This incredibly good sausage potato soup is thick, cheesy, and decadent but so, so easy to make.
My ham and potato soup is one of Baking Mischief’s OG reader favorite recipes. You all are constantly sending me nice messages about that recipe, and it’s been pinned more than 180k times on Pinterest. So today, in the hopes of giving you another soup you might love, I present, cheesy sausage potato soup.
This is a spinoff version of that original fav made with smoked sausage and cheese, so it’s extra rich and creamy and stick-to-your-bones filling.
If you’re craving something warming and decadent tonight, I highly recommend that you give this soup a try.
Ingredient Notes
- About 2 russet potatoes: The recipe calls for 3½ cups of potatoes. This is about 2 medium-to-large russet potatoes. If you end up with a bit more than the 3½ cups
called for, feel free to use them. Your soup will just be extra thick. - Smoked sausage: You can usually find smoked sausage in the deli meat and cheese aisle near the hot dogs. Any type of smoked sausage or kielbasa should work, including
chicken/turkey smoked sausage, but I prefer a beef/pork blend. Rather than slicing the sausage into rounds, for this recipe, we’ll dice it into small chunks so you get sausage in every bite of the soup. - Chicken broth: You can use homemade chicken stock if you have it, but this soup is just as fantastic with the canned stuff.
- Butter and all-purpose flour: This soup is thickened with a roux made of butter and flour.
- Milk and cheddar cheese: Adding milk and cheese to the roux creates a thick and glorious cheese sauce that gets stirred into the soup. Use whatever percentage milk you have on hand. The higher fat, the richer the soup will be. I also recommend grating your own cheese rather than using pre-shredded bagged cheese because the anti-clumping additives added to bagged cheese can prevent it from melting completely smooth.
(Scroll to the recipe card for complete instructions and printable recipe.)
How to Make Sausage Potato Soup
1. In a large Dutch oven or pot, lightly brown the diced sausage in olive oil. As tempting as it is to sear them really dark, don’t go overboard. You want the sausage somewhat tender, not crispy in the soup, and if the fond (the little cooked-on bits in the pot) turn too dark, it can add a burnt flavor and color to your soup. Once browned, use a slotted spoon to transfer the pieces to a bowl and set aside.
2. Add onions to the pan and cook until they just begin to turn translucent around the edges, and then add the garlic and cook until it’s golden and smells amazing.
3. Add the potatoes, celery, and chicken broth, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until potatoes can be easily smashed against the side of the pot with a fork.
4. Using a potato masher or spatula, roughly smash about half of the potatoes in the pot. This will make a thicker, creamier soup while still leaving some pieces of potato for texture.
5. In a medium pot, melt butter and add flour. Cook until flour begins to turn lightly golden—this will cook the raw flour taste out of the roux.
6. Slowly drizzle in milk, whisking constantly as you go to whisk out any lumps. Cook, whisking continuously, until mixture is thickened and bubbly around the edges. Turn heat off, and slowly whisk in cheese, a handful at a time. Whisking the cheese in slowly, off the heat, will produce the smoothest sauce possible.
7. Once all your cheese is melted, stir the cheese sauce into the soup, add pepper and salt to taste (don’t skip this step!), and add the sausage back to the pot. Stir everything together, serve, and enjoy!
FAQ
What to serve with sausage potato soup?
With a decadent soup like this, I like something light and simple on the side. Go with steamed or roasted vegetables like roasted broccoli or green beans and crusty bread for scooping the last bit of soup out of your bowl.
Can I freeze potato soup?
I don’t recommend freezing potato soup or any soup with potatoes in it, as potatoes don’t maintain their texture well when frozen and reheated. That being said, you *can* freeze this soup if you really want to. It’s not going to hurt anything, and some people really don’t mind the texture change.
To read more about freezing soup, check out my post How to Freeze Soup.
Can I prepare this soup in advance?
Yes! You can make this soup from start to finish up to 2 days in advance. It will be quite thick after refrigeration but rewarm gently on the stove and it will be creamy and beautiful again in no time.
How can I make this soup healthier?
If you want to cut some calories, use chicken or turkey sausage instead of beef/pork, leave out the cheese, and use skim milk rather than whole. This will reduce the calories significantly. If you still want that cheesy flavor, you can sprinkle a little cheese over the top of each bowl when serving.
Can I use Italian sausage in this soup?
You can. If you’d like to use Italian sausage rather than smoked, cook the sausage all the way through at the beginning of the recipe and transfer it to a bowl. If the sausage has released a ton of grease, pour off (or use a paper towel) to absorb all but about a tablespoon of it, and then make the rest of the recipe as written.
More Decadent Dinners
- Easy Short Ribs
- The Best Stroganoff Recipe
- Baked Ziti
- Bacon and Feta Chicken
- Hungarian Goulash
- Bacon Potato Soup
Cheesy Sausage Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 14-ounce smoked sausage chopped into ½-inch pieces
- ½ cup finely diced onion
- 3 garlic cloves minced or pressed
- 4 cups (2 15oz cans) chicken broth
- 3½ cups (about 2 large) russet potatoes peeled and diced medium
- 2 celery ribs diced small
- 5 tablespoons (71g) butter salted or unsalted is fine
- ¼ cup and 1 tablespoon (44g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk any percentage
- 6 ounces (about 1½ cups) shredded cheddar cheese plus more as desired for topping
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Salt
- Sour cream optional for topping
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced sausage, and cook until lightly browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a bowl and set aside.
- Add onions to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring often for about 5 minutes, until the onions have just begun to turn translucent around the edges.
- Add garlic and cook until lightly golden, about 1 minute.
- Add chicken broth, potatoes, and celery to the pot. Bring to a simmer and then cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until potatoes can be easily smashed against the side of the pot with a fork.
- Use a potato masher or spatula to roughly smash about half of the potatoes in the pot.
- In a medium pot, over medium heat, melt butter and then add flour. Cook, whisking continuously, until flour begins to turn lightly golden, about 1 minute.
- Slowly drizzle in milk, whisking constantly as you go to whisk out any lumps. Cook, whisking continuously, until mixture is thickened and bubbly around the edges, about 5 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat and slowly whisk in cheese, a handful at a time. Once all your cheese is melted, stir the cheese sauce into the soup. Add pepper. Taste the soup and add salt if needed.
- Add the sausage back to the pot and stir everything together.
- Serve, top with sour cream and more cheese if desired, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
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Becky says
I just made this again. I added extra potatoes and onions because I like more than called for. This is my favorite new to me recipe for soup!
Jamie says
I made this for my work “soup club” and everyone loved it. It was flavorful and hearty! I topped it off with some scallions/ green onions and dipped some bread in it. So delicious. Thank you!
Tracy says
I’m so happy to hear everyone enjoyed it. Thanks for reporting back!!
Tamara Andersen says
I made this potato soup for my 7 and 9 year old grandsons when we took care of them while Mom and Dad had time away, and they loved it. When I returned to NC to care for them in April, they requested it again! This is their favorite soup recipe! BTW, I’m a food blogger too, and a pretty critical one at that.