresh Thai basil. Talk about an heirloom recipe….
Delicious! Took me about an hour to make with all of the dicing involved, but well worth the extra time and effort. I used mild Italian sausage that is sold out of the casing to speed things up a bit. Also added lemon pepper rather than regular to get a little bit of zing. We will definitely make this again! Thank you for the delicious and easy recipe!
Made this once – loved it! Want to make it again… can I freeze it? I am new to soup making.
Can this be made in an instant pot?
I made mine in an instant pot. Love it!
Cook time?
Would love the instant pot conversion times!!
This recipe was fantastic! My only modification was adding Parmesan cheese. My husband and I both agreed it was missing something until we grated some to add. We will definitely be making this again!
We loved this soup! It was zesty and very filling. I subsituted whole milk for the half & half and it worked great. This is a keeper! Thank you!
Awesome! I added some leftover kidney beans…and a fresh jalapeno! Served it with salsa and sour cream. I am true Texan! Thanks much!
Absolutely delicious. It’s October in Michigan just starting to get a chill in the air and perfect night for soup. This was easy and came out really good. Had leftover for lunch today might be better than last night.
I followed the recipe exactly and it was amazing! The only thing I did differently was that I wasn’t sure how many potatoes made a pound, so I probably added extra. I also added about 5 cups of spinach and a couple tsp extra of the heavy cream! My husband is not a huge soup fan but we both agreed that this recipe is a keeper!
Great recipe. I used a pound of turkey sausage and added a couple chopped up carrots. So many peppers from the garden, so I sauteed several with the onions. It’s always interesting to see all the changes that people make.
I posted a review on this soup 5 years ago. Just wanted to let you know it is still my absolute FAVORITE. It’s been a tradition to make it every year for Halloween! (I still make it plenty of times throughout the year too 🙂
Wanted to try a new soup, I added carrots for more color and thickened the broth with a little cornstarch. Kids loved it!
Could you sub yogurt for the heavy cream do you think? Other than yogurt the only suitable sub I’d have would be evaporated milk?
Make this keto with radish instead of potatoes. Add a little potato starch or tapioca starch and some parm cheese to give the broth some body. Adds a few carbs but worth it. Yummy.
I made this vegan with Beyond Sweet Italian Sausages and non-dairy half & half ~~ it was really delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
OH! and I added mushrooms ~ because creamy soup and mushrooms, no brainer!
Amazing soup that my whole family loves!!
Made this for dinner tonight, we ate it with some homemade Naan bread and it was amazing! One of our favorite soups now!
This soup is amazing! It’s so easy to make. We raise much of our own foods so the only thing in here that didn’t grow in our farm is the chicken stock (and only because I ran out of bones… lol). I added more water to lighten the broth flavor and I love soup for the liquod. I’ll be doing this soup as one of my easy go-to recipes in the future. Thank you
Loved this. I used kale instead of spinach, added carrots, and a lot of red pepper flakes. Everything else as is, was really great soup. For a family of who want leftovers definitely double the recipe!
A friend used to make this for our work family gatherings. Everyone loved it so she shared the recipe. We love it!
This recipe is a huge hit with family and friends. Every time I make it, there are words over who gets the last bowl!
This soup is fast becoming one of my favorites of all time! I follow the recipe except that I use sweet Italian sausage, no pepper flakes, and i add a little extra cream. It’s to die for!
This is one of my all time favorite soups! It’s part of the regular rotation at my house and my husband requests it all the time! I love that the recipe doesn’t require a ton of chopping, and it reheats really well for lunches.
Damn Delicious never steers me wrong – thank you for all the wonderful recipes!
Super simple, damn delicious and a family dinner staple. Always get compliments on this recipe. Thank you for all your great recipes…you are one of my favorite food bloggers hands down!!!
I have come back to this recipe again and again and again since I found it in 2015, five years ago. I’ve probably made this soup at least twenty times! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!
My family (including my two year old) loves this recipe! We actually don’t add in the heavy cream and it is still delicious. Thank you for sharing.
One of my favorite soups! I absolutely love the flavors and it’s so easy to make. I don’t ever seem to have heavy cream so I add a half cup of half and half instead.
I’ve been using fresh basil and sour cream substitute, all I had. Our favourite soup! Pretty work
Made this fairly quickly one night that my husband requested soup and I will definitely make again – it came out just right! I substituted pork sausage and half n’ half instead of cream because it was what I had on hand. Delicious!
#damndelicious
Never any leftovers so double the recipe whenever feeding more than 3 adults this hearty satisfying soup… Incredible leftover!
Can I add a can of white beans? So excited to make this
Can I use frozen spinach?
Made this Spinach/potato/sausage soup with a few variations so my husband would eat it. :). I used MILD Italian sausage and left out the pepper flakes. I also optioned out of the pepper flakes and the dairy (heavy cream). Everything else was the same.
Basically no dairy and not too spicy. The Mild Italian sausage still has quite a bit of flavor and adding in the onion/garlic etc. makes this soup very tasty! The soup was not too heavy yet filling.
YES! I will make it again as well as recommend it.
Hopefully it is just as good with Kale. Delish!!
Wonderful Recipe. Had to do a couple of substitutions (Turkey sausage for Italian sausage, Sage for Basil, and Russet potatoes for Red potatoes) but still came out full of flavor!
Definitely the best soup I’ve had the pleasure of making. I like to add carrots and celery because I adore them in soup but will eat this soup no matter what. Always hits the spot no matter the weather!
Excellent recipe! Made it exactly according to the recipe and it was delish. No leftovers on this soup!
Wow! This is fast becoming one of my favorite soups! It’s so delicious and satisfying, and incredibly easy. I feel like the leftovers in my fridge are a treasure!
I’ve been making this recipe for a couple of years now, and it has become a standard in our house in the winter. I use mild Italian chicken sausage and skip the cream enrichment to limit the fat content, but make sure to add some pepper flakes for a little zip. It’s a complete meal in one pot, comes together in no time , and is indeed damn delicious, especially with a piece of good rye bread!
