Brothy Sausage and Potato Soup with Kale and Cabbage

This brothy sausage and potato soup with kale and cabbage tastes like pure comfort in a bowl. It’s made with the humblest of ingredients like your favorite sausage (we love spicy Italian!), cabbage, onions, tomato paste, yukon gold potatoes, a few fresh and dried herbs, kale, and good-tasting broth. Not only is it delicious straight out of the pot, it also makes excellent leftovers! Recipe is gluten free, dairy free, and ready in less than an hour.

The best sausage and potato soup

The recipe for this unpretentious yet mightily comforting sausage and potato soup came together one ordinary night when I was poking through the refrigerator to see what we had on hand for dinner.

You know that routine, right? The one where you scrape random lingering ingredients together into a meal in order to avoid running to the store?

Well, sometimes there’s magic in those moments; if I’m lucky, I strike gold with a little pull-it-all-together dinner, and this soup was exactly one of those times.

Since then we’ve made it at least 5-6 times, and it still hasn’t gotten old.

There is something so genuinely irresistible about the textured bits of spicy Italian sausage, the subtle sweetness of the caramelized cabbage and onions, creamy pieces of potato, and the wholesome bite of thinly sliced kale all together in a steamy pot of tomato hued broth that we simply cannot get enough of.

I’ve tried making it with several types of sausage, and I’m now convinced that no matter what kind you choose, you really can’t go wrong.

So far, our favorite has been the spicy Italian pork sausage links from Whole Foods, so that’s what I include in the recipe. But feel free to substitute with your family’s favorite!

Soup is one of my favorite types of recipes to make and share with you! If you love delicious soups as much as we do be sure to take a peek at some other NK faves like this Anti Inflammatory Turmeric Chicken Soup, White Bean and Kale Soup with Cashew Cream, or Classic Minestrone Soup with GF Noodles!

Recipe testing notes

Cooking the sausage by itself, before adding veggies

When I first started testing this recipe, I tried to condense the steps by sautéing the cabbage and onions at the same time as the sausage – since I’m always trying to make recipes as easy to follow as possible with the least amount of steps.

But this ended up backfiring because with all those ingredients in the pot, the liquid released as things cooked kept the onions and cabbage from caramelizing, and the sausage didn’t take on any of that nice brown color that helps to build the soup’s flavor.

The better option I landed on was to cook the sausage first by itself, remove it from the pot once it was all crispy and cooked through, and then caramelize the onions and cabbage in the fat left behind in the pot (<– HELLO flavor!!).

The caramelization of the cabbage and onions really is critical to making a super flavorful soup since those are the only two ‘aromatic’ veggies used. It might seem like a lot of cabbage at first, but it will reduce quite drastically once cooked!

Choosing how ‘brothy’ you want the soup to be

Through my experience cooking for others and our family, I’ve learned that people tend to have varying preferences for how much broth they like in their soup.

Because of this, I include the option for 6-7 cups of broth in this sausage and potato soup. We tend to like a little bit more broth, so I almost always add that extra cup after the soup has simmered and reduced. But you might find you want the soup to be thicker and that there’s just the right amount of liquid in the pot at that point!

You can decide during step 4 if you want to add that extra cup of broth or not.

Ingredients

This fragrant and cozy recipe is made with a simple array of unassuming ingredients that come together to create the most flavorful pot of soup! You can find the full list of ingredients, along with measurements, in the recipe card below. These are my ingredient notes and recommendations!

Olive oil and spicy Italian sausage

We love the flavor of spicy Italian sausage in this soup, but if you prefer a milder option traditional Italian sausage works as well. We’ve also made this recipe with chorizo and Italian chicken sausage with great results!

Onions and cabbage

These are the only two ingredients sautéed in olive oil and in some of the fat left behind from cooking the sausage to create the base for the soup. But they’re really all you need! When properly cooked, they caramelize to create an abundance of slightly sweet, aromatic flavor.

You can use green or red cabbage, but red cabbage will turn the soup a darker shade of red.

Yukon gold potatoes

Yukon gold potatoes tend to hold their shape better than russets, which makes them an ideal candidate for soup. They soften and turn creamy without falling apart.

Tomato paste and a simple combination of spices

Added at the same time as the potatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper, all purpose seasoning, fresh or dried thyme, paprika, and optional chili flakes are briefly sautéed to bring out some of their nuances and bolster the flavor of the soup.

If you don’t have all purpose seasoning poultry seasoning can be used in its place.

Good tasting broth

Chicken, beef, or vegetable broth are all good options!

Lacinato kale and fresh parsley

You could also use green curly kale, but our preference is lacinato or ‘dino’ kale.

If you don’t have fresh parsley you can skip adding it, but it does add a nice bit of fresh herbaceous flavor.

How to make brothy sausage and potato soup

This hearty soup comes together in just one pot and in less than an hour! I always suggest reading through the recipe at least once before you begin so that the recipe flows smoothly.

Step 1: Cook the sausage

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add sausage and cook, breaking up with a spatula into bite sized pieces as you go. Remove to a bowl or plate.

Step 2: Sauté onions and cabbage

Remove all but 2-3 tablespoons of the oil in the pot and add onion and cabbage. Sauté until they soften and start to caramelize.

Step 3: Add potatoes, spices, and broth

Add potatoes, tomato paste, spices and herbs. Sauté until spices are aromatic, and potatoes are coated. Return sausage to the pot, add broth and bring to a simmer, scraping up any stuck-on bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer on low until potatoes are tender, and soup has reduced slightly.

Step 4: Add kale and parsley

Add kale and parsley and cook until kale is soft but still bright green. At this point, you can add another cup of broth if you want a brothier soup.

Step 5: Season and serve!

Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve hot topped with more parsley if desired.

Expert tips for making this recipe

• Make sure to give the onions and cabbage enough time to caramelize. These two simple ingredients create a large portion of the flavor base for the soup. Wait to move on to the next step of the recipe until they are soft, caramelized, and the cabbage is reduced significantly in size.
• Adjust the amount of broth to your preference. I give a range of 6-7 cups in the recipe. If you prefer a thicker soup, 6 cups should be perfect. But if you want more broth, go ahead and add that extra cup after adding the kale and parsley.
• Season to taste! Sometimes all a soup needs to bring the flavors together in perfect harmony is just a bit more salt. So go ahead and taste the soup and season it to you preference before serving.

Storage and re-heating

To reheat: This soup can easily be re-heated in the microwave or over low heat on the stove top.

To store in the refrigerator: Allow it to cool to room temperature and transfer to an air tight container before moving to the fridge. It should keep for up to 5-6 days.

Can you freeze this soup?

Yes! This soup can be frozen.

To freeze: Allow to cool completely and transfer to an airtight container, leaving about an inch of room at the top. Freeze for up to 4 months. To thaw, move to the refrigerator overnight before reheating on the stove top, or run the container under warm water until the soup can be easily released into a pot and warmed over medium low heat.

If you enjoyed this recipe, we’d love it if you would take 5 seconds to rate and review it below! It’s also super helpful for other readers if you share any modifications you made to the recipe. 

Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK. We’re so grateful you’re here!

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