Oh, when that first real chill hits—you know the one, where you actually need a real jacket?—my brain immediately starts looking for deep comfort. And nothing signals coziness faster than a steaming bowl of soup. Forget fussy, hours-long recipes; this **Sausage Potato Soup** is the cure for everything from a rough Tuesday to a lazy Sunday!

Seriously, this is hands-down the easiest, most satisfying soup I’ve ever figured out. It uses simple pantry staples you probably already have. I usually make a massive pot right around Halloween because it feels like the perfect transition into the cozy cooking season. It’s hearty, happens fast, and frankly, it tastes like a hug in a bowl. Before you grab that bulky cookbook, trust me on this version!

When you’re ready to dive in, you’ll find all the secrets to next-level flavor in the next section, but be sure to check out the tips on finishing the flavor profile over at creamy deliciousness soup!

Why This Sausage Potato Soup Recipe Works So Well

When I make this **Sausage Potato Soup**, I know I’m getting maximum flavor for minimum effort. That’s the goal, right? We want comfort food that doesn’t require us to stand over the stove all day. This version just hits different compared to the thinner soups out there.

Quick Prep Time for Your Sausage Potato Soup

You honestly can’t argue with 15 minutes of prep! I can usually chop everything up while the sausage is browning, which means we’re simmering in under twenty minutes. It’s perfect for those crazy weeknights.
Hearty and Comforting Flavor Profile of This Sausage Potato Soup

The combination of salty, smoky sausage fat coating those tender potatoes? That’s the magic right there. It creates a base that feels incredibly rich, even before we add that optional splash of cream at the end. It’s pure, unpretentious comfort food that really sticks to your ribs.

You can find some great tips on simmering techniques for savory broths, like the ones used here, over at cozy homemade chicken noodle soup!

Essential Ingredients for the Best Sausage Potato Soup

Okay, trust me when I say that the simpler the ingredients here, the better the payoff. There’s no need for obscure spices or weird vegetables. It’s all about nailing these core components for true comfort. Make sure you have everything ready on your counter before you even turn on the stove—that’s my trick for keeping things moving smoothly!

For a truly satisfying pot, here’s exactly what you’ll need:

One full pound of smoked sausage. Make sure it’s the pre-cooked kind that crisps up nicely when you brown it! Slice it into little coins.
One medium onion, just chopped roughly. We’re softening this up to build flavor.
Two cloves of garlic. Mince them super fine so you get that aromatic punch evenly distributed.
Four cups of chicken broth—use the good stuff!
About two cups of water to round out the liquid volume.
Three medium potatoes. You absolutely must peel these guys and dice them into bite-sized cubes.
A teaspoon of dried thyme—it marries perfectly with potato and smoke.
Half a teaspoon of salt and just a quarter teaspoon of black pepper. Taste as you go!
And if you want that final, velvety texture, half a cup of heavy cream is optional but highly recommended, especially on a cold night.

If you want to see how these ingredients pair up with tortellini sometime, check out this creamy sausage tortellini soup!

Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Sausage Potato Soup

This is where the magic happens! Once you have your ingredients lined up, this soup practically builds itself. The key is managing the stages correctly so the flavors deepen instead of just mixing together blandly. Don’t rush the browning step; that’s where so much of the flavor is built for this **Sausage Potato Soup**!

Browning the Sausage and Sautéing Aromatics for Your Sausage Potato Soup

First things first, you need a big pot, medium heat. Drop your sliced smoked sausage in there and let it get happy and brown. We want those little crispy edges! Once it looks good, scoop the sausage out onto a paper towel plate, but leave about one tablespoon of that glorious fat behind in the pot. Don’t discard it! Next, toss in your chopped onion and cook until it softens up—maybe five minutes.

Expert tip: If you’re using a lot of sausage, brown it in batches! Crowding the pan makes them steam instead of sear, and we need that sear for great flavor. After the onion mellows, add your minced garlic for just about a minute until you can really smell it. Be careful not to burn the garlic, or you’ll have to start over!

Simmering the Potatoes in the Sausage Potato Soup Base

Now it’s time to build the liquid base! Pour in your chicken broth and the water. Then, add your diced potatoes and all your seasonings—the thyme, salt, and pepper go in now. Bring the entire mixture up to a rolling boil over high heat. Once it’s bubbling happily, drop the heat way down to a gentle simmer.

This bubbling needs to be slow and steady for about 15 to 20 minutes. You’re waiting for those potatoes to become totally tender—test one with a fork; it should slide right off. This simmering time lets the potato starch thicken the broth naturally.

Finishing Touches for Your Hearty Sausage Potato Soup

Once the potatoes are soft, return that browned sausage back into the pot. Give everything a gentle stir. If you decided to go all-in on the creaminess (and you totally should!), stir that half-cup of heavy cream in now. This is super important: once the cream goes in, you must keep the heat low and *only* heat it through. Do not let this soup boil again, or your cream might separate and look a little grainy.

Just heat it until it’s piping hot again, ladle it into bowls, and you are done! For some more great sauce-building techniques that parallel how we finish this soup, you should peek at creamy sausage rigatoni recipe.

Tips for the Most Delicious Sausage Potato Soup

Honestly, even though this recipe is super simple, little tricks make the difference between a good soup and one that makes people ask for seconds immediately. These tips are the ones I learned after making this **Sausage Potato Soup** too many times to count. They really elevate that cozy, hearty feel!

No matter what, I always suggest reading through the notes provided for this recipe over at hearty Tuscan sausage soup with spinach and carrots to see how other flavor profiles work!

