Sausage Potato Soup

One way we’ve reduced our expenses in the last few years has been to reduce how often we eat out. A few years ago, we used to eat out every weekend. Now, we eat out once every few months. It has helped our budget immensely, but there are a few meals we get a craving for every now and then. Chicken Gnocchi Soup was one of mine, and this Sausage Potato soup is Hubs’. It’s basically a knock-off of Zuppa Tuscona.

What I really like about this recipe is that the ingredients are all simple, and really easy to grow if you’ve got enough space for a garden. Onions we get from my father-in-law, and greens grow in abundance in my garden. Potatoes do really well too, and don’t require much space.

If I’ve got carrots on hand, I’ll throw in some diced carrots too just for some extra nutrition, and a nice pop of color. If you want to take it to the next level of frugality, make your own chicken broth too. It’s so much better than the store bought stuff, is really easy to make, and costs practically nothing since you use scraps to make it!

I’m not picky when it comes to the types of greens I put in this soup. Spinach and kale are what I usually have on hand, but lately we’ve been buying super greens, a mix of kale, beet greens and spinach, as a supplement to romaine lettuce.

Bottom line, just use whatever greens you have on hand! That’s the best part about soups. They’re very versatile!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb Italian sausage {we use hot sausage}
1 large onion, chopped
4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups fresh greens, chopped {or 1 cup frozen greens}
4 cups chicken broth {I use homemade}
1 cup half & half or milk

Directions:

In a dutch oven* over medium heat, heat up the olive oil. Add sausage, onions and garlic. Cook until sausage is browned.
Add in potatoes, cook for about 5 minutes.
Stir in chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
Add greens and half & half. Cook until greens are wilted {or heated through if you used frozen}. About 5-8 minutes.
Serve warm. Serves 6-8.