Creamy potato soup with Italian sausage and pea sprouts
We all have those days when we want to cozy into sweatpants, turn on a movie, and douse our faces with carbs. This, my friends, is a healthy version of that dream. Creamy potato soup with Italian sausage and pea sprouts is savory, creamy, full of gut healing nutrients, and just the right mouth-feel to go with that soul-feel.
And you would never guess that it is dairy free because it is so creamy, but it is! The starch of the potatoes combined with the rich bone broth give a creamy feel to this dairy-free soup.
I don't usually cook with regular russet potatoes, but the boys bought an entire bag for a camping weekend and didn't finish it. And I'm not one for wasting food, either. So the desire to waste less food won over the desire to avoid nightshades. However, you can make this soup with other types of potatoes and it will be just as tasty.
Choosing the right sausage and broth for the soup
As you know, I am conscientious about my meat choices, choosing sources that are both healthier for the human body and better for the planet. That often leads to sustainable choices. Grass fed and grass finished beef and heritage raised pork.
With that in mind, I made this creamy potato soup full of savory homemade bone broth and topped with high-quality heritage sausage. I have been using Mulay's sausage lately because it has no sugar, fillers, nitrates or other unneeded additives and they have good practices with their pigs. If you can, I recommend making your own broth at home, but there are plenty of good bone broth options on the market these days.
Making the Creamy Potato Soup
This soup is simple to make and easy to freeze, taking about 45-50 minutes total but very little active time.
Coarsely chop potatoes and boiled in salted water until soft. Then you'll drain the boiling water and replace it with savory broth and spices. I tend to use homemade bone broth that I make in bulk and freeze for future use.
Save time by sauteing the sausage on the skillet while the potatoes simmer. When the sausage is almost done, use an immersion blender to puree the soup until mostly smooth, leaving some large pieces of potatoes for texture.
Serving the Creamy Potato Soup with Italian sausage and Pea Sprouts
This soup made a great Sunday night meal for J and me and provided leftovers for homemade freezer meals. It is also a great option for a family dinner, feeding up to 8 depending on how hungry you are.
I love it for a game day dinner because it's hearty, starchy, and easy to make in large quantities.
After ladling the soup into bowls, top with the freshly cooked sausage and pea shoots. The soup is thick enough that the sausage will stay on top of the soup. Then split the pea shoots evenly amongst the bowls. You can also garnish with fresh cracked pepper.
Bon appetit!
- 7 russet potatoes
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 cups bone broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- mild Italian sausage (I used Mulays)
- 2 cups pea shoots (for garnish)
- black pepper (for garnish (optional))
- Coarsely chop potatoes and add to a large soup pot. Cover the potatoes in water. Add 2 tsp salt and bring to a light boil for 30 minutes or until soft.
- Drain water and return to stove
- Add broth and, if needed, additional water to make sure all potatoes are fully submerged in liquid.
- Stir in rosemary and last 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer on medium-low heat for 15 minutes
- Meanwhile, saute the sausage on the skillet on medium high, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon so you have small crumbles of sausage. Saute until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
- When the sausage is almost done, use an immersion blender to puree the soup until mostly smooth, leaving some large pieces of potatoes for texture.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top with fresh sausage and a pinch of fresh pea shoots
Note, these salt measurements use Real Salt, which has a high concentration of minerals. If you are using standard table salt, decrease the salt measurements by half.