Easy Potato and Italian Sausage Soup ~ Made with Leftovers!
This Potato and Italian Sausage Soup is so cozy and delicious that you’ll want it on your menu rotation year-round! Designed to be made with extra, leftover potatoes and sausage, it comes together quickly and easily with the help of a hand-held immersion blender and a few other important aromatics.
Servings: 8 servings
Equipment
- 1 Large pot (or Dutch Oven)
- 1 Dutch oven (or Large Pot)
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ large yellow onion, cut into large chunks (about 1 cup)
- ½ large fennel bulb, cored and cut into large chunks (about 1 cup) + some (2-4 Tbsp) chopped fennel fronds (See Notes.)
- 2 Tbsp thinly sliced or chopped garlic (about 4 to 5 cloves)
- Pinch crushed red pepper
- 4 cups low- or no-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- About 1½ pounds leftover roasted or mashed potatoes
- ¼ cup half and half, heavy cream or whole milk (optional)
- ¼ cup grated pecorino romano cheese
- About ½ pound cooked Italian sausage in small, bite-sized pieces (can use leftovers)
- To taste salt and black pepper
- Pinch ground fennel (optional)
Instructions
- Prep all ingredients according to specifications above.(Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)
- Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onions, fennel, garlic, crushed red pepper and about 1 to 2 Tbsp chopped fennel fronds and cook until the onions and fennel are softened and a bit caramelized, about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can cover the pot to speed this process along if you want.2 Tbsp olive oil, ½ large yellow onion,, ½ large fennel bulb,, 2 Tbsp thinly sliced or chopped garlic , Pinch crushed red pepper
- Add 2 cups broth and deglaze, scraping up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Then, increase the heat to medium. Stir in the rest of the broth and the potatoes. Cover and bring to a simmer. Simmer covered, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.About 1½ pounds leftover roasted or mashed potatoes
- Turn the heat off and carefully puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. (See NOTES for tips on using an immersion blender.)
- Add the half and half, heavy cream or milk and grated pecorino cheese and continue pureeing. Add more liquid at this point if needed. (This will depend on the type and texture of the leftover potatoes used. I needed to add an additional 1 cup water.)¼ cup half and half, heavy cream or whole milk, ¼ cup grated pecorino romano cheese
- Then, turn the heat to low and stir in the Italian sausage and about 1 to 2 Tbsp chopped fennel fronds just to heat the sausage through. Do not increase the heat higher than low as it may cause the cheese to stick/burn on the bottom of the pot.About ½ pound cooked Italian sausage
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and turn off the heat. (You can add a pinch of ground fennel if you prefer a more pronounced fennel flavor.) Serve piping hot. Buon Appetito!To taste salt and black pepper, Pinch ground fennel
Video
Notes
- This recipe makes about 8 cups and can easily be doubled or cut in half for a different-sized batch, based on how many leftovers you have. I figured about 1 cup per serving, but adjust accordingly.
- You can cut the potatoes and other veggie in large chunks since they will be pureed.
- Add the (optional) half and half, heavy cream or whole milk for a creamier, richer texture and flavor.
- Save and chop some of the fennel fronds (the cute, frilly, green leafy things attached to the stalks of the fennel bulb and that look like dill) to add to the soup. Use as much or as little as you like.
- Fennel can be substituted with celery, if desired.
- Add more liquid (water or broth) if the soup becomes too thick.
- Immersion Blender Tips:
- Immerse it in the liquid before turning it on.
- Keep it moving for best results and do not hold it steady in one place. Immersion blenders do their best work when moved around and tilted while blending. This helps the blender to pick up all ingredients and purée evenly.
- Some people prefer to let hot dishes cool completely before blending (due to the fear of occasional hot splatters). This is up to you, but I promise that your comfort blending with the immersion blender will grow with each use.
- If you don’t have access to an immersion blender and still want to make this soup, just cool the soup a bit first, and then carefully ladle a few cups of soup at a time into a blender or food processor and blend. Be sure to work in small batches (in other words, fill the appliance only halfway) to keep the soup from splattering or exploding in the blender or food processor, and be sure the lid is firmly in place and secure before you power it on. I do not recommend removing the center of the lid when puréeing hot items.
- Steps for a from scratch version of this recipe:
- Peel and dice 1½ pounds russet potatoes and hold them in cold water to prevent browning.
- Brown sausage: Heat oil in 6-quart (or larger) pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until it has browned. Break up sausage into bite-sized pieces while stirring. Remove the sausage and reserve.
- Then, proceed with the recipe, adding the potatoes at the same time (drain them first if being held in water). However, it will take about 20 to 30 minutes or so until the potatoes are tender enough to puree.
- Add the browned, cooked sausage back at the end, as in the recipe above.
- The soup can be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Consider portioning extra soup into containers to enjoy down the road! Reheat it slowly over medium low heat while stirring, adding additional broth or water if needed.