Amazing! I did have to add some seasoning salt and a splash of Worcestershire at the end BUT that may be my doing. I didn’t feel like going to the store. I did have a lot of rotel dip left over from the super bowl and that doesn’t freeze well I decided to rinsed the velveeta off and pick the rotel out. I’m sure it lost a lot of flavor doing that. My S.O and son did not eat it bc they were craving pancakes and hate when I “experiment.” Although he is taking some to work tomorrow. Lol. My friend came over and she loved it! Can’t wait to try it with fresh sausage.
This recipe is amazing. We made it for our one of our weekly meals and it was gone before the weekend was over. We have added it to the family’s cookbook recipes.
Love this soup. I use the mild sausage since I take 1/2 of it to friends who are ill or just not into cooking. I also add carrots, celery & red pepper to bump up the nutritional value (&no red pepper flakes). Just made my 4th pot. Big hit at h.
I’ve made this 4 times now because it’s absolutely delicious. I have substituted chicken sausage instead of pork and vegetable broth instead of chicken broth but it’s still amazing. My husband loves it too. It goes together quickly, cooks in one pot and tastes amazing the next day. It’s super comforting on a cold & snowy New England winter night like tonight!!!!! Yummy
This soup was so easy to make and so delicious!
Can I make this is a crock pot? Would I need to make any changes to the process?
I’m trying it in the crock pot now. Just adding more spices and adding the cream and spinach in the last 20 minutes of cooking
Love this soup. Wondering if it can be frozen? Or would it not be as good once thawed and reheated?
About the best soup I ever made. Made this for our family Christmas soup day and everyone thought it was the bomb!! We had multiple soups and I was the king for a day..lol
This is my family’s favorite soup! I make it so much, I thought I’d better give it a good review The only change I make is to leave out the onions and only because my husband doesn’t like them :/ Sometimes, I add green onions for garnish on mine, but it’s good with or without! Thanks for this amazing recipe!
I have now made this soup several times. It has become an absolute favorite at my house; my husband LOVES it! The recipe is simple to follow and comes together quickly. Without a doubt, this is a favorite soup. Thank you for all the terrific recipes. I very much enjoy your website and all the great cooking tips and recipes. It is soup season now so I will be making more of your great recipes.
How would kale work in this soup?
It’s amazing I sub kale for the spinach all the time 😉
Any suggestions on reheating?
This is what I did:
I decided to leave the heavy cream out of the big pot and just add it bowl by bowl. I’ve found that this type of soup reheats better on the stove without the cream mixed in during the reheating process.
Just curious for your suggestions! Soup is delicious!!!! I added in some chopped bacon and it was just what it needed!
Can I use milk in place of cream?
Hi Bri! You can expect a slight difference in texture and flavor but it’ll still be tasty all the same! 🙂
My husband went back for thirds!! Loved it!
I don’t follow recipes very well…and it took me 1.5 hours because my homemade broth is frozen…and so on…and so forth.
The major changes that I did were to add mushrooms, quadruple the cream (throw that nutritional analysis OUT the window!), and cut up and quadrupled the spinach.
Tasty good!
Absolutely amazing. My hubby is not a soup fan but after trying this soup he had to call his mom and insist she come over for a bowl! This will be something we make all the time. Thank You for sharing
Totally loved this soup! I am not a soup person and I will be making this again. I added mushrooms and kale would go great. What a great on a cold and windy day! Saving some without the cream to freeze. Thank you!
This recipe makes for a wonderful bowl of soup!!!
This my all time favorite soup. I keep coming back to it time and time again. So good.
How could I make this Whole 30 friendly??? Would full fat coconut milk subbed for the heavy cream work???
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
I love to make soup and do so often. My family appreciates my efforts! Of all my home-made soups this soup is THE FAVORITE!! It is easy to make and #damndelicious! Always double the batch!
This is now a family staple. We make it over and over; sometimes with sweet sausage, sometimes spicy, cream no cream, spinach or kale- It’s delicious every time!
This soup is amazing! I don’t always add cream but love it either way.
Trying this tonight!! How much is a serving? I see it’s 6 servings per batch. A cup…more?
Hayli, you would have to divide the full amount by 6 servings to get the serving size. Hope that helps!
This is the BEST – love the rich flavors. I used sweet sausage instead of spicy, and kale instead of spinach. Thanks for such an awesome, easy recipe!
No reason not to give it 5 stars! It taste exactly as expected! (Olive Garden copy cat)
This is a regular in my rotation. It is FANTASTIC. I serve it with some good Southern buttermilk cornbread….DIVINE. Thank you for the recipe!
Absolutely a staple in my house now! So good! I added a bit of paprika instead of the red pepper flakes just to add some zip and color. We really enjoyed it. I always make Chicken and Rice soup on chilly, rainy days. This was a very welcome change. Thank you!
This soup is fantastic. We make it often at our house, especially during the winter months. Very much a comfort food with just the right amount of spicy. I add a little more spinach but that’s just a personal preference.
Love this recipe, even my husband loves it which means it’s definitely a keeper for me!! I’m going to try doubling the meat tonight and omitting the pepper flakes to keep the heat down a bit for the kids!
This is outstanding! I used Hot Turkey Sausage in place of pork sausage. In addition, I added coarsely chopped kale as well as the baby spinach. My husband is not a soup lover but raved about this!
Thank you Chungah!
The Best soup ever! Quick and easy to make. I used a box of frozen spinach, defrosted & squeezed. Similar but better than Olive Gardens Zuppa Toscana. This is my new soup to bring friends!
I love homemade soups. This was one of the best tasting, quick to make and my families favorite to date!
I did add a can of tomato paste for a thicker texture, just a preference of mine. Truly one of my taste buds’ favorites. It was damn delicious.
