Easy Sausage Spinach and Potato Soup | One-Pot Recipe

Name: Sausage, Spinach and Potato Soup with Home-Canned Potatoes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 pound ground sausage or approximately 5 sausage links, using whichever flavor profile you prefer.; 1 quart home-canned cubed potatoes, with the canning liquid.; 1 quart (4 cups) chicken stock; 2–4 cups water or additional broth, depending on your preferred consistency; 2 cups frozen chopped spinach; 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar

This sausage, spinach, and potato soup is a hearty one-pot meal that can be on the table in under 30 minutes. Because it uses home-canned potatoes, most of the preparation is already done. Brown the sausage, add the remaining ingredients, and let everything cook together.

One of my favorite things about this soup is that I usually add absolutely no seasoning. Between the sausage and chicken stock, there is often enough flavor already in the pot. I prefer to let those ingredients do the work, then taste the soup before deciding whether it needs anything else.

That doesn’t mean you can’t change it. Add garlic, onion, carrots, cream, beans, or another leafy green if that is what your family enjoys. That’s what your kitchen is for: taking a recipe and turning it into something your family loves.

Consider this sausage, spinach and potato soup a good place to start.

Sausage, spinach, and potato soup from home-canned potatoes with cheese on the side

Sausage spinach and potato soup made with home-canned potatoes, sausage, chicken stock, and spinach

Why You’ll Love This Sausage Potato Soup

This soup is:

Made in one pot
Quick to prepare
A practical way to use home-canned potatoes
Made with a short ingredient list
Easy to adapt
Naturally flavorful without a long list of seasonings
Hearty enough to serve as a meal

It is also a useful clean-out-the-refrigerator recipe. A few carrots, leftover chicken, a partial bag of spinach, or vegetables that need to be eaten can all find a place in the pot.

Sausage, Spinach and Potato Soup with Home-Canned Potatoes

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Make hearty sausage, spinach, and potato soup with home-canned potatoes. A one-pot meal on the table in 30 minutes

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Ingredients

1 pound ground sausage or approximately 5 sausage links, using whichever flavor profile you prefer.
1 quart home-canned cubed potatoes, with the canning liquid.
1 quart (4 cups) chicken stock
2–4 cups water or additional broth, depending on your preferred consistency
2 cups frozen chopped spinach
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar

Instructions

Place a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
If using ground sausage, add it to the pot and cook until browned, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks.
If using raw sausage links, remove the casings and crumble the sausage as it cooks. If using fully cooked sausage, cut it into bite-size pieces and brown it briefly.
Drain the excess grease if necessary, leaving a small amount in the pot for flavor.
Add the home-canned potatoes with their liquid, chicken stock, 2 cups of water or additional broth, frozen spinach, and vinegar.
Stir gently so the home-canned potatoes retain their shape.
Cover the pot and bring the soup to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes at elevations below 1,000 feet, adding 1 additional minute for every additional 1,000 feet of elevation.
Check the liquid periodically and add more water or broth as needed so the pot does not run dry.
After the full boiling time, taste the soup. Add salt, pepper, or other seasonings only if needed.
Ladle the soup into bowls and add your favorite toppings.

Notes

home-canned potatoes are a low-acid pressure canned food and are recommended to be boiled for at least 10 minutes or more depending on your elevation for safety purposes.

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Ingredients for Sausage, Spinach, and Potato Soup

1 pound ground sausage or approximately 5 sausage links, using whichever flavor profile you prefer.
1 quart home-canned cubed potatoes, with the canning liquid.
1 quart (4 cups) chicken stock
2–4 cups water or additional broth, depending on your preferred consistency
2 cups frozen chopped spinach
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar

Optional Toppings

Shredded or grated cheese
Croutons
Fresh herbs
Crumbled crackers
Oyster crackers
Red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper

