Description
Hearty slow-cooker creamy Italian sausage soup delivers rich comfort and bold Mediterranean flavors. Home cooks can savor this one-pot meal that warms from first spoonful to last satisfying bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups (480 ml) half-and-half
- 16 oz (454 g) Italian sausage
- 4 cups (960 ml) low sodium chicken broth
- 1 lb (454 g) Russet potatoes, peeled and diced small
- ¼ cup (57 g) butter
- 6 tbsps flour
- ½ medium onion, chopped small
- 2 sticks celery, chopped small
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Sausage Preparation: Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and crumble Italian sausage, cooking until deeply golden-brown and uniformly broken into small pieces.
- Fat Management: Remove sausage with a slotted spoon, draining excess fat on paper towels while preserving a thin layer of fat in the pot for subsequent cooking.
- Vegetable Sautéing: Melt butter and add onions and celery, sautéing until translucent and aromatic, diligently scraping caramelized bits from the pot’s bottom.
- Flavor Base Creation: Introduce minced garlic and flour, stirring continuously to eliminate raw flour taste and develop a smooth, flavor-rich foundation.
- Liquid Integration: Gradually pour chicken broth while whisking consistently to prevent lumps, creating a silky liquid base for the soup.
- Ingredient Harmonization: Add half-and-half, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, diced potatoes, and reserved sausage, bringing the mixture to a vigorous boil to blend flavors.
- Simmering Process: Reduce heat, partially cover the pot, and simmer for approximately 15 minutes, stirring intermittently to ensure even potato tenderness and prevent scorching.
- Final Seasoning: Carefully taste and adjust salt and pepper to balance the soup’s flavor profile.
- Serving Presentation: Ladle the creamy soup into warm bowls, optionally garnishing with fresh herbs or grated Parmesan cheese for an enhanced culinary experience.
Notes
- Sausage Browning Technique: Cook sausage on medium-high heat, breaking into small, uniform pieces to develop deep golden-brown color and maximize flavor complexity.
- Fat Management Tip: Reserve a thin layer of sausage fat in the pot for enhanced taste foundation and better vegetable sautéing.
- Flour Cooking Hack: Continuously stir flour with vegetables to eliminate raw taste and create smooth, flavor-rich base without lumps.
- Potato Cooking Wisdom: Simmer soup partially covered, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching and ensure even potato tenderness without breaking down potato structure.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 469
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 710 mg
- Fat: 31 g
- Saturated Fat: 16 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 98 mg