A hearty, cheesy potato soup made with Italian sausage, potatoes and creamy cheddar cheese that's as simple to make as it is delicious!
JUMP TO RECIPEThis soup eats like a chowder or stew but it's much easier to make because it doesn't need to cook for hours and the potatoes are what make it so thick and creamy!
A lot of recipes I see for similar soups require you to add flour to make a roux or need heavy cream but we're just going to hit this at the end with some half & half (milk will work too).
The potatoes and cheese give this soup everything it needs to be a thick and hearty comfort food recipe and it's all very easy to make!
INGREDIENTS & ALTERNATIVES
There's a lot of wiggle room with this recipe. Below I'll talk about some of the ingredients, substitutions and alternatives for the 4 main components:
- Italian sausage
- Aromatics
- Potatoes
- Cheese & Dairy
ITALIAN SAUSAGE
- Sweet, hot or mild Italian sausage are all great in this.
- You could also use bulk pork breakfast sausage (like Jimmy Dean).
- I've often thought about trying bratwurst and think it would be great. The combo makes me think of beer cheese soup and I imagine the cheddar would play very well with beer brats!
AROMATICS
- Don't worry if you don't have exact measurements. If you only have one rib of celery or a handful of baby carrots to work with, just go with it.
- For a Cajun vibe, substitute bell peppers for the carrots.
- White, yellow or sweet onions can be used.
- The bay leaf is optional but really gives the soup an extra layer of flavor!
POTATOES
- Starchier potatoes like russets are best in this but any potatoes will work fine.
- If using red or Yukon gold potatoes, don't worry about peeling them.
- I shred some of the potatoes with a box grater so the small pieces will "melt" into the soup.
- I use 3 large baking potatoes when I make this.
CHEESE & DAIRY
- I usually use medium cheddar in this but any cheddar or other soft cheeses will work (colby jack is great too!).
- Definitely shred your own cheese but if you're in a pinch, 8-oz yields about 2 cups shredded cheese.
- I use half & half because I always have it on-hand but whole milk or a splash of heavy cream will work too!
MORE HEARTY SOUPS & STEWS
Italian Lentil Soup with Sausage - A simple, hearty lentil soup with spicy Italian sausage, garlic and herbs much like Carrabba’s Spicy Sausage and Lentil Soup copycat recipe.
Potato Goulash with Sausage - Saucy, stewed potatoes with onions and smoked sausage or kielbasa, seasoned with paprika and garlic make this recipe for rustic Hungarian-style potato goulash.
Tuscan Chicken Stew - A hearty, rustic chicken stew recipe made with chicken, potatoes, white beans, fresh tomatoes and tons of country-Italian flavor.
Pierogi Soup - A hearty potato dumpling soup made with cabbage, smoked sausage or kielbasa and frozen mini pierogi with under 10 ingredients.
Recipe for Cheesy Italian Sausage Potato Soup
Cheesy Italian Sausage & Potato Soup
A hearty, cheesy potato soup made with Italian sausage, potatoes and creamy cheddar cheese that's as simple to make as it is delicious!
Ingredients
- 1.25 lbs Italian sausage
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 large russet potatoes
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
- 1 cup half & half
- 8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley (or 1 Tbsp dried)
Instructions
- Remove casings from sausage (if applicable) then cook and crumble in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until cooked through and browned. While sausage is cooking, dice the veggies and mince garlic. 1.25 lbs Italian sausage
- Using a slotted spoon, remove browned sausage, leaving the rendered drippings in the pot. TIP: Remove sausage to a plate or bowl lined with paper towels to absorb excess grease.
- Add onions, carrots and celery to the pan drippings then sauté for 5 minutes. Add garlic, salt, pepper and thyme then cook 2 minutes longer. 1 onion, 1 c. each carrots and celery, 2 Tbsp garlic, 1.5 tsp garlic, 1 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp thyme
- While veggies are cooking, peel potatoes then cut into 1-inch cubes, reserving half of one potato. Shred reserved half of potato with a cheese grater (like you're making hashbrowns). 3 large potatoes
- Add chicken broth and 2 cups water to pot with veggies then stir well, scraping up all the yummy cooked bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add all potatoes and bay leaf then bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium, cover, then cook 20 minutes. 4 c. broth, 2 c. water, 1 bay leaf
- Stir in browned sausage then continue cooking 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat then stir in half & half, cheese and parsley. 1 c. half & half, 8-oz cheese, 1/2 c. parsley
- Serve with additional shredded cheese if desired.
Notes
- You will need 4 cups diced potatoes. For me, 2 1/2 large baking potatoes typically yield 4 cups then I shred the remaining 1/2 potato.
- The shredded potatoes "melt" into the soup and help thicken it without having to use flour or heavy cream.
- The bay leaf is optional but really makes the soup taste extra delicious!
- The fresh parsley at the end really brightens everything up a bit.
- Other questions have likely been answered in the post above the recipe card.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Hi there! While I’m not able to respond to every comment, I try hard to answer any questions that haven’t been addressed in the post, recipe or in other comments.
I can tell you now 1) I have no idea if you can substitute Minute Rice or brown rice in my recipes because I’ve never used them and 2) If I know how to convert a recipe to a Crock Pot version, I will make a note about it (otherwise, I don’t know).
And though I may not respond to them all, I do read each and every comment and I LOVE to hear from you guys! Thanks, y’all! - Mandy