How to Make Sausage Spinach and Potato Soup

Place a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
If using ground sausage, add it to the pot and cook until browned, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks.
If using raw sausage links, remove the casings and crumble the sausage as it cooks. If using fully cooked sausage, cut it into bite-size pieces and brown it briefly.
Drain the excess grease if necessary, leaving a small amount in the pot for flavor.
Add the home-canned potatoes with their liquid, chicken stock, 2 cups of water or additional broth, frozen spinach, and vinegar.
Stir gently so the home-canned potatoes retain their shape.
Cover the pot and bring the soup to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes at elevations below 1,000 feet, adding 1 additional minute for every additional 1,000 feet of elevation.
Check the liquid periodically and add more water or broth as needed so the pot does not run dry.
After the full boiling time, taste the soup. Add salt, pepper, or other seasonings only if needed.
Ladle the soup into bowls and add your favorite toppings.

ingredients like home-canned potatoes, sausages, frozen chopped spinach, chicken broth ready to be made into sausage, spinach, and potato soup

browned sausage in a pan ready to make soup

sausage, spinach, potatoes, broth dumped into a pot to start cooking

Choosing the Sausage

Use a sausage that your family already enjoys because it provides most of the seasoning in this soup.

Good options include:

Mild Italian sausage
Hot Italian sausage
Breakfast sausage
Chicken sausage
Turkey sausage
Smoked sausage

Ground sausage and raw sausage links should be fully cooked in the soup pot before the remaining ingredients are added. If using raw links, remove the casings and crumble the meat, or cut the sausage into bite-size pieces.

If you use fully cooked smoked sausage, slice it and brown it briefly before adding the other ingredients. Browning adds flavor even though the sausage is already cooked.

Do I Really Need the Vinegar?

The vinegar may seem unusual, but it brightens the broth and helps balance the richness of the sausage. It should not make the finished soup taste like vinegar.

Apple cider vinegar adds a slightly softer flavor, while white vinegar is more neutral. Start with 1–2 teaspoons if you are unsure, then add more to taste after the soup has cooked.

Why This Soup May Not Need Additional Seasoning

Most sausage is already heavily seasoned, and chicken stock often contains flavorings. Combining the two can provide plenty of flavor without adding anything else.

The kind of sausage and stock you use will affect the final result, though. Low-sodium or homemade stock may need a little salt, while a salty sausage and store-bought broth may not need any.

For that reason, wait until the soup has finished cooking before adding salt or other seasoning. It is easy to add more, but considerably harder to take it back out.

Tips for the Best Sausage, Spinach, and Potato Soup

Brown the Sausage First

Browning creates more flavor than simply heating the sausage in the broth. Let it develop some color before adding the remaining ingredients.

Stir the Potatoes Gently

Home-canned potatoes are already tender and may break apart if stirred aggressively. Fold them into the broth carefully and stir only as often as needed.

Start With Less Liquid

Begin with 2 cups of water or additional broth. Once the soup is hot, add more until it reaches the consistency you prefer.

Watch the Pot During a Long Simmer

If you plan to let the soup simmer beyond the initial cooking time, check it periodically. Liquid will evaporate as it cooks, especially if the pot is uncovered.

Easy Sausage Potato Soup Variations

Once the jars are opened, this soup is easy to adapt based on what your family enjoys and what you have available.

Make It Creamy

After completing the full boiling time, reduce the heat and slowly stir in ½–1 cup of heavy cream or half-and-half.

Do not add the dairy before the boiling step. Adding it afterward lowers the chance that it will separate or curdle.

Use Kale Instead of Spinach

Replace the spinach with chopped kale, Swiss chard, collard greens, or another leafy green.

Heartier greens may require more cooking time than spinach. Remove tough stems and cut the leaves into manageable pieces before adding them.

Add Beans

Add one 15-ounce can of cannellini, Great Northern, or navy beans, drained and rinsed. Beans make the soup more substantial and can help stretch the sausage into additional servings.

Add More Vegetables

Try adding:

Diced carrots
Chopped celery
Sliced mushrooms
Corn
Green beans
Diced onion
Minced garlic

Sauté raw onions, carrots, celery, or mushrooms in the sausage drippings before adding the broth.