Love this and make it all the time. Sometimes I add mushrooms
Love this soup!!!! Does it freeze well? I want to make tons of this
Unfortunately, soups that contain milk or cream, like chowders and bisques, do not hold up well in the freezer as they tend to take on a grainy texture and separate when defrosted and rewarmed. 🙁
I have made this a few times and want to make it again for my soon to be daughter in law who is gluten free, but when I am on the link, the ingredient list and directions aren’t showing up. Can you help me out? This was a hit with my family in the past!
My apologies. The website was undergoing a system update earlier today but all recipes have now been restored. Thank you so much for your patience.
It’s only right that after 2 solid years of making this soup that I finally leave a review. It’s truly outstanding. It has all the key components I look for in a recipe, mostly healthy ingredients, simple to throw together, and mighty delicious. Thank you for an incredible recipe that my family has repeatedly enjoyed. About a year ago my Mom came to visit and I made this soup and now she makes it all the time too. Some of my nieces and nephews even call it “Nana’s famous sausage soup.” Like excuse me? It was never hers. Ha! Many thanks!
I made this tonight and omgggggg in love its a new staple. I did add corn and broccoli to mine just to bulk it up a bit and left the sausage in casing and fried it then cut it into coins. And made a rue with the cream to thicken it. Its amazing
Doctored it a little but this is really good. Would’ve been good without the changes.
I know this recipe is old but I just wanted to leave a comment. 4 years ago I made this soup for the first time on Election Day 2014 and the name “Election Day Soup” has stuck! So today, on Election Day, I’m making this soup for the 3rd election since then (and many times in between) and we will all have a big bowl when we get home from voting! Thank you so much for a recipe that has become such a tradition in my house!
Love that!!! 🙂
y can’t I find its video, I need its video pls
There is no video for this recipe at this time.
Best soup ever! I’ve made this multiple times and it’s always delicious. I’ve used turkey sausage as well and it’s just as good. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Seriously one of my favorite soups! Sooo good!
Awesome!
My wife and I love this soup, been making for years. This year we are in the middle of a no carb high fat diet so we tweaked a bit by replacing red potatoes with radish. Turn out to be an excellent supplement, couldn’t tell the difference. Also, we always double the batch and freeze in food saver bags, works great for those who are wondering about freezing. Makes for a damn delicious easy meal later in the season. Goes great with a frigid Minnesota evening. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Can I make this and omit the potatoes? I can’t have them but my friend has made this and it is DELISH so I’m dying for a pot of it of my own! Thanks!!
Yes, you can omit the potatoes. 🙂
Or better yet replace with radish!
My husband and two year old LOVE this soup. It’s become a staple in our house. SO YUMMY! Thank you!
Awwwww we love that you and your little one liked it! 🙂
Hi I have made this recipe twice and always forget to thank you for this recipe! It’s so good!! Me and my husband enjoy it very much. Thank you!
I had sausage, potato, spinach soup at the local deli, but it was thick. I just made this and realized its not the same. Is there any way to make it thicker without hurting the taste?
Yes, you can stir in flour to make a roux until the desired consistency is reached.
Will this soup freeze well?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself. Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
We used mild Italian sausage and 1/4t red pepper flakes. It was delicious!
This is so delicious. I added a can of garlic diced tomatoes and used Italian seasoning. It was perfect! Top my favorite soup. The flavor was just wonderful. Thank you for this!
I made this delicious soup last night with a few variations because I had to use what I had on hand: regular breakfast sausage instead of spicy Italian sausage (which I plan to use next time); 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper instead of crushed red pepper. I would have doubled the crushed red pepper if I had it to make up for the lack of spiciness in the sausage. I also used homemade chicken stock and threw in a bit fresh basil toward the end. Between the salt in the breakfast sausage and in my chicken stock, I didn’t need to add much salt, but I put in about 1/2 tsp of black pepper – because I always like extra pepper. Didn’t have fresh spinach so used frozen. It was still pretty amazing and my husband wants it again. Next time, I’ll pick up some fresh spinach and spicy Italian sausage and follow the recipe exactly to see how it tastes. I imagine the Italian sausage makes this recipe amazing. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.
Hate to say that my family and I didn’t enjoy this. Bland
This is the best soup ever!!
Easy and delicious. I added cagnolini beans, extra hearty boost in the cold weather and Tortoli. Turned out fantastic! A full meal in itself.
Chungah!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much!! This soup is amazing..made it last night…but i put some arugula instead of Spinach and it was so goooood!!!!!!!! Love your blog and Butters is the best dog!!!!!!!!
Made this recipe and we all absolutely loved it. Now that I have discovered your site I can hardly wait to try other recipes. Thank you so much for not only the recipe but the Nutrition information. It was indeed Damn Delicious!
I love love this recipe! My husband request it often.
delicious soup! just made it for the second time last night!
Very good soup! Thank you for the recipe.
I make this soup alot now
Can you substitute anything for heavy cream? 2 percent milk? Coconut milk? Or omit?
Half and half would be a great substitute.
My family loves this recipe! We substitute the spicy Italian sausage for venison seasoned with a spicy italian seasoning. So good!
I love this soup! Easy, fast, and damn delicious. You are a go to for dinner recipes. Never been disappointed. Thank you!!
Just made this soup. Doubled the recipe and the kids loved it too!! Thanks for sharing.
Just made this for the first time and hubbs Loved it! I used fresh Italian chicken sausage with some spicy pork sausage. I also added a serrano pepper and substituted Kale for the Spinach. It was SO delicious especially on a cold winter night but I too could eat this all year long. Looking forward to some leftovers of it for the next few days!
LOVE this soup! used fresh pork sausage instead of the Italian. (personal preference) Family love it. So easy to put together. Delicious. Thanks. Works with collards instead of the spinach also. Love it.
Great recipe, easy to follow. Used mild sausage instead of spicy and was a little heavy handed on the red pepper flakes which gave the soup just enough spice. Next time I may add a bit more chicken stock because I was running low on broth. Keep the soup recipes coming!
