This Sausage Potato Soup is deliciously creamy, packed with Italian sausage, tender potatoes, and fresh veggies!

Sausage Potato Soup is ready to serve.

The Best Sausage Potato Soup

If you love cheeseburger soup, you’re going to be obsessed with this Sausage Potato Soup! Instead of ground beef and Velveeta®, I use sharp Cheddar and flavorful Italian sausage.

It’s perfect for cold weather and a family favorite!

To speed up prep, you can grab pre-chopped mirepoix (onions, celery, and carrots) from the store, use pre-minced garlic, and leave the potato skins on. These simple shortcuts will save you time!

All the ingredients for this recipe are prepped, including potatoes, seasonings, veggies, meat, stock, butter, and sour cream, making assembly easy.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make Sausage Potato Soup:

  • Italian Sausage: Hot or mild, based on your spice preference.
  • Butter: Unsalted lets you control the salt.
  • Mirepoix: This is a blend of onion, celery, and carrot. You can make your own or buy it already chopped from the store!
  • Garlic: Pre-minced works just as well.
  • Baby Gold Potatoes: Keep the skins on! Less work for you!
  • Dried Basil & Parsley: Use fresh herbs for more flavor, if you’d prefer.
  • Chicken Stock: Stock gives more flavor, but broth works too.
  • Flour: Helps thicken the soup; whisk well to avoid lumps.
  • Milk: Use whole milk for a creamier soup.
  • Heavy Cream: Adds richness; don’t skip it!
  • Cheddar Cheese: Extra-sharp gives the best cheesy flavor.
  • Sour Cream: Fat-free works, but full-fat makes the soup richer.

Quick Tip

Spice Levels: For a mild soup, use mild sausage. If you like the heat, use spicy sausage and throw in some red pepper flakes.

Brown the sausage and sauté the veggies for this sausage potato soup recipe.

How To Make Sausage Potato Soup

  1. Cook the Sausage: Brown the sausage, then set it aside.
  2. Cook the Veggies: In the same pot, cook the mirepoix in butter until soft, then add garlic.
  3. Add Potatoes and Seasoning: Stir in the potatoes, herbs, salt, and pepper. Add the stock, bring to a boil, then simmer until the potatoes are tender.
  4. Make the Cream Sauce: In a separate pan, melt butter, whisk in flour, and slowly add milk. Cook until thickened, then stir in the cream.
  5. Combine Everything: Pour the cream sauce into the soup, then add the cheese and sour cream. Stir until melted and smooth.
  6. Finish and Serve: Add the sausage back to the soup, adjust seasoning, and serve warm.
Add the broth and cream sauce to make this dish creamy.

Sausage Potato Soup Tips

  • Cheddar Cheese: Extra-sharp cheddar gives the best flavor. Pre-shredded cheese may not melt as smoothly, so it’s better to shred your own.
  • Sausage: Let the sausage sear before crumbling. Avoid over-stirring or crumbling too much — you want a nice deep browning to build rich flavor.
  • Potatoes: Cut the potatoes into even pieces so they cook at the same rate, ensuring a consistent texture throughout the soup.
Adding in the cheese and cooked meat to the dish.

What To Serve With Sausage Potato Soup

Sausage potato soup in a bowl ready to serve.

Storage

Leftover Soup?

  • Let the soup cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
  • Reheat on low, stirring often. If needed, add a splash of chicken stock to thin. Avoid boiling.
  • For freezing, place in a freezer-safe bag laid flat. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

More Soup Recipes:

5 from 60 votes

Sausage Potato Soup

Sausage Potato Soup is cheesy, creamy, and comforting, loaded with Italian sausage, golden baby potatoes, veggies, and a cheesy cream base.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 6 -8 servings

Equipment

  • 6-quart pot

Ingredients 
 

  • 1 pound Italian sausage mild or hot
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter separated
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2-1/4 cups mirepoix or ¾ cup each: diced carrots, celery, and yellow onion
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 4 cups chopped baby gold potatoes no need to peel
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 4 cups chicken stock or broth
  • 6 tablespoons flour
  • 3 cups milk 1%, 2%, or whole
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese see note 1
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • Crusty buttered bread for serving, optional

