Italian Sausage Soup
My Italian grandmother has lots of fabulous recipes up her sleeve, but this Italian Sausage soup is probably my favorite. A light, tomato broth bursting with classic Italian flavors, infused with a little zip from the spice of the sausage, makes this hearty soup a perfect supper on a cold night.
Is Italian Sausage Soup Kid Friendly?
There are a lot of versions of Italian Sausage soup out there. Some are creamy, some are tomato broth based. Some have beans, some have a small pasta. Some have kale and some have bell bell peppers. But they all have flavorful Italian sausage as the star of the show.
I’ve adapted my grandmother’s recipe a bit over the years to make it more kid friendly. Her recipe calls for green pepper, which has a sharper flavor that my kids don’t care for. Instead, I use red bell pepper in my version for a more subtle, sweet flavor.
She also uses larger, plumb tomatoes in hers. Unfortunately, large chunks of tomato is another thing my family just doesn’t love. I’m constantly picking them out of sauces at restaurants for my young daughter! Instead, I use a can of crushed tomatoes or tomato puree which is tomatoes that have been blended down to an almost tomato sauce-like consistency. This adds all of the tomato flavor, without the texture of the tomato chunks.
We both use bowtie shaped pasta (or Farfalle as the Italians call it, which translates to “butterflies”). I think that the little bows swimming in the soup is a fun shape for kids, but any small shaped pasta will work in this soup. You could even substitute small cheese tortellini in for the pasta for a fun twist.
How to pick an Italian Sausage
Italian sausage is made of pork that is seasoned with herbs including fennel and/or anise.
It can be made sweeter by adding sweet basil, or spicier by adding crushed red pepper flakes to the meat.
In the grocery store, you will typically find mild, medium and hot varieties for sale.
For this soup, you will want ground Italian sausage, not sausage links. I recommend using a mild (especially if kids will be eating the soup), or medium spice level sausage. Be sure not to buy anything flavored with sage, or a polish sausage by mistake as it will drastically throw off the flavor of this soup.
Ingredients
- Italian Sausage (mild or medium)
- bowtie shaped pasta (like this)
- yellow onion
- red bell pepper
- garlic
- beef broth (or bone broth like this or this for extra protein)
- red wine (select a cabernet or dry pinot noir)
- chicken broth
- canned crushed tomatoes
- Italian seasoning
- salt
- parmesan cheese wedge with rind
How to Make Italian Sausage Soup
Bring approx. 3 cups of salted water to a boil in a large pot, and add 2 cups of farfalle pasta. Cook until al dente, drain and set aside.
In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, brown the sausage over medium-high heat. Use a wooden spoon or a meat chopper like this one to break up the sausage into small pieces.
As the meat is cooking, add in 1 cup of diced onions and 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic. Stir occasionally and cook until meat is no longer pink and onions are tender. Drain excess fat and grease.
Stir in 1 can crushed tomatoes, 1 cup diced red pepper, 3 cups beef broth, 1 cup chicken stock, and 3/4 cup red wine. Note: if you prefer not to use wine, you can omit it and add and extra 3/4 c of beef broth.
Cut rind of end of parmesan cheese wedge and drop it into the soup (set the rest of the wedge aside). Sprinkle in 1T Italian seasoning and 1 tsp coarse salt (if using table salt, use less) into your pot. Note: if you have used the extra beef broth instead of wine, use less salt.
Simmer over medium heat for 10-15 mins while stirring occasionally.
Remove soup from heat, scoop out what’s left of the cheese rind and discard. Stir the cooked pasta into the hot soup.
To serve, ladle into individual bowls. Shred the wedge of parmesan cheese and sprinkle a little over each of the bowls. If I am feeling extra fancy, I’ll chop some fresh herbs like basil or parsley and top soup with that as well.
What to Serve with Italian Sausage Soup
I always serve this soup with sliced baguette and butter. Dipping a hunk of bread in the broth of this soup is absolutely divine. I typically serve a simple salad of mixed greens dressed with an Italian vinaigrette, or try my favorite, Best Ever Side Salad that great with anything.
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
I recommend using glass storage containers like these as they are safer than plastic containers. Storing hot liquids, or reheating foods in plastic containers, can cause the chemicals from the plastic to heat as well, and seep into your food.
The other great thing about soup, is that it freezes well. Check out my tutorial on how to freeze soup here.
FAQ’s
Can you use turkey sausage or chicken sausage in Italian Sausage Soup?
Yes, but proceed with caution. Ground turkey and chicken are leaner than sausage, which saves some calories, but they are both drier ground meat. They will absorb more of the broth of the soup than sausage will, so you may want to increase the the amount of liquid that you are adding. Turkey is also pretty bland as it does not have nearly as much flavor as sausage. Be sure to taste test your soup if you substitute either of these, as you may need to add extra Italian seasoning or garlic to get that rich, flavorful broth.
Is this soup salty?
Not overly so, but if you are concerned about salt or sodium, use a low sodium chicken broth (or swap for a vegetable broth which typically has less salt), wand a low sodium beef broth. You can also use a no-salt added tomato puree and then just add your own quantity of salt a little bit at a time to taste. This way you can better control the amount of salt going into the soup.
Can I add extra vegetables to this soup and still keep the flavor?
Sure! Red, yellow and green peppers all work well in this soup. So does fresh spinach, kale, and green beans (cut into 1″ pieces). If you would like to sneak in some additional protein, only use half the amount of pasta, and add a cup of drained and rinsed white beans like navy or cannellini beans.
Bonus Recipes
An easy soup recipe to serve on on busy winter weeknights, is one of my favorite things. Try these..
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumpling Soup
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Italian Sausage Soup
Equipment
- 1 large pot
- 1 soup pot or Dutch oven
- 1 long spoon
- 1 sharp knife
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Italian Sausage mild or medium
- 2 cups Bowtie or Farfalle pasta
- 1 cup yellow onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 3 cups beef broth (try beef bone broth for extra protein)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3/4 cup dry red wine
- 1 T Italian Seasoning
- 1 tbsp coarse salt (if using table salt, use less)
- 1 wedge Parmesan cheese WITH rind
Instructions
- Bring approx. 3 cups of salted water to a boil in a large pot, and add 2 cups of farfalle pasta. Cook until al dente, drain and set aside.
- In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, brown the sausage over medium-high heat. Use a wooden spoon or a meat chopper like this one to break up the sausage into small pieces.
- As the meat is cooking, add in 1 cup of diced onions and 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic. Stir occasionally and cook until meat is no longer pink and onions are tender. Drain excess fat.
- Stir in 1 can crushed tomatoes, 1 cup diced red pepper, 3 cups beef broth, 1 cup chicken stock, and 3/4 cup red wine. Note: the alcohol in the wine will evaporate as it cooks, but if you prefer not to use wine, you can omit it and add an extra 3/4 c of beef broth.
- Cut rind of end of parmesan cheese wedge and drop it into the soup (set the rest of the wedge aside). Sprinkle in 1T Italian seasoning and 1tsp coarse salt (if using table salt, use less) into your pot. Note: if you have used the extra beef broth instead of wine, use less salt. Simmer over medium heat for 10-15 mins while stirring occasionally.
- Remove soup from heat, scoop out what's left of the cheese rind and discard. Stir the cooked pasta into the hot soup.
- To serve, ladle into individual bowls. Shred the wedge of parmesan cheese and sprinkle a little over each of the bowls. If I am feeling extra fancy, I'll chop some fresh herbs like basil or parsley and top soup with that as well.
YUM!
Great recipe and not time consuming. Will make again!
Added carrots that were left over from another meal.