Thickening Your Sausage Potato Soup

If you served this to me and I wanted it just a hair thicker—not quite chowder level, but creamier than a broth—I have the perfect trick. Right before you add the optional cream, take a wooden spoon or a potato masher and gently press about a quarter of the potatoes against the side of the pot. They’ll break down into the broth and naturally thicken everything up beautifully. It works like a charm!
Sausage Substitutions for This Potato Soup

Don’t worry if you don’t have smoked sausage on hand! The smoky flavor is great, but if you have basic ground pork sausage—the breakfast kind—go right ahead and use that instead. You’ll just swap steps one and two. Brown the ground sausage first, drain off *most* of the fat (leave about a tablespoon for flavor, just like the original recipe instructed), and then proceed with sautéing the onions in those drippings. You still get that amazing meat factor!

Storage and Reheating Instructions for Leftover Sausage Potato Soup

This soup is actually better the next day, I swear! Once it cools down, make sure you get it into an airtight container right away. It keeps really well in the fridge for about three to four days. I usually portion mine out into single-serving containers because I know I’ll want that quick lunch later in the week.

When you reheat it, whether on the stove or in the microwave, remember that step where we added the heavy cream? If you added it the first time, it might look a little separated when it gets hot again. Just stir it really vigorously over medium-low heat. If it seems too thick after reheating, add just a splash of fresh chicken broth or even water until you get that perfect, slurpable consistency back. No need to boil it, just bring it gently back to temperature.

For some longer-term storage ideas, you might want to look at freezing options mentioned for slow cooker cabbage potatoes smoked sausage!

Serving Suggestions for Your Sausage Potato Soup

Because this **Sausage Potato Soup** is so wonderfully hearty on its own, you don’t exactly need a full feast alongside it. But I always like having something crunchy or absorbent for dipping! That smoky, creamy broth begs to be sopped up.

My absolute favorite thing is serving this with some truly great crusty bread—maybe one of those rustic Italian loaves that still has a little chew to it. If you want something cheesy, definitely check out the recipe for your cheesy pull-apart garlic bread recipe; dipping that doughy goodness right into the soup is unbeatable!

If you’re trying to keep it lighter, a simple side salad with a bright, tangy vinaigrette cuts through the richness of the sausage perfectly. Just a little something green to balance out all that potato goodness!

Frequently Asked Questions About Sausage Potato Soup

I get so many great questions about this soup, probably because everyone wants to make it perfect the first time they try it! It’s so satisfying to see people diving into comfort food recipes like this one. Here are a few things I hear most often when people are planning their pot of **Sausage Potato Soup**.

If you’re playing around with other creamy bases, you might want to look at the flavor depth in creamy hearty cheeseburger soup for comparison, though I still think our sausage version is the best!

Can I make this Sausage Potato Soup ahead of time?

Yes, absolutely! I mentioned it keeps well in the fridge, but it freezes wonderfully too. If you’re freezing it, I always recommend leaving out the heavy cream until AFTER you reheat it. Dairy can sometimes affect the texture when thawed from frozen, so it’s safer to stir the cream in fresh when you’re ready to serve a bowl. It reheats beautifully from frozen—just thaw overnight in the fridge and heat slowly on the stove.

What kind of potatoes work best in this soup?

This is a great question because the potato choice changes the whole mouthfeel! I use Russet potatoes for this recipe because they are starchy. When you simmer them, they break down just enough to naturally thicken the soup base, which is perfect if you skip the heavy cream or want an extra creamy result (remember my mashing trick?). If you use a waxy potato, like Yukon Gold, they hold their shape much better, resulting in a soup that’s less thick but has more distinct potato chunks.

Estimated Nutritional Snapshot for Sausage Potato Soup

It’s always fun to see the numbers on these hearty meals, even though honestly, I’m usually too busy eating it! Since every sausage brand and potato size varies a little bit, remember these numbers are just a close guess based on the recipe as written (especially if you skip that optional heavy cream!).

For a single serving size of about 1.5 cups, we’re generally looking at:

Calories: Around 350
Total Fat: About 22 grams
Protein: A solid 18 grams!
Carbohydrates: Roughly 20 grams, with 3 grams of fiber.

This soup really proves that comfort food doesn’t have to be terribly high in sugar—only 3 grams in this batch! If you were looking for ways to keep the fat down even further, you might want to sneak a peek at the tips for weight loss soup flavor-filled filling recipe.

Share Your Experience Making This Sausage Potato Soup

Now that you have the blueprint, I really want to hear how this **Sausage Potato Soup** turned out for you! Did you splurge on the cream? Did you sneak in some extra pepper? Please take a second to rate the recipe and drop a note in the comments below. Knowing what you loved, or how you tweaked it for your family, helps us all make better soup!

If you have any questions or just want to say hello, you can always reach out over at my contact page. Happy cooking, friends!

Sausage Potato Soup

Author: ferecipe.com
Total Time: 50 min
Yield: 6 servings 1x
Diet: Low Fat

Print Recipe

Description

A simple, hearty soup featuring sausage and potatoes.

Ingredients

Scale

1 pound smoked sausage, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

Instructions

Cook the sausage in a large pot over medium heat until browned. Remove sausage and set aside, leaving about 1 tablespoon of drippings in the pot.
Add the onion to the pot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
Pour in the chicken broth and water. Add the diced potatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Return the cooked sausage to the pot.
If using, stir in the heavy cream. Heat through, but do not boil after adding cream.
Serve hot.

Notes

For a thicker soup, mash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot before adding the cream.
You can substitute ground pork sausage for smoked sausage.

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 35 min
Category: Soup
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1.5 cups
Calories: 350
Sugar: 3
Sodium: 750
Fat: 22
Saturated Fat: 8
Unsaturated Fat: 14
Trans Fat: 0
Carbohydrates: 20
Fiber: 3
Protein: 18
Cholesterol: 65

Keywords: sausage, potato, soup, hearty, comfort food, easy