Ok, guys. I should make this creamy sausage and potato soup recipe again to take pictures of the whole process (rather than just the finished product)… but, I’m sitting at my laptop, trying to get a blog update out for you guys, and… I have this recipe. And it looks so good. I want to eat it so badly, I guess I figure: What better frame of mind to write about a recipe than this one? 

Let me tell you, this is one of the best soups to eat during soup season, throughout those cold winter months. This is a family favorite recipe that gets enjoyed by all of us every time. Tender chunks of potato make it hearty and warming, and the smoky sausage (or flavorful Italian sausage—whichever you have on hand) just takes it up to the next level. 

Making creamy soup from scratch

If you’ve never made a cream-based soup from scratch, it’s really quite simple. You can make creamy soups one of two ways (in my experience—feel free to let me know if there’s more than I mention here!)

1. You can make a basic soup base and a creamy roux, which get mixed together (as in this recipe), OR
2. You can sauté your onions and veggies in the soup pot (mushrooms, broccoli, etc), and add the broth and cream to that. Then to thicken it, you can add some potatoes or a little bit of a roux (as for gravy) to thicken the soup.

I have made and enjoyed creamy soups by both methods, and I imagine there really is no “right way.”

For today, I’m going to focus on the first method, which is a great way (perhaps my favorite way) to do it. In this post, I’ll show you how to blend the two separate, simple components (soup + a creamy roux) to make the magic happen. 

How long does it take to make creamy potato soup?

Not as long as you would think! I like to begin prep for this recipe about 1 to 1-1/2 hours before serving. As is true with most potato-based things, the main work of this recipe is peeling the potatoes!

How to Make Creamy Sausage and Potato Soup

Like most recipes, reading through the directions ahead of time is essential to making sure it comes out right. I recommend reading the recipe and prepping the ingredients (such as peeling the potatoes) ahead of time. 

If you’re looking for the gist of what you’re in for, here’s the basic outline of how this potato sausage soup is made:

Make the base broth

First, you make a soup base in a large pot with water, salt, onion, and sausage over medium heat. Combine these ingredients and allow the sausage to cook in the water, making a rich sausage flavored broth. Remove the meat from the pot, slice it up, and discard the onion. Return sliced the meat to the pot with the broth.

Cook the potatoes

Add the prepared diced potatoes to the sausage broth, and cook until tender.

Make the creamy roux

Meanwhile, sauté the onions in butter. Make a roux from that by adding some flour, and then finish it by adding some seasonings and cream or milk. Stir until smooth, and cook until you have a nice, thickened, savory mixture. 

Simmer

Once the broth and the creamy roux have been made, combine them and allow the soup to simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Serve

Serve hot, topped with cheddar cheese and fresh green onions (or as you desire).

Recipe substitutes or additions

There are some easy substitutes you can use in this recipe! I often find myself in the shoes of a person who has run out of something I need, and then I’m scrambling to see what I have to take its place. Here’s a list of some easy substitutes for ingredients in this recipe.

Sausage

You can use pretty much any type of pork sausage for this recipe, but I would recommend steering clear of anything sweet (maple breakfast sausage or honey garlic sausage, to name a couple of examples). 

My favorite types of sausage to use for this recipe are basic smoked salt and pepper sausage or savory Italian sausage (spicy Italian sausage or mild Italian sausage–both are great). 

While I have never used them in this recipe, I imagine this would work perfectly well with turkey sausage or chicken sausage as well. If you do make a substitute like that, I would recommend using chicken stock or turkey broth in place of the sausage/pork broth in this recipe.

Broth

This recipe uses the sausage to make broth for the base, but if you wanted, you could easily substitute chicken broth or another type of ham or pork broth in its place. Just note that the sausage flavor will not be as strong in that case. 

Vegetable broth or beef broth is obviously not going to give the same flavor experience, so I would not recommend those as good options for this recipe.

Potatoes (which kind is best)

Honestly, I would make this recipe with just about any kind of potato (barring sweet potatoes, of course). Russet potatoes are starchy and mealy, giving the soup a thicker and heartier texture. Red potatoes and yellow potatoes have a much more velvety texture and tend to break down a little more slowly. White potatoes are great for this recipe, falling somewhere between russet and yellow potatoes for their texture and how they behave.

I do find that some yellow potatoes (or new potatoes) can have a slightly sweet flavor, which may or may not be something you’d prefer in your soup. I’ll leave that up to you!

Onions

You can use cooking onions (yellow onion), green onions, or leeks for this recipe with good success. Red onions would be delicious, but they may turn the soup pink (which for me would be a no-go). 

Flour

To make this soup gluten free, you can substitute the flour for cornstarch, cassava flour, or even just a 1:1 gluten free flour blend.

Evaporated milk

If you don’t have evaporated milk, the best substitute is just to use cream. I find 10% cream to be a perfect substitute for evaporated milk, with anything higher in fat content making a much thicker texture. If all you have is heavy cream, feel free to dilute it with a bit of water or milk to stretch it out a little bit.

Regular milk can be used, but I personally I find that this soup shines best when it is made with something a little thicker/more fatty like evaporated milk or cream.

Toppings and sides

I love to serve this soup with shredded cheddar cheese and sliced fresh green onions on top, and maybe a sprinkling of cracked black pepper or red pepper flakes (if I want a little extra kick). 

Serve this soup with a side of crusty bread, a bread roll, crackers, a slice of cornbread, or a fresh homemade biscuit. 

Storage

Store leftovers in the fridge or freezer in an airtight container. This soup will keep for several days in the fridge or for several months in the freezer.

You will need:

• Ingredients (see recipe card)
• Large pot
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Potato peeler
• ​Chef’s knife
• Paring knife
• Cutting board
• Slotted spoon
• Large frying pan or sauté pan
• Silicone heat-proof spatula
• Can opener 
• Ladle
• Soup bowls & spoons

If you like this recipe, you may also like:

• Italian Sausage and Black Bean Soup
• Roasted Tomato Soup with Fresh Basil
• Easy No-Knead White Sourdough Bread
• Easy French Bread

That’s all for today! I hope you enjoy this recipe (even without process pictures). Let me know if you have any questions in the comments, or as always, feel free to tag me in your delicious looking soup photos on Instagram @naomicakesofficial. My mom and I send each other pictures of our food all the time; you’re invited to join in the fun!

Bye for now,

Naomi

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