This Italian Sausage Soup is a hearty, flavorful soup to warm you up on a cold day. This delicious soup is packed with protein, vegetables, and orzo pasta. A full meal in a bowl that you’ll go back to time and time again. It warms the heart and soul, and is loved by everyone!
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Disclosure: This post was originally published on February 8th, 2019. The recipe has been updated with new photos and better instructions as of January 3rd, 2024. We hope you enjoy the new look!
There are few dinners we enjoy more than a hearty, warm soup. This one checks all the boxes. It's filling, comforting, and so flavorful. It's one of those recipes you'll come back to time and time again.
Looking for more recipe inspiration this soup season? Try our Dutch oven chili, this chicken and potato soup, or this Finnish salmon soup (Lohikeitto)!
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❤️Why we love this recipe
- Incredible flavor. The combination of Italian sausage, aromatic herbs, and a rich tomato base creates so much flavor that makes this soup so delicious!
- Hearty and comforting. This is a meal the whole family will love. It's filling and comforting, making it the perfect meal for cooler weather!
- Very easy to make. This recipe is perfect for both novice and seasoned cooks. With clear instructions and readily available ingredients, it’s an excellent choice for anyone looking to whip up a satisfying meal.
- Great for meal prep. Make a large batch and reheat leftover soup throughout the week for lunches or dinner.
- Customizable. You can adapt this soup to various dietary preferences including gluten-free, low carb, and even dairy free!
🫑Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.
- Your choice of Italian sausage. You can go with mild or sweet Italian sausage or hot and spicy sausage. The choice is yours. We used a mixture of mild and spicy for the best flavor.
- Fennel. Another optional element, but it really helps build flavor in this soup. We had ground fennel on hand but you can also use fennel seeds that have been lightly crushed to release their flavor.
- Parmesan rind. If you have one, throw it into the pot and simmer it with the soup! This adds a lot of flavor.
- Small pasta of choice. We went with Orzo. The pasta is technically optional but it helps us make the soup really filling.
- Not pictured are your favorite toppings! We like to serve this soup with ricotta and parmesan cheese.
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions
Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.
- Hot or mild Italian sausage. Choose your preferred Italian sausage to adjust the level of spiciness in the soup. We used a mix of both for the best flavor.
- Swap the protein. Swap out the pork sausage for leaner Italian turkey sausage to make a lighter version of the soup.
- Swap the pasta. Instead of orzo, you can use any small pasta like ditalini or pastina (aka star pasta).
- Use different veggies. You can add in or swap the vegetables for things like cauliflower, eggplant, and kale if you'd like.
- Use fresh herbs. Enhance the flavor with fresh herbs like basil, parsley, or oregano. Garnish your bowl generously.
- Use a different broth. Use anything you'd like, from chicken stock, vegetable broth, or even beef broth. For extra protein, add chicken bone broth.
✨Variations
- Extra spicy. If you love heat, use hot Italian sausage and increase the amount of red pepper flakes to make a fiery and spicy Italian sausage soup.
- Extra creamy soup. Add heavy whipping cream or cream cheese to the soup for a richer, creamier version. Stir it in until it’s velvety and luscious.
- Tuscan sausage soup. Give your soup a Tuscan twist by adding white beans and fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme. This adds a rustic and earthy flavor.
- Cheese tortellini soup. Make it even heartier by using cheese tortellini instead of regular pasta. The cheesy filling adds extra flavor and protein.
- Add beans. If you're looking for an easy way to add some extra protein or fiber, cannellini beans would taste great!
- Dairy free. Simply omit the half-and-half, parmesan cheese, and ricotta. You can also replace them with your favorite dairy-free alternatives.
- Gluten free. The only thing you'll need to watch is the pasta! Everything else about this soup is naturally gluten-free. You can use your favorite gluten-free pasta, or just omit it.
- Low carb. Make this recipe keto or low-carb friendly by omitting the pasta entirely, or replacing it with your favorite low carb alternative, or even more veggies like cauliflower rice.
🔪Prep work
- Dice the yellow onion, carrots, celery, and bell peppers.
- Finely mince the garlic.
- Measure out the remaining ingredients.
- Preheat a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat.
📋Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage and break into chunks (Image 1), cooking until browned, (Image 2) about 5–6 minutes. Remove from the pot, set aside, and leave the rendered fat in the bottom.
Add olive oil if needed, followed by the onion, peppers, carrots, and celery with a large pinch of salt. (Image 3) Cook until the veggies are beginning to soften, stirring occasionally, for about 6–8 minutes.
Add the tomato paste, the garlic, Italian seasoning, fennel, red pepper flakes, (Image 4) and sauté, stirring often to prevent burning, until the tomato paste has deepened in color (about 3 minutes) and the garlic is fragrant. (Image 5)
✨Pro Tip: While cooking the vegetables, bring a separate pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
Pour in the tomato sauce, and tomatoes, and return the sausage to the pot. Add in a parmesan rind if you have it. (Image 6) Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the broth, then fresh basil (if using). (Image 7) Stir to wilt the basil. (Image 8)
Bring the soup to a gentle simmer, then cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and let simmer while you make the pasta.
Meanwhile, cook the orzo in salted boiling water for 2 minutes under the package directions for al dente. Drain and set aside. (Image 9)
*If you don’t want to cook the pasta separately, you can also add the pasta to the soup at this time and stir for 8-10 minutes until the pasta is almost al dente. We don’t prefer to add it to the soup as it can get soggy, but this is an option.
Continue simmering the soup until the veggies are nice and soft. (Image 10)
Add in the spinach with a pinch of salt. (Image 11)
Remove the parmesan Stir to wilt the spinach. (Image 12)
Reduce the heat to low, and stir in the half and half (if using). (Image 13)
✨Pro Tip: If adding half and half, don't allow it to boil, as this can curdle it. Maintain an even, low temperature and stir often.