I have Mustard Greens in my house at the moment do you think it would go well in this soup instead of the spinach?
Yes, absolutely.
I made this for dinner tonight, AMAZING!! great recipe. Everytime I pin one of your recipes it’s fantastic. Thank you!
I came across this recipe looking for something to use up my potatoes because my oven broke!
I veganised it by eliminating sausage, using veggie stock and making cashew cream (1/2 cup soaked cashews blended with a little water)
I also blended a small amount of the soup then added it back in to thicken it up slightly.
It was delicious! Thanks!
Has anyone ever froze this soup before?
I have made soup from this recipe twice and love it; great Fall dinner. I had all the ingredients, but found it was easy to add more of what you like and not alter the flavouring. The only thing I did do was omit the salt; the salt in spice sausage was enough. I’m just one person so I had soup for a couple of days and then froze the rest to eat later.
Can I use kielbasa instead of the crumbled sausage?
Yes, absolutely.
Just made this tonight, I added 1/3 cup frozen green chile rather than red pepper flakes. The soup was irresistible and there are no leftovers.
looks awesome! It’s a rainy day here, and I have thawed turkey breakfast sausage that I need to use. I guess I’m going to be different and go that route, as I don’t want to go out for Italian sausage. I’ll let you know what my family thinks.
How much is considered one serving? I’m a diabetic so carb counting is crucial for me. I noticed none of your recipes indicate the amount for each serving. Thanks!
About 1-2 cups/serving.
I make this with Jennie-O’s Italian Seasoned Ground Turkey and use 1% milk instead of cream. My family loves it. My husband adds more red-pepper flakes to his, since he likes his more spicy, but for the rest of us, it’s perfect! No idea what that takes the calorie count to, but definitely produces less guilt. 😉
My kids love this soup and it’s literally the only soup they’ll eat. My oldest begs to bring left overs to school for lunch so I always have to make a double batch. I don’t want them to get tired of it so have anyone tried changing out a few things like pasta instead of potatoes or anything? I would like to change it up some so that I can hopefully make it more often without everyone getting tired of it. Thanks!
Made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! The flavors blended so well together & I loved the spice from the spicy sausage & red pepper flakes! Your recipes are some of the best I’ve tried & I always look forward to the emails for something new to try! Another hit, thanks Chungah!!
Chungah, I have made this soup at least one million times, at least. I LOVE this recipe.
I can’t have dairy….Will this soup still work without the heavy cream?
Yes, absolutely.
I used coconut cream/milk, probably 1/2 cup and it worked out great.
I’m sure this is a pretty overused expression on your comments, but this was damn delicious! Fun to make and man it was so awesome, thanks for a great recipe!
Great stuff! I’ve made this and the cheater pho recipe. Both were two of the best soups that I’ve ever made.
I just made this soup yesterday and it was sooooo good! I used what I had on hand…a package of spicy turkey sausage (1 1/4 lbs.), a 10 ounce package of chopped frozen spinach and in addition, I added a cup of slice baby carrots. Thank you for sharing this simple and delicious recipe. You rock!
Made this tonight. Way too much sausage. Next time I think I’ll cut the sausage by at least half or just cook the sausage and chop it up into rounds. So much loose sausage was just too much. This was otherwise absolutely delicious and the broth was amazing. Will definitely make again, I’ll just tweak it a bit. 🙂
This soup is delicious!!! So easy and inexpensive, since most of the stuff, I usually have on hand. I was hoping to have the leftovers the next day but there were NONE! I will double the recipe when I make it again! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I made this with Italian-seasoned turkey sausage (it’s amazing, I sub it for Italian sausage in everything) and it takes the calorie count down to 235 per serving! I also added lots of dill because I love dill and it was great in here. Will definitely make this again.
This soup sounds so good. I cannot wait to make a big pot of it this weekend for the snowy weather.
This soup was absolutely perfect on a cold day! Came together so quickly and the flavor was just spot on. I followed the recipe exactly but used sweet basil sausage as that was what I had, and substituted some sunchokes for some of the potatoes. Absolutely delicious soup.
“Very flavorful” according to my hubby. Plenty spicy from the hot Italian sausage without adding the crushed red pepper. Didn’t have heavy cream so I stirred in some sour cream. Will be making again, but may add more potatoes and spinach. Thank you!
This is my new favorite soup. I made it last night with an herby mild Italian sausage. It’s so good I can’t stop eating it!
Delicious! Having a bowl full right now. Thanks for the quick and easy dinner:)
I have made this soup multiple times since you posted it last year. I honestly think it is my favorite homemade soup. Thank you so much for this recipe- it is so delicious!
(I keep everything the same but I usually only put in 1/4 teaspoon of the optional red pepper flakes- perfect amount of heat for me!)
Wonderful!
Did increase sausage to 1 1/2 lb. sausage and spinach to 10oz. Everything else the same.
Thank you!
This is so delicious and easy to make. I just left out the red pepper since I am cooking for 2, 6 year olds. Thank you for the delicious dinner!!!
I have also replaced the red potatoes with white sweet potatoes and the spicy with the sweet is super delicious!
I hope it is okay if I share some changes I have made to this soup. The changes came because of the many dietary issues we have in our household. We LOVE this soup. I love the simplicity and ease of this meal. I made this yesterday in the crockpot. I did not add the spinach or the cream until right before I served it. Also, I used yucca root rather than potatoes. The yucca came out like dumplings. It was wonderful. We cannot use dairy so I use coconut cream as my heavy cream substitute. No, it does not give it a coconut flavor. I place everything in the crockpot on low for 9 hours and it was perfect!!
