My Italian sausage soup is delicious and filling - just what you need after a long day. Make this easy one pot recipe for dinner tonight!
This simple recipe features flavorful links, tender pasta, tomatoes, beans, and more for a stick-to-your-ribs alternative to chicken noodle or minestrone soups.
Plus, it’s easy to throw together at the last minute and you won’t have a pile of dishes to clean!
If you enjoy Italian soup with sausage, try my copycat version of Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana. It can be prepared on the stove or with an Instant Pot, whichever you prefer.
Or, swap the links for homemade meatballs and veggies in a rich, tomato broth for another easy one pot meal. It’s also ready in 30 minutes and is just as hearty and delicious.
Italian Sausage Soup - Ingredient Notes
- Meat - Swap the mild blend for a spicy one to add a little extra heat, or replace it with whatever meat you prefer. Be sure to add extra seasoning while it’s browning - I would recommend about a tablespoon of Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon each of garlic and onion powder, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Pasta - I love this with orecchiette or small shells, but you could easily use ditalini or elbows. To make it even heartier, swap the noodles for cheese tortellini.
- Tomatoes - Use fire-roasted instead of regular crushed or diced tomatoes so this tastes like it’s been simmering all day long!
- Veggies - Carrots and celery help create a flavorful base and blend seamlessly into this dish. You could also toss in some onion, zucchini, and bell pepper or wilt in some spinach just before serving.
- Garnish - Fresh basil rounds out the flavors in this sausage soup recipe, and freshly grated Parmesan makes everything taste better!
Serving Suggestions
While this Italian sausage soup is more than enough on its own, it pairs well with a simple salad or my artisan-style garlic skillet bread!
While this Italian sausage soup is more than enough on its own, it pairs well with a simple salad or my artisan-style garlic skillet bread!
Kitchen Tools You Will Need
- 12 Quart Stockpot - This recipe calls for a large amount of liquid, so you’ll need plenty of room! A wide dutch oven will also do the job and more contact with the stove will allow it to come to a boil quickly.
- Quality Knives and a big solid Cutting Board make prepping a breeze and are well worth the investment.
FAQ - Common Recipe Questions
Can I cook this sausage soup recipe in a crockpot instead?Because the noodles cook in the liquid, I wouldn’t recommend it.
I do have a slow cooker Italian soup with sausage that has similar flavors and plenty of veggies. If you’re really craving pasta, prepare some on the stove and stir it in just before serving.
Can I freeze Italian sausage soup?
Yes! If you’ll be freezing the whole batch, I would recommend slightly undercooking the pasta so it doesn’t become too soft when thawed and reheated.
Yes! If you’ll be freezing the whole batch, I would recommend slightly undercooking the pasta so it doesn’t become too soft when thawed and reheated.
Transfer to airtight jars or containers once cooled and leave some space at the top for the liquid to expand. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the microwave or on the stove.
Enjoy!
With love from our simple kitchen to yours.
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MORE ONE POT MEAL RECIPES
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One Pot Cheesy Pasta and Sausage
One Pot Creamy Chicken Tortellini
One Pot Jambalaya Pasta
One Pot Creamy Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Video: Italian Soup With Sausage
To see us prepare this from start to finish, watch the video at the top of this post.Yield: 16 cups

Hearty Italian Sausage Soup
My Italian sausage soup is delicious and filling - just what you need after a long day. Make this easy one pot recipe for dinner tonight!
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min
Ingredients
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage (chicken, turkey or pork)
- 3 carrots
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 8 cups chicken broth (or 8 cups water and 4 Tbsp chicken bouillion)
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (white beans)
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 pound dried orecchiette pasta (or shells)
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, rough chopped
Instructions
- Heat a 12 quart pot over medium high heat. Add olive oil and sausage. Peel and chop carrots, add to pot. Wash and chop celery. Cook sausage until browned on each side and stir vegetables. Once sausage is browned on each side remove from pot and add all remaining ingredients except pasta and basil. Bring soup to a boil.
- Meanwhile slice sausage into coins and add to soup. Once soup comes to a boil add pasta and basil. Cook until pasta is cooked through stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Originally published September 2013, updated and republished September 2021
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I'd love to try this soup, it looks delicious, but what kind of pasta did you add, and how much?
ReplyDelete1/2 pound dried orecchiette pasta (or shells) - says in ingredients :-)
Deleteyum! This is my kind of soup especially with my fave pasta orecchiette.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I'm saying! Thanks for stopping by Rachelle. Enjoy.
DeleteIt was awesome!!
ReplyDeleteSo happy you loved it Sharon!
DeleteI made it...it was very good!!! I used cheese tortellini for the pasta.
ReplyDeleteOh I love the tortellini idea! Definitely trying that variation.
DeleteThis would make me feel a lot better too! Hope Chad is all better now.
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris! This is the perfect get well soup.
DeleteIs there a substitute for sausage for this soup? We dont eat sausage :)
ReplyDeleteYou can substitute whatever meat or meat substitute you like. I would add extra seasoning though (as sausage is very flavorful). Maybe a pinch of red pepper flakes and a tablespoon of Italian seasoning and 1 teaspoon of garlic and onion powders mixed in with the meat when you cook it.
DeleteLet us know how it goes!
I make it with cheese tortellini and it is easy better if you let it dimmer all day or cook and reheat the next day
ReplyDeleteI made this soup last night and it is a winner for sure. It has awesome flavors, is easy to prepare, and nice on the wallet. I also used the cheese tortellini and it was the perfect match. I also accidentally used spicy tomato paste, but I ended up liking the additional spice.
ReplyDeleteWonderfully tasty ..... sub'd the sausage with vegan meat....tasted great!! Used gluten free pasta. Very healthy and incredibly tasty!
ReplyDeleteMade like the directions, it was delicious. Thank you
ReplyDeleteI thought I read directions somewhere about freezing this soup. Can't find them now. It said to add pasta after thawing and reheating. Any other advice? Basil OK to add before freezing?
ReplyDeleteI thought I read directions somewhere about freezing this soup. Can't find them now. It said to add pasta after thawing and reheating. Any other advice? Basil OK to add before freezing?
ReplyDeleteCan you use Chrizo and instead of the beans use potatoes?
ReplyDeleteTrying to figure out the best way to 'KETO' this. I've always made soups like this in the past, but tomatoes are restricted on keto. no pasta - etc. one of the things I don't like about keto.
ReplyDeleteI love this soup,I take mild Italian sausage out of the casing it adds amazing flavor
ReplyDeleteCan this be made in the instant pot?
ReplyDeleteMade this soup today exactly as written ingredient wise & OMG it's SO GOOD! It's our new, favorite soup. Only little thing I did different is made tiny meatballs out of the sausage & browned them instead of slicing the sausage into "coins." Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteI purchased ground mild Italian sausage without realizing the recipe used actual sausages. So I rolled them into little balls and fried them. It was a little more work but my husband loved them.
ReplyDeleteWarning: the soup was quite salty initially so I panicked and added more water, added some peeled big chunks of potato to soak up the salt (removing them before serving), and also added some heavy cream (maybe 1/3 - 1/2 cup) I happened to have. It honestly turned out SO GOOD and the Picky Husband said this is definitely a make-again recipe (a rare moment in my house).
Next time I would probably use low sodium tomato products. I will add the bit of cream again because the whole thing was just so good.
Thanks for sharing your recipe!