The Best Italian Sausage Soup

5 from 16 votes

There are soups I make once and move on from, and then there are soups that become a household staple. This Italian sausage soup is firmly in the second category. It's got tender shell pasta, spinach, savory Italian sausage, and a tomato-based broth that tastes like it's been going all afternoon. It hasn't. Start to finish, you're looking at about 35 minutes! We like to serve it with something cozy like this cheesy garlic bread.

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: italian sausage soup

Servings: servings

Author: Jean Choi

Ingredients

1 lb Italian sausage mild or hot
1 onion diced
2 carrots chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
4 garlic cloves minced
1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes with juice
5 cups bone broth or chicken broth
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1½ cup dried shell pasta can use gluten free
2 cups baby spinach
Optional: Parmesan cheese to serve

Instructions

Heat a large stockpot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Remove the casing of the sausages and cook in the pot while stirring often. Break it up with a wooden spoon until browned and crumbly, about 7-8 minutes.
1 lb Italian sausage
Remove the cooked meat and sets aside, and leaving 1 tbsp of of grease in the pot. (If there's no oil left, you can add 1 tbsp of olive oil.) Add the onions, carrots, and celery, and sauté for 5 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute.
1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 4 garlic cloves
Pour in tomatoes, broth, Italian seasoning, and cooked sausage. Stir to combine.
1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes, 5 cups bone broth, 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
Bring to a boil, then add pasta. Lower the heat to simmer, then cover. Cook and stir occasionally until the pasta is al dente, about 8-9 minutes depedning on package instructions,
1½ cup dried shell pasta
Stir in spinach until wilted, about 30 seconds. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
2 cups baby spinach
Serve hot, topped with grated parmesan (if using).
Optional: Parmesan cheese

Video

Notes

Brown the sausage before anything else. Don't stir constantly. Letting it sit for a minute or two before breaking it up gives you the caramelization that makes the broth taste deeper.
Watch the pasta. Al dente is the goal because it continues cooking in the hot broth. Leftovers from the fridge will be softer still, which is worth keeping in mind if you're meal prepping.
Add spinach at the very end. Right before serving is ideal. If you add it too early, it turns dark and mushy. Thirty seconds is genuinely all it needs.
Reheat with a splash of broth. The pasta absorbs liquid as the soup sits. A little extra broth when reheating brings the consistency right back.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 to 5 days. The pasta absorbs broth as it sits, so add a splash when reheating on the stovetop to loosen it back up.
For meal prep, store the soup base and the cooked pasta separately. Add pasta to each bowl when you reheat it. That way the texture stays right all week instead of getting soft and gummy.
To freeze, leave the pasta out entirely. Freeze the base in individual portions for up to 3 months and cook fresh pasta to add when you're ready to serve.

Nutrition