Yum! Rare when both my girls (9 & 11) love a meal that my husband & I love too. I used mild Italian turkey sausage (since kids don’t like heat) and omitted the red pepper flakes. I did put in a Large can of chicken broth which was closer to 6 Cups. I also tossed in kale with the potatoes instead of spinach at the end. It simmered a little longer (waiting for hubs to get home from work) so I ended up adding 4 Cups of water. I used half & half cause that’s what I put in my morning coffee so I had it on hand. 🙂 Sorry for noting all the slight modifications, but wanted to say what I did so I can do it the same way next time. It’s a keeper for sure!
Just tried this one tonight, Did it with white potatoes (because I had them) and Murray’s chicken sausage. Came out really good. Thanks.
I’ve made this recipe several times and my family loves it. I’ve started to by the sausage without the casing to save some time and I love to add sliced mushrooms. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Has anyone added carrots and celery to this soup?
I made this for tonight’s dinner and my family loved it, I didn’t change one thing I followed the recipe. thanks for sharing it, definitely I will continue making it.
Made this tonight with a couple changes. Used two envelopes of Knorrs Spring Vegetable (for the spices). added fresh celery and used one can evaporated milk. Added Parmesan cheese to each bowl. This is over the top wonderful. Thank you for sharing.
Sorry if this has been asked already. Is there an alternative to the heavy cream for someone who’s lactose intolerant? I made this and it is so yummy! But it wasn’t good for my hubby. Thanks
No worries – here is a great article worth checking out regarding substitutions for lactose intolerance. Hope that helps!
Perfect, thank you!
I made cashew cream and it worked just fine! Blend 3/4 cup of raw cashews that have been soaked for an hour in boiling water and drained, with about 1/4 cup of fresh water. You Should get a nice creamy consistency.
This recipe is so delicious!!! I have made it a few times and freeze the leftovers. The leftovers are just as good! Would recommend this recipe to anyone!
I just made this tonight and it was so good!! I did make a few changes: I used ground turkey instead of sausage and evaporated milk instead of whipping cream. Next time I would use less onion, maybe half, because it got a little over-powering. But seriously a delicious soup!! Thank you!
Yummy! Yummy! Yummy! This is DAMN delicious soup! Out of 5 stars i give it a solid 6 stars. The only thing I would change in this recipe is to double it because it is that good. Thank you for sharing this recipe it is a keeper and a goto now!
Yum! Made this soup already two times.
I cooked this soup all the time, it’s definitely one of my favs I substitute the pork sausage for hot chicken Italian sausage to make it a little healthier but I love it both ways
I made this recipe but instead of potatoes I added shiitake mushrooms and instead of sausage I used chicken wings. I used more broth and herbs and put it in slow cooker for 6hours. I added the heavy cream and spinach in the last hour so the spinach wouldn’t be overly slimy.
This soup is amazing. . Such great flavor . I recommend this dish on a cold clowdy day.
My all time favorite! I’ve made this soup several times before and I’ll continue to make it! My father absolutely loves it as well.. He ate a whole pot by himself (over a three day period). hehehe
What kind of Italian sausage? I’m unsure which type to buy. Does it come in links or the kind that come in one tube package?
Italian sausage comes in links, not in a tube package.
Jennifer, mine was not a link or a tube, but was just in a package like ground beef would be. As long as it’s spicy or hot Italian sausage, you’re good.
I just made it this morning. This soup is delicious! BF is going to want to marry me. Thanks for the recipe!
This soup really is DAMN DELICIOUS……..Just made it and everyone LOVED IT!!!! I substituted broccoli for spinach and added some chorizo meat.
It looks like I’m in the minority here, and maybe I’m buying the wrong kind of Italian sausage or something, but for me, the soup was missing depth of flavor. I knew my husband wouldn’t care for it and I wouldn’t want to eat the leftovers, so I started experimenting. Adding a hint of cumin and a couple tablespoons of sour cream did the trick! I loved the final result!
We are trying to eat healthy (this month) I made the soup without the spicy sausage, added extra Spinach. It was great! Thanks Chungah
Chungah,
My daughter shared this recipe with me last week. I took your advice and made a double batch and it disappeared within the first 2 days. We received 6″ of snow last night (which is quite a bit for those of us living in Mebane, N.C.) and I am working on tripling the batch for tonight’s dinner. Thanks so much for sharing such a delicious recipe!
Hi! My husband and I thought this was one of the best soups we have ever had! If I double the recipe, is it ok to freeze? Thanks!
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
I made this recipe yesterday! Absolutely delicious!! Here’s a few things I did differently though. This made a full dutch oven pan of soup:
1) I browned my onions with my sausage. After I drained my sausage and onions, i added my spices and mixed it all together. I doubled all the spices except the bay leaf…I forgot to put it in at all. Then I added my potatoes. I used at least two lbs of gold potatoes.
2) I made my own chicken broth, but used 8 cups of water instead of 5. (Making your own chicken broth is easy, cheaper, and goes farther. I just use a liquid bullion called Better Than Bouliion. It’s in the soup isle with the other soup bases. They have chicken and beef and I use both constantly! Full of flavor, but does not have the high salt content of the cubes)
3) I used 1/2 c of Half & Half in place of the heavy cream. My grocery was out of heavy cream when I went to buy these ingredients. I would have used 1/2 c no matter what though.
The soup turned out fantastic! My hisband and I were so pleased. I will definitely make again. We had seconds yesterday and both had enough left to take for lunch today.
just made this soup. Very easy to make and delicious! Thanks for the recipe
Looking forward to making this soup over the weekend but I think I want to use italian style turkey sausage and add some beans and carrots for some added health benefits 😉 what kind of beans do you think would be good in this?
Great northern beans would be a wonderful addition!
I was looking for something filling to warm up my family while we wait out the -10 degree temps in Chicago so I gave this a try. Everyone LOVED it! I followed the directions as written and it turned out perfect. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe.
Loved this soup based on smell before I even tasted it! Do you think it would hold up if it was made and then frozen?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
We absolutely loved this soup. The only thing I changed was to add grated Asiago chees on top. Served it with French bread and a salad.