Use Leftover Chicken

Reduce or omit the sausage and add leftover cooked chicken. Because chicken may be less seasoned than sausage, taste the finished soup and adjust the seasonings as necessary.

Add Some Heat

Use hot Italian sausage or add red pepper flakes, cayenne, or hot sauce. You can also serve the heat on the side so everyone can season their own bowl.

What to Serve with Sausage Potato Soup

This soup is hearty enough to stand on its own, but it also pairs well with:

Crusty bread
Garlic bread
Cornbread
Dinner rolls
Biscuits
Grilled cheese
A simple green salad
Crackers

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use Store-Bought Canned Potatoes?

Yes. Store-bought canned potatoes can be substituted for home-canned potatoes.

You will likely need several cans to equal one quart of home-canned potatoes.

Can I Use Fresh Potatoes?

Yes, but fresh potatoes require additional cooking time.

Peel them if desired, cut them into evenly sized cubes, and simmer them in the stock until nearly tender before adding quick-cooking spinach. The total cooking time will depend on the type and size of the potatoes.

Can I Use Fresh Spinach?

Yes. Add fresh spinach near the end of the cooking time because it wilts quickly.

The exact amount is flexible, but keep in mind that several cups of fresh spinach will cook down considerably.

Do I Need to Thaw Frozen Spinach?

You can add frozen chopped spinach directly to the pot. If it is frozen in a solid block, the soup may take longer to return to a boil.

Thawing it first allows you to break it apart and distribute it more evenly.

Can I Make This Soup Ahead of Time?

Yes. Prepare the soup, cool it promptly, and refrigerate it in shallow, covered containers. Reheat it to 165°F before serving.

The potatoes may soften slightly as the soup sits, but the flavor often improves after the ingredients have had more time together.

How Long Do Leftovers Keep?

Refrigerate the soup within two hours of cooking. Store it in shallow, covered containers and use it within 3–4 days. Reheat leftovers to 165°F.

Can I Freeze Sausage Potato Soup?

You can, but potatoes sometimes develop a softer or grainier texture after freezing and thawing.

The broth-based version should freeze better than a version containing cream. If you plan to freeze the soup, leave out the cream and add it after thawing and reheating.

Freeze a small portion first if you are unsure whether the change in potato texture will bother you.

Why Is My Soup Too Salty?

The sausage and chicken stock are the most likely causes.

Use low-sodium or unsalted stock, dilute the soup with water, and avoid adding salt until the soup has finished cooking. Adding more potatoes, beans, or vegetables may also help balance a strongly seasoned broth.

A Note About Home-Canned Potatoes

This recipe assumes the potatoes were preserved using current, tested pressure-canning instructions and that the jar is properly sealed and shows no signs of spoilage.

Never taste food from a jar that is leaking, unsealed, bulging, cracked, spurting liquid, foaming unexpectedly, or otherwise abnormal. When in doubt, discard it without tasting.

USDA guidance recommends boiling home-processed low-acid foods for 10 minutes before serving, adding 1 additional minute for every 1,000 feet of elevation. This boiling step is not a substitute for following tested canning procedures and cannot make food known to be improperly processed safe.

The directions above include this boiling step. Make sure the potatoes remain in the soup throughout the full boiling time and that there is enough liquid in the pot to prevent it from running dry.

Cooking from the Cantry

I love soup season, especially when dinner can be made in one pot with ingredients I already have.

This sausage, spinach, and potato soup is exactly the kind of meal I want my cantry to make possible. The potatoes were preserved earlier, which means most of the work is already done when it is time to make dinner.

Start with this hearty basic soup, then adjust it according to what your refrigerator dictates that week. Have a few carrots that need to be eaten? Add them. Leftover chicken from the night before? Use it. Want a creamy soup? Add cream at the end.

That’s what your kitchen is for: taking a good starting point and turning it into something that works for your family.