Description
This hearty Italian Sausage and Potato Soup combines savory sausage, crispy pancetta, tender potatoes, and fresh kale in a creamy broth. Ready in 45 minutes, serves 7, perfect comfort food!
Ingredients
The Protein :
- 1 lb Italian sausage (I buy whatever’s on sale but try to get one sweet, one spicy)
- 1 slice pancetta, diced (yeah, just one slice – it goes further than you think)
The Aromatic Base:
- ¾ cup chopped onion (I never measure this, just chop up a medium onion)
- 1¼ tsp minced garlic (or however much falls off the spoon)
The Hearty Foundation:
- 1 cube chicken bouillon (the cheap stuff works fine)
- 4 cups water (straight from the tap)
- 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed (Yukon if I remember, whatever’s in the pantry if I don’t)
The Green Goodness & Creamy Finish:
- 2 cups kale, rinsed and julienned
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
Instructions
Crank your oven to 300°F and toss those sausage links on a sheet pan. This is my secret weapon – no babysitting, no poking with forks, just pure hands-off cooking. After 15-20 minutes, they’ll be perfectly golden and cooked through. Let them cool for a hot minute, then slice lengthwise and chop into half-inch pieces. Try not to eat half of them while you’re cutting (I’m looking at you, Dave).
Grab your 4-quart saucepan and toss in that diced pancetta with the chopped onion over medium heat. This step is where patience pays off big time – don’t rush it. Let them get happy together for about 10 minutes until the onion goes see-through and the pancetta gets all crispy and gorgeous. Then add your garlic and give it exactly one minute. Any longer and it gets bitter – learned that lesson the hard way three batches ago.
Chuck in that bouillon cube, pour in your water, and add those cubed potatoes. Bring it to a gentle simmer and let it bubble away for 15 minutes. The potatoes should be fork-tender but not falling apart into mush. This is when your kitchen starts smelling like pure heaven.
Time for the kale, cream, and those beautiful sausage pieces to join the party. Everything just needs 5 minutes to get acquainted. The kale wilts down perfectly, the cream makes everything silky and rich, and the sausage warms back through without getting tough.
Ladle this beauty into bowls and prepare for the compliments to start rolling in. Seriously, I’ve never made this soup without someone asking for seconds.
Notes
Buy good sausage – it makes all the difference. I get mine from the local butcher shop and it’s worth the extra two dollars. The grocery store stuff works fine, but read the ingredient list and get one with herbs and spices you can actually pronounce.
I know pancetta seems fancy and extra, but trust me on this one. I tried making it with just bacon once and it was good, but not amazing. The pancetta adds this subtle complexity that makes people think you’re a way better cook than you actually are.
If you can’t find kale or don’t like it, spinach works but add it in the very last minute or it turns to green mush. My mother-in-law uses chard from her garden and it’s fantastic. Just avoid iceberg lettuce – learned that mistake the hard way.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: soup
- Method: One Pot
- Cuisine: Italian American