Is there anything more comforting than a steaming cup of homemade soup? On these cold winter days, a hot mug of soup for lunch or dinner makes even the most wintry day seem cozy!
We moved from Georgia to Tennessee this past summer and a few weeks ago, I went into our town center to do a little Christmas shopping and get to know the quaint town of Franklin Tennessee. Of course, shopping makes you hungry so I decided to stop into a cute little lunch place for a bite. They were serving two soups that particular day, a tomato bisque and a spinach-potato soup. I love tomato soup, in fact I have a great recipe here on my blog but I opted for the spinach-potato.
Now mind you, it was a nice comforting little bowl of soup but it wasn’t anything to write home about. The spinach and potato was a great place to start but I knew it could be so much better.
So I got to thinking.
I’m a firm believer that Italian sausage makes just about anything better so I decided to see if adding some might pull it all together.
It worked. Wonderfully!
Bits of sausage, chunks of potato, beautiful green spinach, a little garlic, thyme and lots of love and you have a very happy bowl of soup!
Here’s a big plus: It’s incredibly easy to make and can be ready in under an hour. No need to simmer for hours on the stove.
Enjoy!
- 1 pound Italian sausage or sausage of your choice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, butter or bacon fat
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped small
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 pound potatoes, diced or chunked, whatever you prefer
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups baby spinach or chopped fresh spinach
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- Heat fat in a large pot or dutch oven. Add sausage and brown over medium heat, crumbling sausage as it cooks. Pour off most of the fat.
- Stir in garlic, onion, and celery and cook about 3 minutes to soften the veggies. Add salt, thyme and bay leaf.
- Add potatoes and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook on medium about 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- If you like, use a potato masher to mash some of the chunks of potatoes.
- Stir in spinach and let it wilt, about 2 minutes.
- Add the heavy cream and remove the bay leaf right before serving.
Kate’s Tips
- I use Russet potatoes but any kind will work.
- Some folks may like big hunks of potato floating around in their soup but I don’t so I chop them up pretty small. Feel free to cut them any size you like.
- Any kind of sausage will work. Chicken sausage is good although it won’t crumble so you’ll have to slice or chop it. You could use Kielbasa too.
- I like this to be on the thicker side so I will mash some of the potatoes with a potato masher before I add the spinach.
- If you happen to have any bacon fat on hand, use it to brown the sausage. It adds a wonderful smoky note to this soup.
- You don’t have to add the cream if you don’t want to but I think it adds a nice creamy texture to the soup.
- Next time I make this, I might add some corn and carrots for a little color. Add whatever you think your family will like!
My Favorite Soups
- Sausage, White Bean & Kale Soup
- Ham and Bean Soup with Winter Vegetables
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Chicken Soup
- Minestrone-Garden Fresh & Gluten Free
- Butternut Squash & Bacon Bisque
Products I use to make Potato and Spinach Soup with Sausage:
- Kasandrino’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil -This is my all time favorite oil! I buy it by the half gallon! It’s from Greece, it’s organic and incredibly pure.
- Organic Chicken Broth
- Organic Thyme
- Bay Leaves
Swedish Meatballs with Creamy Gravy