Hearty Italian Sausage Soup

Italian sausage soup made with red wine, fresh sage, carrots and spinach. It’s a cold-weather warmer and hearty enough for dinner with some crusty bread on the side.

As it is every time, I sit down to write about soup and the same phrase finds its way onto the page: I love making soup. After eight years one might think I’d be tired of it because while there are many, many ways to make soup the process is generally the same – chop some veggies, add some liquid, and simmer until done. 

But, it’s more than just the steps that take a soup, like this Italian sausage soup, from idea to reality – there’s some kind of therapeutic magic that happens through the whole process. From the rhythmic chopping to the heady scent from the aromatics as they sizzle in the pan, to the gentle stirring all lead up to what might be considered the grand finale – tucking into a warm and cozy bowl that warms you from the inside out.

This hearty Italian soup is some serious comfort food in a bowl. It’s so flavorful from sausage and red wine with veggies and herbs. Make it when you’re craving some warm and cozy – it won’t disappoint.

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• Mild Italian sausage – you can use links and remove them from the casings or buy ground sausage. I like to use mild for this recipe, but if you like some heat try using hot Italian sausage.
• Diced red onion
• Minced garlic
• Finely chopped fresh sage
• Dried oregano
• Kosher salt
• Red wine – I like a cabernet or pinot noir
• Sliced carrots
• Frozen chopped spinach
• Canned tomato sauce
• Chicken broth or stock – you can use vegetable broth or beef broth, too!
• Apple cider vinegar

How to Make It

Heat the olive oil over medium to medium-high heat in a large pot. Add the sausage and brown it using a spatula to break it up into bite-sized pieces. 

Add some red onion, garlic, chopped fresh sage and oregano and once they’ve cooked a bit with the sausage add some red wine.

The red wine goes a long way to flavor the soup, but it also helps loosen all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan while it simmers. You don’t need much – just a quarter cup – so save the rest of it to serve with the soup.

At this point the carrots, spinach, tomato sauce, and chicken stock all go into the pot. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Right at the end, just before serving, I like to add a splash of apple cider vinegar. It adds a pop of brightness to the soup that balances out the richness.

And what is a bowl of soup without garnishes? A sad bowl of soup, I say, so I like to sprinkle on some chopped parsley and grated provolone cheese or Parmesan cheese over each serving.

Recipe Tips and Variations

Depending on what you have on hand you can easily switch things up with this soup…

• If you have dried Italian seasoning on hand use that instead of buying dried oregano. It will work fine.
• I like to garnish with parsley, but if you have fresh basil or thyme, chop some up and stir it into the soup just before serving.
• Add a pinch or two of red pepper flakes to add a kick of heat or use spicy Italian sausage.
• To lighten things up feel free to use Italian turkey sausage in place of pork sausage.
• Stir in some white beans like cannellini beans in the last 15 minutes of cooking time.
• You can use fresh spinach instead of frozen – you will just need a lot more of it.

Happy soup-making,

More Warm & Cozy Soup Recipes

• Chicken Noodle Soup
• Broccoli Cheese Soup
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Vegetable Beef Soup
• Easy Chicken Enchilada Soup

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Post updated from the archives. First published in October 2017.