This Italian Sausage Soup is insanely delicious and easy to make, and even your picky eaters will love it. A creamy-pasta-filled meal made with a tomato base & flavorful Italian sausage.
This recipe for Italian Soup is one of our family favorites. We love cheese, and the more cheese a recipe has, the more we love it.
This Italian Soup is one of my favorites because it’s loaded with cheese. And besides the cheese, another great thing about this soup recipe is how easy it is to make.
I love being able to quickly whip up an amazing meal using only a few ingredients. This is perfect for busy weeknights when I need to get dinner on the table fast, or if I’m taking a dish to pass at a friend’s house. It’s also a nice change from more traditional Italian fare like lasagna or spaghetti.
To me, some of the best comfort food is cheesy pasta. The more cheese and sauce, the better. I love how simple they are to make – just throwing everything in a pot and letting it simmer.
This Creamy Italian Sausage Soup is the perfect meal for any occasion. It’s hearty enough to be the main course but can also serve as an appetizer or first course at a party. The soup is very easy to make and only requires a few simple ingredients. Plus, it makes a lot so you’ll definitely have leftovers if you’re not serving a large group.
I created this soup to be easy, so I used a jarred marinara sauce. This both simplifies the recipe and ingredient list, as well as adds tons of flavor. You could absolutely use your own homemade sauce too.
Additionally, while you could easily use any sort of pasta, I grabbed penne noodles because they are aesthetically pleasing in the soup and don’t get mushy like some other kinds of pasta can. Finally, to make this dish cheesy and creamy Mozzarella cheese was used.
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Creamy Italian Sausage Soup
Ingredients
- 16 ounces mild Italian sausage
- 1/2 large yellow onion diced
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 jar Barilla Marinara Sauce
- 1/2 lb Barilla Penne Pasta
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups half and half, heavy cream or whole milk
- 29 ounces whole tomatoes
- 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 3 cups shredded Gambilin Mozzerella cheese
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- In a large pot fill with 6 cups of water and cook pasta according to package directions.
Once pasta is completely cooked, rinse with cold water and drain. Set pasta aside for later. - Using the same pot, heat 2 tablespoon olive oil. Once heated add sausage, onion and garlic; cook until sausage is completely cooked through.
- Drain grease from sausage and set sausage aside.
- Place the same pot over medium-high heat and add chicken broth, whole tomatoes – squeezing the whole tomatoes with your hand so that it breaks them up as you are pouring them in the the pan, diced tomatoes, Barilla marinara sauce, Italian seasoning and heavy cream. Bring to a slow boil, stirring constantly, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add in sausage mixture, butter, 2 cups shredded Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Stir every few minutes so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Remove from heat. Stir in remaining shredded Mozzarella cheese. Stir in the pasta and serve immediately.I love to top the soup with a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper and Italian seasoning.
Can you use Kraft mozzarella cheese in the can instead of freshly shredded cheese?
You can totally use pre-shredded/grated Mozzarella and Parmesan in this recipe. I find that fresh cheese melts just a little bit better as it has no added starch, but it shouldn’t affect the taste at all.
We loved this recipe. Next time I will freeze half without the noodles in it and probably use smaller pasta. Very filling and sooooooo good. I love it when I find a GREAT recipe.
Can you use the crockpot to make this?
We have not tested this recipe in the crockpot but it is similar to our other Slow Cooker Tuscan Soup. I would recommend cooking the sausage as directed, then add everything except the cream, cheese, and pasta to the slow cooker for 2-3 or 4-6 hours on low. Add the cream and cheese in the last hour to let it melt and combine, then add cooked pasta for just 5 minutes to heat. Let us know how it turns out if you do give it a try!
Absolutely delicious! I only used 1 cup of spaghetti sauce instead of a entire jar. It makes plenty.
So glad you enjoyed it!
I made this soup tonight, followed the recipe to a t, with the exception of cutting it in half as I was making it for just me and my better half. It was absolutely delicious, definitely going on the “keeper” list.
So glad you both enjoyed it!
Would this be a recipe good for a slowcooker ?