The second day, it was even better.
I love your recipes and will not hesitate to try more.
Thank you so much.
I was wondering if u could use kale instead of spinach? It’s what I have on hand…
Yes, kale would be a great substitute.
Yum, yum can’t wait to make this for dinner. Since I’m vegetarian, I will use Morning Star Crumblers and Tofurkey in place of the Italian sausage.
I featured you today on Blissful and Domestic! Check it out! 🙂
http://www.blissfulanddomesticrecipes.com/2015/02/20-comforting-winter-soups.html
Great recipe! I used turkey sausage as I’m on a low red meat diet. I also added some broccoli and doubled the amount of cream to 1/2 cup. I’ve pinned it and will be making again for sure.
Success! I doubled your recipe, served it today for some guests, and not a drop of soup was left. Everyone around the table gave me two thumbs up. Thank you again, it’s a keeper.
i just made this, and it is delicious! I found a lean hot itilian sausage cause I like it spicy. I also substituted delicious and healthy coconut milk. It adds a hint of coconut but that flavour is not overpowering. Yum yum! Thank you for the recipie.
This looks amazing!! I do want to ask however, is there a (lower carb) substitute for the red potatoes that would work in this recipe? Thanks – can’t wait to try it! 🙂
You can try substituting cauliflower.
If I double this recipe, would a 6-qt. Dutch oven work well for this? Thank you.
A 6-qt Dutch oven may be too small as I have used a 3 1/2-qt Dutch oven for this recipe. A 7-qt Dutch oven may be more appropriate.
Love this, !!!! I used chicken italian sausage and also saute’ mushrooms till nice and brown thanks !
Just made this soup and it is AMAZING!!!!!!
Delicious!! I made this with Italian turkey sausage, half and half cream, extra spinach, only 1/8 tsp chili flakes and left out the salt. We loved it. Thank you for a great recipe!
I made this for lunch and used italian sausage, red pepper flakes and oregano and it is a bit spicy for us. We are used to spice. Now i have a big pot of it to use. What suggestion would you give to make it less spicy? My husband loves it, but it is a bit on the hot side for him too.. Thanks
For less spice, you can omit the red pepper flakes as needed.
Great recipe for cold weather. We are in middle of a snow storm here in Colorado – just cleared the first 10″ away and more on the way!
So I just made a pot of this soup! It is delicious and warms you right through!
I substituted chicken sausage and used coconut cream instead of plain heavy cream — worked great and gave great depth to soup! Will definitely keep this one in my “go to” recipes!
My first recipe from your site – just discovered it today! Love your site!
made this tonight for my husband and I who are 3 weeks into Whole 30. So glad to have something other than meat and veggies, I just had to switch out the cream for coconut milk. Thank you so much for sharing.
I am currently eating this as I type.. and at first i was iffy about it because I would never use sausage for soup. But omg this soup is so delicous! My husband loves thick and hardy soups and this one is the bomb.com… I give it 5 stars!!! so far loving all the recipes I have tried from this website!!!
husband approved. He finished two bowls. We added mushrooms. Yummy!
My family loved it. I used smoked sausage because that is what I had and the smoked flavor was fantastic. I think you could do it with any kind of meat. It would be great with smoked chicken too.
I made this last night and it was damn delicious!
Do you think jimmy dean sausage would work well in this soup?
I actually haven’t tried Jimmy Dean sausage before so I can’t really say for sure!
Jimmy Dean is breakfast sausage and would drastically change the flavor of the soup.
I gave it a try with Hot Jimmy Dean Sausage and it was wondeful!
Could you use creame of chicken soup instead of creame and flour and put in crockpot?
Karen, please understand that it is very difficult to give exact conversion information to translate a traditional stovetop recipe to be used in a slow cooker without further recipe testing. However, here is an article worth checking out on a possible conversion guide: http://www.thekitchn.com/5-tips-for-converting-recipes-to-the-slow-cooker-189343.
Just had some of this soup which I had frozen. Still very good! I was afraid the potatoes would not freeze well but they were fine. SO good and satisfying on a cold NE day!
I gave my email address, got a confirmation and returned to the site for a recipe but all I am seeing is pictures of scrumptious looking foods with no recipes. What am I doing wrong?
Carol, I’m not entirely sure what you are doing wrong but there is a recipe for every post located at the bottom in a blue box.
So I entered this soup into a soup contest today at work and I won first place! It was so delicious! Yay!
I made this recipe today and used half deer sausage and half Italian sausage. My family loved it. I got a
Delicious recipe! Thank you so much. I’m going to make it again tonight but just realized I only have sweet potatoes. Think they will work?
Brie, I’m honestly not entirely sure – I worry that the sweetness from the potatoes may take away from the other flavors of the soup.
I have had it with sweet potatoes and kale, still delicious.
Last night was the third time I made this…. in a week and a half time span! Love it! It’s so easy and super delish!!! I used kale last night, didn’t have spinach. I’ve also made it with turkey instead, to try and make it “healthier” but what the heck I’m gonna just stick to the Italian sausage, it’s tastier for sure!
Thanks for this awesome recipe. It’s my first time on your site! Can’t wait to check out some more recipes.
Another great recipe! Family loved it!
I made this tonight and used Italian flavored ground turkey. I omitted the cream and instead put some part skim mottzarella and parmasian cheese on top. It was as delicious as the Olive Garden and much more healthy.Yum!!
i just made this tonight, and it was amazing! It’s just my husband and I eating it though, so I was wondering: would this soup freeze well? If so I plan to store half of the leftovers in the freezer for another day. Thanks for the great recipe!
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! I recommend using your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
I can tell you that it freezes very well…at least the way I made it (I left out the cream because I thought it would work better as a brothy soup.
This was absolutely amazing! Thank you so much!
To make doubles can I double the amount of ingrediants?
Yes, that’s exactly right.
