Creamy Sausage and Potato Soup

This Creamy Sausage and Potato Soup is hearty, savory, and packed with flavor, without needing to simmer on the stove all day. Made with breakfast sausage, buttery Yukon gold potatoes, fresh spinach, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic in a creamy chicken broth, it’s the kind of cozy soup that tastes like it’s been cooking for hours.

If you love Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana, this sausage and potato soup has some of those same comforting qualities, but with a few key differences that make it one of my favorite versions to make at home.

Instead of Italian sausage, I use breakfast sausage. I prefer its milder flavor because it gives me more control over the final flavor of the soup. From there, I can build exactly what I want with garlic, herbs, red pepper flakes, tomato paste, and seasonings rather than having the Italian sausage determine the flavor profile.

I also swap the traditional kale for fresh spinach, which wilts beautifully into the creamy broth and has a much milder flavor.

The result is an incredibly flavorful sausage potato soup that’s creamy without being overly rich or heavy.

Why You’ll Love This Sausage and Potato Soup

There is a lot going on in this soup, but somehow everything works together.

Breakfast sausage gives the broth a savory, meaty base, while onion, carrot, celery, and fresh garlic add layers of flavor. Yukon gold potatoes make it hearty and satisfying, and fresh spinach adds color and freshness at the end. Then there are two ingredients that really help take the flavor to another level: concentrated tomato paste and sherry cooking wine.

The tomato paste adds depth and umami without making this taste like tomato soup, while a small amount of sherry cooking wine helps bring all of those savory flavors together. And unlike soups that need hours of simmering to develop great flavor, this one tastes rich and developed in a fraction of the time.

Breakfast Sausage Instead of Italian Sausage is a big one. Most sausage and potato soups—especially recipes inspired by Zuppa Toscana—call for Italian sausage. I actually prefer breakfast sausage here. Italian sausage already has a very distinct seasoning profile, particularly from ingredients like fennel. Breakfast sausage has a milder flavor, which means I can season the soup myself and have more control over how it ultimately tastes.

Garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsley, oregano, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper give this soup tons of flavor while still allowing the sausage, vegetables, and creamy broth to shine. If you like a little heat, you can easily increase the red pepper flakes. If you’re cooking for people who don’t like spicy food, keep them light or leave them out.

A Creamy Soup That Isn’t Too Heavy

The broth is one of my favorite things about this recipe. Instead of making an ultra-rich cream soup, I use half chicken stock or broth and half half-and-half. You still get that creamy, comforting texture you want from a sausage and potato soup, but the chicken broth keeps it from becoming too thick or heavy. The potatoes also release a little starch as they cook, giving the broth a beautiful texture without needing flour or a traditional roux.

Ingredients for Creamy Sausage and Potato Soup

You’ll need:

● Breakfast sausage

● Yukon gold potatoes

● Fresh spinach

● Carrots

● Celery

● Onion

● Fresh garlic

● Concentrated tomato paste

● Chicken stock or chicken broth

● Half-and-half

● Sherry cooking wine

● Garlic powder

● Onion powder

● Dried parsley

● Dried oregano

● Italian seasoning

● Red pepper flakes

● Kosher salt

● Black pepper

Grated Parmesan Cheese

 

Why Yukon Gold Potatoes Work So Well

Yukon gold potatoes are perfect for creamy soups because they have a naturally buttery flavor and hold their shape well while still becoming wonderfully tender. They also add just enough starch to the broth as they cook, which helps everything come together. You don’t need to peel them unless you want to. Their thin skins are tender enough to leave on, making prep even easier. I do peel mine since it’s just six medium potatoes.

How to Make Sausage and Potato Soup

Start by browning the breakfast sausage in a large soup pot or Dutch oven, breaking it into bite-sized crumbles as it cooks. Next, cook the onion, carrots, and celery until they begin to soften. Add the fresh garlic and cook briefly. Add the tomato paste and all the seasoning. Giving the tomato paste a chance to cook before adding the liquid helps deepen its flavor and removes that raw tomato-paste taste.

Deglaze the pot with a little sherry cooking wine, scraping up all of those flavorful browned bits from the bottom. Add the chicken broth and half & half. Once it comes to a boil add the Yukon gold potatoes and simmer with the lid on until the potatoes are fork-tender. Once the potatoes are cooked, turn off the heat and add the freshly grated parmesan cheese and chopped fresh spinach. Allow to rest for 15 minutes with the lid off.

Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes before serving.

What Does Sausage and Potato Soup Taste Like?

This soup is creamy, savory, garlicky, and incredibly flavorful. You get richness from the breakfast sausage and half-and-half, buttery bites of Yukon gold potato, sweetness from the carrots and onion, and just a little background heat from the red pepper flakes. The tomato paste adds a deeper savory quality, while the sherry cooking wine rounds everything out and helps the individual flavors taste like they’ve been simmering together much longer than they actually have.

It’s cozy comfort food without feeling overwhelmingly rich.

Is This the Same as Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana?

Not quite, although the two soups definitely have similarities. Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana is traditionally made with Italian sausage, potatoes, kale, and a creamy broth. My version uses breakfast sausage instead of Italian sausage and fresh spinach instead of kale. It also incorporates carrots, celery, tomato paste, sherry cooking wine, and a generous blend of herbs and seasonings to create its own distinct flavor.

So if you love Zuppa Toscana but prefer a milder sausage and a creamy broth packed with vegetables and savory flavor, this is a great one to try.

Tips for the Best Sausage Potato Soup

• Don’t rush the tomato paste. Letting it cook briefly with the vegetables and aromatics helps concentrate its flavor and adds depth to the entire pot.
• Add the sherry before the broth so you can scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. There’s a lot of flavor hiding down there.
• Finally, add the spinach at the very end. Fresh spinach wilts quickly, so there’s no reason to simmer.

What to Serve With Sausage and Potato Soup

Honestly, this soup doesn’t need much. A warm loaf of crusty bread or garlic bread is perfect for soaking up the creamy broth. You could also serve it with a simple green salad for an easy dinner. And because you’ve got sausage, potatoes, vegetables, and a creamy broth all in one bowl, it’s filling enough to stand on its own.

How to Store Leftovers

Store leftover sausage and potato soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

When reheating, warm it gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat or microwave it in shorter intervals, stirring occasionally. Because the soup contains half-and-half, avoid bringing it to a hard boil when reheating. The broth may thicken slightly in the refrigerator as the potatoes continue to absorb some of the liquid. If necessary, stir in a splash of chicken broth or half-and-half while reheating.

The Perfect Cozy Sausage and Potato Soup

If you’re looking for an easy dinner that’s comforting without being overly heavy, this Creamy Sausage and Potato Soup with Spinach is one you’ll want to keep in your rotation. The combination of breakfast sausage, Yukon gold potatoes, fresh vegetables, spinach, creamy chicken broth, tomato paste, herbs, and that little splash of sherry creates an incredibly savory soup with layers of flavor. It tastes like the kind of soup that should have been simmering on the stove all afternoon.

Thankfully, it doesn’t have to.