Add a scoop of orzo into a bowl, then ladle in some soup. Top it with ricotta, parmesan cheese, and more basil.
Serve with a side of crusty bread, or this air fryer garlic bread and a side salad, like this arugula spinach salad. Enjoy!
✨Tips & tricks
- Add spicy ingredients to taste. If you’re sensitive to spice, start with a smaller amount of red pepper flakes and add more if desired. Remember, you can always add more spice, but it’s challenging to correct if you add too much initially.
- Avoid soggy noodles. While it’s possible to cook this soup all in one pot, we recommend cooking the pasta separately for best results. This allows you to control the texture much more when you add it to serving bowls later.
- Storage. If you plan on having leftovers, store the pasta separately from the soup to prevent it from becoming too soft.
- Add a parmesan rind! This is an optional step, but if you have a parmesan rind sitting around in the fridge, add it to the pot with the liquids so the flavors can infuse the soup while it cooks. It also gets nice, soft, and melty to eat as a pre-dinner snack.
- If using half and half, don’t let it boil. We add creamy ingredients near the end of cooking to prevent the half-and-half from becoming curdled in the soup. Allow it to warm up by simmering.
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💭Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Store the pasta separately from the soup to prevent it from getting soggy.
This recipe can also be frozen, but if you plan to freeze it, leave out the half and half if possible for best results. You'll also want to make sure to keep the pasta out of the soup if freezing. Freeze for up to 6 months and defrost in the fridge overnight. Reheat gently on the stovetop.
Sure, you can, but keep in mind that it will become soggy overtime. We recommend keeping it separate if you anticipate having any leftovers so that the pasta will retain its shape.
If adding the pasta to the soup, add it while simmering the other ingredients (before adding the cream and spinach) and allow it to cook alongside the other ingredients for about 8-10 minutes.
More Recipes To Consider
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📖 Recipe
Italian Sausage Soup
Equipment
- large dutch oven (or any large stock pot)
- wooden spoon
- skimmer
- large soup pot (for cooking pasta seprately)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds Italian sausage (we used a mixture of hot and mild)
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, cut into rounds or half moons
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 2 medium bell peppers, diced
- 1.5 - 2 teaspoons kosher salt (to taste)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons ground fennel (optional)
- 1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes to taste
- 10-12 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 head of garlic)
- 5 - 6 cups chicken broth (to reach desired consistency)
- 15 ounces tomato sauce (about 1 can)
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes (about 1 can)
- Parmesan rind (optional)
- 16 ounces orzo (optional, and can sub any small pasta of choice like Ditalini)
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- Handful of fresh basil leaves (optional and to taste)
- 1 cup half and half (optional)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage and break into chunks, cooking until browned, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside, leaving the rendered fat in the bottom.
- Add more olive oil if needed, followed by the diced onion, bell peppers, carrots, and celery with a large pinch of salt. Cook until the veggies are beginning to soften, stirring occasionally, for about 6-8 minutes.
- Add 3 tablespoons of tomato paste, the garlic, 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, 2 teaspoons of fennel, and 1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (to taste) and sauté stirring often to prevent burning until the tomato paste has deepened in color (about 3 minutes) and the garlic is fragrant.
- Pour in 5-6 cups of chicken broth, the basil, the tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes. Add a parmesan rind if you have one, and return the cooked sausage to the pot. Season to taste with salt.
- Bring to a simmer then cover, reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer 5 - 10 minutes until the veggies have softened.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta 2 minutes under the package directions for al dente. Drain, and set aside. We like to cook the pasta separately to help it avoid getting soggy in the soup.
- After the soup has simmered for a while, reduce the heat to low, and add in the optional cup of half and half, and 5 ounces of spinach. Cover and let simmer, stirring occasionally to wilt the spinach. Do not let the soup boil. After the spinach has wilted, remove from heat. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Add the cooked orzo to serving bowls, then ladle in the soup. Serve warm, top with ricotta cheese, parmesan, and fresh basil if desired. Enjoy!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Store the pasta separately from the soup to prevent it from getting soggy.
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Notes
- Add spicy ingredients to taste. If you’re sensitive to spice, start with a smaller amount of red pepper flakes and add more if desired. Remember, you can always add more spice, but it’s challenging to correct if you add too much initially.
- Avoid soggy noodles. While it’s possible to cook this soup all in one pot, we recommend cooking the pasta separately for best results. This allows you to control the texture much more when you add it to serving bowls later.
- Storage. If you plan on having leftovers, store the pasta separately from the soup to prevent it from becoming too soft.
- Add a parmesan rind! This is an optional step, but if you have a parmesan rind sitting around in the fridge, add it to the pot with the liquids so the flavors can infuse the soup while it cooks. It also gets nice, soft, and melty to eat as a pre-dinner snack.
- If using half and half, don’t let it boil. We add creamy ingredients near the end of cooking to prevent the half-and-half from becoming curdled in the soup. Allow it to warm up by simmering.
- To cook the pasta in the soup. We recommend keeping it separate if you anticipate having any leftovers so that the pasta will retain its shape, but if you plan to eat it all at once, or don't mind soggy pasta, go for it! If adding the pasta to the soup, add it while simmering the other ingredients (before adding the cream and spinach) and allow it to cook alongside the other ingredients for about 8-10 minutes.
- To freeze. If you plan to freeze leftovers, leave out the half and half if possible for best results. Also be sure to keep the pasta out of the soup if freezing. Freeze for up to 6 months and defrost in the fridge overnight. Reheat gently on the stovetop.
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