We make this often in the winter months, sometimes I will use a smoked kielbasa type sausage just to change it up a bit and don’t feel like cooking the Italian sausage.
Amazing! I added finely diced carrots and celery with the onions for a little mirepoix action. It’s worth splurging on the whipping cream, too.
This is the most awesome soup. I made it exactly as you instructed and it came out perfectly. My new all-time favorite soup. Thank you.
My husband and I made this tonight and it was soo good! Absolutely delicious! Definitely will be making it again. Thanks for sharing!
When choosing a type of onion for this soup, are you using yellow onions or white? Can’t wait to try this tonight!
Either will work great!
Would it be terrible to omit the spinach altogether? I am not a fan of greens in soup. While not really a substitute, I was thinking of adding carrots in place of the spinach. Thoughts?
Gabby, that’s really up to you – if you are not a fan of spinach or greens in your soup, it may be best to omit altogether.
This was amazing, my family loved it and my 14year old daughter helped me cook it:) I did use way more spinach (a whole bag) and milk instead of heavy cream because that is what I had. Will definitely make this again and I am looking forward to having some of the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
I used Italian turkey sausage and instead of heavy cream I stirred in a cup of nonfat Greek yogurt at the end. It was delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
I was thinking Greek yogurt too. Did you use the same 1/4 cup the recipe called for?
Greek yogurt sounds like a good idea. I used about 1/2 cup of coconut cream/milk. It worked out great.
This recipe is amazing! So much flavor. I did use sausage with a casing because that was what was on sale and it is still great. I also tripled the recipe. 5 stars.
This soup is amazing! I too (like a few of the other people who commented) used half and half instead of heavy cream. This will definitely be on the “comfort food”menu from here on out. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m not a big fan of potatoes (just a weird texture thing for me), so I added a cup of rice in place of the potatoes (no extra liquid). This is my second go-round – first time I made it just as the recipe says – it had a great flavor, but I wasn’t digging the potatoes. OMG it is to die for with rice! Even if you like potatoes, I highly recommend mixing it up every so often and using rice (because, trust me, you will be making this recipe over and over again). I was also trying the non-spicy version (mild Italian sausage, no red pepper flakes) and it is still very flavorful. I will be making this recipe next weekend when my entire family is together for the long Thanksgiving weekend (yes, it is that good i want to share it with my very food-creative family!) Also, I am intolerant to dairy, so I used coconut milk instead of heavy cream. If you are on the fence about trying this recipe, go for it! You won’t regret it!
Little hot but,really good!!
I’m so glad you tried this! For a milder soup, you can always use mild Italian sausage and omit the red pepper flakes.
I made this several nights ago and it was delectable. The only alteration I made was doubling the spicy Italian sausage and, next time (while still doubling), I’ll be using half spicy and half mild; it had quite a kick to it. My husband can’t wait to bring the leftovers back out! Thanks so much for sharing such a delightful recipe. It was a breeze to make.
Wow. Just made this tonight, and it was a big hit. I used white potatoes instead of red, kale instead of spinach, and half and half for the cream. So much yum, and I didn’t have to deal with the annoying Olive Garden experience! Winning!
Can you use cream cheese instead of heavy cream?
Dana, I do not recommend using cream cheese as the consistency will be far too thick for this soup.
I made this with vegetarian substitutions (veggie broth, Morning Star link sausage and 1% organic milk) and it was beyond wonderful. My husband, a devout vegetarian, me, I waiver; so it’s great to find a recipe that can be modified to make both of us happy. And yes, it did remind me of Olive Garden’s soup, but for us far healthier and less calories. PS- I went heavy on the spinach.
can you switch out spinach for Kale?
Absolutely!
I made this the other night and it is delicious!!! Used regular cream in place of heavy cream and it worked out just fine. Both my husband and I love it.
Going to make this tonight – looks yummy! Using kielbasa sausage instead. Our tummies can’t handle real spicy stuff (well mine can but I am the only one in this house who likes spicy/hot) 🙂
I don’t have italian sausage, can I use chorizo (Mexican sausage) instead?
You can certainly try substituting chorizo but without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. It is always best to use the ingredients listed in the recipe to obtain the best results possible.
Just made this for dinner it was fantastic!!! I did sub coconut milk for the heavy cream! Thank you for the great recipe.
I am going to make sausage balls instead of crumbling it. I don’t like sausage but my husband does. Been making a lot of your recipes. Yum! Love the One Pot Andouille Sausage Skillet Pasta too!
I made this the other night, using hot Italian sausage and it was awesome,,!! I had garlic bread with it and tore some up and put in the soup, really awesome!! On the second night I heated some up and added parmesan cheese to my bowl along with some more bread, to die for!! Making this for my husband when he gets home Sunday!! This is the best soup and just gets better the next day,, Thank you for posting!!!
As a man who often comes home hungry and has to make dinner to feed our family this recipe was great. It was easy, relatively quick, and from simple ingredients. I made this last night for my family and it was delicious. We served it with a hearty bread to soak up all that deliciousness. However, my wife and I both thought it could have used anther couple cups of spinach. There was just enough leftover for my wife and I to both take some to work for lunch today.
This was delicious. Made it with Chicken sausage, kale, and half and half as those were the ingredients I already had. Came out excellent. Whole family enjoyed even picky 3 year old.
Is it a coincidence that every yummy recipe I find on Pinterest leads me to your website? After 25 years of cooking you have put the spark back in my meal planning! My family thanks you!!! 🙂
I made this delicious soup for dinner on a cold and drizzly night and it was hearty and rich enough to feed my hardworking husband who doesn’t think soup is a meal. We loved it and I only made a few minor tweaks. I used fat free half and half, I forgot the chicken broth, so I used water and a touch of bouillon. I added mushrooms in my sauteed sausage and onions. And I made kale chips in the oven while I was making cornbread to go with it and I floated the kale on top of the soup in addition to the wilted spinach. The whole think was delicious! and really rich and decadent. Will be made next time I have dinner guests for sure…
This reminds me of my favorite Olive Garden soup! They use kale… but I also love spinach- maybe even broccoli? Our local market makes a terrific chicken Italian sausage (can’t tell the difference!) so that would be another potential substitute, since I keep it in my freezer.
