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This Spicy Sausage Potato Soup is super flavorful, made in one pot and made with real food ingredients. It's filled with potatoes, sausage and kale, and whole30-friendly, too!Â
If there's one food that makes me feel all warm and cozy, it's this sausage and potato soup.
I'm a huge fan of homemade soups--this Instant Pot vegetable soup and vegan tomato soup are just two of my favorites--but this potato soup is quickly moving into one of my all time favorite soup recipes.
Recipe features
- It's made in ONE POT, making prep work a breeze
- The sausage, along with the smoked paprika, add just the right amount of heat to this soup
- It's gluten free, dairy free, and whole30-friendly, but you'd never know it!
Ingredient notes
- Sausage - the recipe calls for spicy sausage, like a spicy Italian, andouille or chorizo, which will add depth and flavorÂ
- Potato - can use russet/Idaho/baby gold/red; I kept the skin on the potatoes, but you can peel them if you prefer
Method
Like I mentioned above, this soup is made in ONE POT, so making it is really quite simple.
First, cook the sausage. I recommend using chorizo or andouille sausage because they have a specific flavor that pairs perfectly with potatoes. You'll also have to remove the casing if you want it to look like the photos in this post. If you don't feel comfortable removing the casing, don't! It's not a must-do.
Once the sausage is cooked, use a slotted spoon to remove it, keeping the oil and grease in the skillet. Immediately add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and smoked paprika and sauté for 2-3 minutes until they're soft.
Then, add the potatoes, kale, chicken broth, and water and bring soup to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer and simmer the soup for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked (soft when probed with a fork).
Once the potatoes are cooked, add the sausage back into the skillet and do a taste test, adding more salt and pepper as needed.
FAQs + tips
Can I freeze this?Â
Yes! After making it, wait until it completely cools and then transfer it to freezer-safe bags. To thaw, place bags in a bowl of warm water for 30-60 minutes and then heat in a large saucepan until warm.
Soup variations
- Don't love sausage? Try chicken instead!
- If you want this soup to be a little creamier, add ½ cup of your favorite milk to the soup and stir so that everything is mixed together
- I used lacinato kale because it takes a bit longer to cook, so it's perfect in soups, but curly kale works just fine
What to serve with this soup:
- A delicious loaf of sourdough bread is always a good idea with soup.
- Some type of salad, like this sun-dried tomato salad or my garlic salmon salad
- A side of perfectly fried brussels sprouts would be great, too
More soup recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Spicy Sausage and Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 chorizo or andouille sausage links casing removed
- ¾ cup yellow onion diced
- ½ cup carrot sliced
- ¼ cup celery sliced
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 lb. yukon gold or red potatoes diced
- 2 cups kale stems removed
- 32 oz. chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat; add sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes; Use a slotted spoon to remove sausage and set aside, keeping the oil and sausage grease in the skillet.
- In that same skillet, add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and paprika, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes. If onion starts browning too quickly, add 1 additional tablespoon of oil.
- Next, add the potatoes and kale, stirring to combine, and then pour chicken broth and water into the skillet.
- Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and place a lid on top. Simmer soup until potatoes are cooked, approximately 15 minutes, and then add the cooked sausage back into the skillet; stir to combine.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, and top soup with fresh parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in November 2017. It was updated with new text and photos in October 2020.
TLL says
Hi, just wondering if this would work with sweet potatoes?
Erin says
Yes definitely!
Heidi says
Made this with hot Italian sausage and spinach because that’s what I had. Absolutely delicious!
Erin says
Thanks Heidi! Glad you enjoyed the soup!
Des says
I just made this and it’s absolutely amazing! Planning to have it for the next few days at work. Flavor is phenomenal and yet simple ingredients. Thanks for this!
Erin says
Thanks Des! Glad you enjoyed it so much!
cindy says
loved it doubled carrots as i have a carrot obsessed person in my family ...so i used a little more stock and used baby spinach instead of kale ...also used whole foods chicken sausage a mix of sweet and spicy...this recipe is a keeper thank you
Erin says
So happy you liked the soup!
imksch says
The best soup i had in a while 😀
Erin says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it!
DBM says
Made this recipe with local mild Italian sausage, and no celery, added a pinch of cayenne. An excellent recipe and one which I will surely use again. Everything else I had on hand.
Thank you!
Felicia says
Hi can you add lentils to this recipe or would it throw off the flavor profile?
Desiree Gilbert says
I made this and it turned out really good. I did both the andouille sausage and the chorizo
Erin says
YUM -- happy to hear you liked the soup!
Kimberly says
Could I use spinach instead of kale?
Erin says
Yes!
Laura says
I do this with hot breakfast sausage and chorizo both and it is AMAZING!
Erin says
Delicious -- so happy you like the soup!
Angela Marteny says
Could you use burger instead of sausage? I can’t eat sausage.
Erin says
Yes that's fine!
Jen says
Can you use regular sausage instead of chorizo?
Erin says
Yes!
Alice says
About how many oz is 2 chorizo links. Johnsonville has ground Chorizo.
Erin says
Hi Alice -- I'm not sure exactly how oz. is in 2 links, but if you're using ground chorizo, I'd start with 1/2 lb. (half the package) and add more if you think it needs more.
Sarah says
Can you do this in the crock pot?
Erin says
Yes! Cook the sausage in a skillet beforehand, then add everything to your crockpot and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours.
Andrea says
What is a serving size?
Erin says
Hi! This recipe makes about 4 total servings.