Instructions 

  • Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and let it sear for 1 minute, then use a wooden spoon to crumble it. Cook until the sausage is deeply browned. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels, leaving about 1 tablespoon of grease in the pot. If there’s not enough grease, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
  • In the same pot, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the diced carrots, celery, and onion. Sauté for 5-7 minutes (or 7-10 minutes if the veggies are larger). Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
  • Stir in the chopped potatoes, dried basil, dried parsley, salt, and pepper. Pour in the chicken stock, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover pot and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
  • While the potatoes cook, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a separate medium pot over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly until smooth. Cook, continuing to whisk, until the mixture thickens and gently boils. Stir in the heavy cream, then remove from heat.
  • Once the veggies are tender, stir in the milk/cream mixture. Turn off the heat and add the shredded cheese, a handful at a time, stirring gently until melted. Stir in the sour cream, then return the sausage to the soup. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve the soup warm with crusty buttered bread, if desired.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Extra-sharp cheddar gives the best flavor. Pre-shredded cheese may not melt as smoothly, so it’s better to shred your own.
Tip: Cut the veggies and potatoes into even pieces so they cook at the same rate, ensuring a consistent texture throughout the soup.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 533kcal | Carbohydrates: 23.8g | Protein: 18.6g | Fat: 41g | Cholesterol: 110.6mg | Sodium: 635mg | Fiber: 2.3g | Sugar: 6.8g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Meet Chelsea


Hello, and welcome to Chelseaโ€™s Messy Apron! Iโ€™m Chelsea, the recipe developer, food photographer, and writer behind the site. Iโ€™m passionate about creating simple, reliable, and delicious recipes that anyone can make.

Thanks for stopping byโ€”I hope you find something delicious to make!

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5 from 60 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




151 Comments

  1. Laurie Christensen says:

    5 stars
    Delicious! Easy to make. I made it according to your recipe with a little extra potatoes and onion and it was outstanding. It reheats beautifully in the microwave. My husband hasnโ€™t stopped raving about this soup. Thank you for the great recipe!

    1. Chelsea says:

      I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Laurie! ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Laura Burt says:

    5 stars
    Absolutely delish, looking forward to the leftovers! Thanks

    1. Chelsea says:

      I am so thrilled you loved this Sausage Potato Soup! It’s seriously so yummy as leftovers too! ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Lydia says:

    Can this be cooked in a crockpot?

  4. Lindsay says:

    5 stars
    This is my absolute favorite soup of all time. I make it a few times every fall/winter and itโ€™s a staple for my husband and I. Thanks for creating such a delicious soup!!

    1. Chelsea says:

      So thrilled to hear this! Thanks Lindsay! ๐Ÿ™‚

  5. Dave says:

    5 stars
    Made it more chunky, used sausage links. Cut them into 1/2 inch pieces. Also chunked the potatoes and parboiled them to ensure softness. I happen to like chunky soups.

    1. Chelsea says:

      So happy to hear this! Sounds delicious, thanks for sharing! ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. christine daniels says:

    I made this exactly as directed. I felt it was too thick & needed more flavor so I added more stock and 1/2 c Parmesan cheese (+/- to taste) Huge difference! . Iโ€™ll also use Sharp cheddar vs Colby next time. Turned out really good.

    1. Chelsea says:

      Delish! So glad you were able to adjust to your preferences! Thanks so much Christine! ๐Ÿ™‚

  7. Delphine says:

    This looks amazing! Can it be made without the cheese? (Yes, I’m a weirdo that doesn’t like cheese, I know!) ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      Yes! You can leave out the cheese. You’ll likely need some extra seasonings to make up for the flavor difference and it will be a bit less thick!

  8. Nancyputman@hawaii.rr.com says:

    While the basic recipe is good, why are you adding butter, cream, and cheese!
    Like the Italian sausage isnโ€™t fatty enough? I was just wanting to find a recipe using Italian sausage because my husband requested it. I just smushed up some of the potatoes to thicken it and added milk as needed. No cream or cheese needs to be involved unless youโ€™re trying to gain weight and clog your arteries! Also used basil and Italian seasoning instead of dried parsley.

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      I’m just sharing how we like this recipe best ๐Ÿ™‚

    2. Megan says:

      Oh Nancy. Some people enjoy tasting their food. What a weird comment for you to leave.

  9. Just Jill says:

    5 stars
    I made this tonight and it was a huge hit across three generations and different taste buds! Is it possible to freeze the non-cream portion of it for ease of making during the winter?

    1. Chelsea says:

      I am so thrilled to hear this! And yes, the non cream portion should freeze wonderfully! ๐Ÿ™‚

  10. Korri says:

    5 stars
    Tried this recipe and my whole family absolutely loves it! My kids say that, โ€œitโ€™s a keeper!โ€ I followed the recipe exactly. Is delicious as is.

    1. Chelsea says:

      I am so happy to hear this! Thanks Korri! ๐Ÿ™‚