Love it! Keep’em coming…..
I made this tonight for an event. So yummy, easy and healthy. Everyone loved it.
I am really enjoying your recipes, they are fantastic!
Thank you for sharing your talents with us!
Delicious! Made it last night with turkey sausage and family loved it. Thanks for recipe.
Love this! Looks like the perfect thing for a cold night snuggled on the sofa!
This soup ROCKED! My husband loves sausage, spinach and potatoes so this was amazing for us. One thing I did was, instead of adding the spinach in the soup, I just put it in our bowls and then poured the soup super hot over top. That still cooked the spinach and wilted it once you stirred it up. I’ve had bad experiences with wilted spinach not keeping well. Not sure if that would have happened in this recipe or not. But DAMN GIRL! This was good.
I made this for my family tonight. It was a hit! I’m going to have to double it next time. 😉
I made this over the weekend and it was damn delicious! Not only was it great tasting it was super easy and fast to make. This one is going in the rotation! Thanks for the great recipe
Made this tonight and it was a huge hit! Love your site! Such fantastic recipes!!
Excerpt from conversation with my mom. Me: “I’m going to make soup!” My mom: “You get carried away with food pictures, does the recipe have a lot of review?” Me: “No. She posted it yesterday, but I trust her and that one recipe I made from her blog didn’t let me down!”
Just ate a bowl of this soup and it was delicious! Spicy & hearty! I added in a carrot, diced & some sliced mushrooms because I wanted more veggies. I also used 2 cans of low-sodium chicken broth and then did another 11oz of water. I didn’t add salt and thought the soup was still a bit salty (I assume from the sausage), but I think it will pair well with some baguette slices! Thank you Chungah!
Soup never fills me up but one with sausage, potato and spinach just might. Looks really good! Pinned!
Slurp – this is my kind of soup, quick, fresh, and easy. 🙂 The hubs will ask for more sausage in it.
This one is a fall family favorite in my home, super easy and Damn Delicious :). One suggestion I’d like to offer…if you like making enough for leftovers…swap some kale for the spinach, it holds up better when re-heating!
My wife is not a fan of spicy Italian sausage, but could go for the milder version. Of the many different types of sausage and ingredients available these days, which would you recommend to be a great sustitute? In turkey or chicken versions.
It really depends on your wife’s personal preference – but I would personally choose chicken over turkey!
I’m using bratwurst because that’s what i have on hand…..my son used the last of my Italian the other day. 🙁 I am pretty sure any sausage could substitute for your taste.
Yummm! I’m one of those girls too, who can eat a pipping hot bowl of soup any day of the year 🙂
You can substitute Non-Fat Half and Half for the heavy cream! Can’t wait to make this soup – sounds wonderful.
Very tasty and easy to put together! The only change I made was to eliminate the heavy cream-didn’t have any. Otherwise just delicious.
Ohh, here I go again to thaw out the sausage! Just happen to have everything needed on hand and will make this for dinner today. I can’t bring myself to count calories for every dish I make but using some good judgement on frequency works just fine. Looking forward to dinner tonight … if I can wait until then! Thank you for such great and ‘damndelicious’ recipes.
I was thinking I wouls substitute the sausage with turkey sausage.
Where do you get turkey sausage?
I can find it at my local grocery store in the sausage section.
My supper market has it in poultry section.
Can I make soup the night before? Thanks
Yes, of course.
I made it tonight with Shadybrook Farms Spicy Turkey Sausage and added white white (had a bit left in fridge I needed to use up). It was SO good. Even the kiddos loved it.
I substituted vegetarian sausage for the other, used veggie stock, and coconut milk. Even the carnivores lived it!
Italian sausage is our FAV, and we just happened to buy a ton of it. I was just thinking about how I haven’t made a soup at ALL this fall…and this is making me need to change that ASAP. Pinned!
I love this soup it was my favorite at a local restaurant and once I learned to make it I couldnt stop. Love the flavor and I keep everything on hand to make this often.
Looks amazing Chungah! I never look at calories but that .5 made me laugh haha!
I love that it has 329.5 calories I would probably splurge on one more piece of spinach and go for 330 🙂 You know I do NOT ever pay attention to calorie counts on anyone’s blog, ever. But for some reason I just noticed that. And I love your bit at the end about sausage and whipping cream. 🙂
This is a perfect hearty fall/winter soup!
Do you think I could make this in the crockpot? We are a family of gypsies haha (not actually gypsies) but live on the road basically. My crockpot is really the closest thing I have to a stockpot size…
Please understand that it is very difficult to give exact conversion information to translate a traditional stovetop recipe to the slow cooker method without further recipe testing. I recommend using your own judgement to convert this recipe to utilize a slow cooker.
Could i sub sweet Italian sausage for this recipe or do you think it would change the flavor of the soup too much? Just can’t handle any spice. Thank you 🙂
Yes, absolutely!
I used a whole pack of Johnsonville sweet Italian sausage and it came out good. I forgot to add cram and it was very good. A little spicey tho. Added xtra spinach and leftover Yukon and red potatoes diced. It’s a keeper
You can use a crock pot for this dish. Brown the sausage in a skillet and use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to the crockpot. Add the remaining ingredients. The only suggestion I’d make is to cook the soup, on High, without the lid. Otherwise the soup will get too watery.
Note: when I make this soup I always remove the cooked sausage from the skillet and drain on paper towels then add it back to the pot. Otherwise, you’ll have an orange oil slick on top of the soup as you’;re trying to serve it. I also use Kale instead of Spinach. This recipe is a version of an Italian soup called Zuppa Toscano.