Hearty Italian Sausage Soup (with Spinach and Pasta)

This cozy Italian sausage soup is delicious, comforting, healthy, and packed with veggies to boost nutrients. It’s flavorful, protein-packed, and a family favorite!

What Makes This Recipe Great

I love a good chunky soup when the weather starts cooling down. While I enjoy smooth and creamy soups like this Healthy Roasted Tomato Soup, I do prefer ones that are chock full of various textures and flavors with vegetables, protein, and maybe rice or noodles. This Italian Sausage Soup Recipe has been on repeat at our house because it fits the bill perfectly, and it’s just so flavorful and delicious!

With the summer weather turning into Fall drastically, I’ve also been feeling like I’m coming down with something. Whenever this happens, I try to pack in as many nutrients as possible to keep my immune system in the best shape. This delicious Italian sausage and pasta soup was created for just that purpose, and I’ve been making it on repeat because my whole family just loves it as well!

Not only is there bone broth in the soup base (you can use chicken stock instead!), but tender vegetables like tomatoes, garlic, celery, onion, carrots, and fresh spinach taste amazing with the hearty Italian sausage and pasta! It’s a complete meal on its own. Of course, you can easily make this soup gluten-free or paleo if you decide to make gluten-free or grain-free pasta.

Watch a Short Video of This Recipe

Ingredient Notes

• Italian sausage: Depending on your taste preference, you can use either mild Italian sausage or spicy Italian sausage for this recipe. Even sweet Italian sausage will be delicious!
• onion
• carrots
• celery
• garlic cloves
• diced tomatoes: Use canned diced tomatoes, and don’t throw away the juice!
• bone broth: I personally like to use bone broth (this is my favorite brand), but you can use chicken broth, beef broth, or vegetable stock instead.
• Italian seasoning,
• dried shell pasta: I prefer shell pasta, but any short pasta will work like elbow macaroni, orecchiette, or fusilli. For gluten-free Italian sausage soup, make sure to use gluten-free pasta like this one. To make it paleo, you can use this grain free pasta.
• baby spinach: You can substitute kale instead of spinach if desired. 
• parmesan cheese: Of course, omit if you are dairy-free. Parmesan cheese is completely optional, but I like to add it just before serving to add a bit more flavor.
• red pepper flakes: Optional for garnish. 
• salt and black pepper to taste. 

How to Make Italian Sausage Soup

1. Heat a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove sausages from the casings and cook in the pot while stirring often. Break it up with a wooden spoon until browned and crumbly.
2. Remove the cooked meat and sets it aside, leaving one tablespoon of of grease in the pot. If there’s no oil left, you can add a bit of olive oil.
3. Add the onions, carrots, and celery, and sauté for until the onions are translucent. Add garlic and stir until fragrant.
4. Pour in tomatoes, broth, Italian seasoning, and cooked sausage. Stir to combine.
5. Bring to a boil, then add pasta. Lower the heat to simmer, cover, and stir occasionally until the pasta is al dente
6. Stir in spinach until wilted, about 30 seconds. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
7. Serve hot. Sprinkle with grated parmesan if using. Serve with crusty garlic bread if you wish!

Expert Tips

Alternative Protein: It won’t be Italian sausage soup anymore, but you can use any ground meat for this recipe. Ground pork, ground chicken, and ground beef all work well. You can even use breakfast sausage or even chicken or turkey sausage.

Variations: There are many ways you can switch things up in this Italian soup recipe. Homemade soup is awesome because you can really add and remove ingredients based on your preferences. Here are some ways you can change up this soup to make it to your liking.

• Add cheese tortellini as the pasta instead of shells
• Add a can of cannellini beans (white beans) for a heartier soup
• Use ground turkey sausage or ground chicken sausage instead of pork
• Finish it off with a bit of cream for a creamy Italian sausage soup. 

Storage Tips

Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through.

I don’t recommend freezing soup with pasta in it. The freezing process tends to disintegrate the pasta, and messes with the texture once defrosted. If you do want to freeze with Italian sausage soup, don’t add the pasta to the portion you want to freeze. Once defrosted and ready to eat, you can boil the pasta in the soup just before enjoying it.

More Cozy Soup Recipes

Italian Sausage and Gnocchi Soup (Paleo, Gluten Free)

Easy Instant Pot Cabbage Soup with Ground Beef

Creamy Meatball Mushroom Soup (Paleo, Whole30, Keto)

Instant Pot Chicken Soup (Paleo, Whole30, AIP, Keto)

Whole30 Ham and Potato Soup (Paleo, Dairy Free)

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