I am not sure how this would turn out in the slow cooker, we have never made it that way. You can definitely give it a try and let us know! You would still have to cook the sausage first to brown it. Add the cream and cheese in the last half hour and add the cooked pasta at the end to heat it through.
This looks incredible. Going to make it this week. Question about the sausage: whole, chopped, sliced, skin removed, ground sausage meat … HELP!, Many thanks.
We use ground sausage for most recipes! If you can only find links, remove the casing first. Break it up as it cooks in the pan so it is crumbled. Enjoy!
Made this tonight, quick and easy. I used half and half instead of heavy cream and added fennel seed and fresh spinach.
Yum! Spinach sounds like a great (healthy) addition! I’m glad you enjoyed it, thanks!
I love Italian food, soup, and I adore tomatoes. There was no doubt in my mind that I would love this. Guess what? I DO!
Just made it today. Yummy! Very easy to make. Thanks much for sharing.
I’m so glad you liked it so much! Thanks!
Hi
Planning on trying the recipe, do you think I can cook it in the Crockpot?
Hi Martina, We haven’t tested this recipe in the slow cooker so we are not sure how it would turn out! You can definitely give it a try. I would suggest still cooking up the sausage, onion, and garlic first to give it a bring out the flavors first. Then add that along with everything except cheese, heavy cream, and cooked pasta in the crockpot. Add those at the end, in the last hour of cooking, just to melt/heat them up. Let us know if you give it a try!
Yes I cooked it in my crockpot it turned out great! I also did the method you suggested!
Can u used stewed Italian tomatoes instead of the whole tomatoes and diced tomatoes, not a fan of tomatoes
Yes, it works great, I have done it before!
Can you tell me how many calories and sugar this yummy looking soup has?
Hi Brenda! One serving (about 1 cup or 8 ounces) has approximately 553 calories. This can of course be lowered by adjusting the amount of cheese to your liking or using non-fat cream. The amount of sugar per serving is 5g per serving, mostly from the marinara sauce. I updated the recipe card to include the full nutrition facts so if you have questions about any other amounts, you can find it at the bottom of the recipe!
This recipe is delicious!!!! The problem is, it’s so delicious I’ve been requested to make it for a soup potluck. I would like to prepare the soup the day before and store it in the crock pot over night. I’m hoping I’ll be able to set the crock pot to warm the next day and bring up to a nice hot soup temp. Would you recommend this? Should I leave the noodles out and prepare those the day of?
That should work well! I would prepare the soup base and then add the last bit of mozzarella and pasta the next morning when you turn it on. I’m so glad you like the recipe and get to share it! Enjoy!
Delish!!
Enjoy!
This was AWESOME! Made this last night and everyone loved it, even the kid who hates soup. The only thing I would add to the recipe, for those who don’t know how to make pasta, just make sure your boiling water tastes like ocean water before you start boiling and put a wooden spoon on top of the boiling pot so it doesn’t over flow. Also, use a LARGE pot. I had to transfer to another pot cause i underestimated how much this recipe makes. One last comment, just add a little bit of salt to the soup, not too much, but about 1/2-1 teaspoon helps. Thanks!
That is a great tip! Thank you for sharing! We definitely recommend salting your pasta water. It does make quite a lot of soup as San has a big family. If you do need to cut back, you can adjust the recipe amount by clicking on the serving size and sliding the bar to adjust to your needed amount. Thank you for the review!
Can this be frozen and heated later?
You can definitely freeze it for later! We recommend no longer than 3 months for best flavor. Enjoy!
This meal is a favorite in our home!
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you!
So creamy and so flavorful, this is my kind of soup!
Thank you, enjoy!
This Italian Sausage Soup is such an exciting idea!
Thank you!
This looks so hearty & delicious! Wish I had a bowl of this right now. 🙂
Thank you! I hope you can enjoy it soon!
This soup looks so creamy and hearty! Love it!
Thank you!
This turned out so creamy and delicious! Perfect kind of comfort fodo!
So happy to hear that! Thank you!
This soup is calling my name! I have to make it up on our next cold day!
Enjoy!
The soup is so delicious, and it’s super comforting and very easy to prepare. This is filling enough to be a meal all by itself. We did eat it with some crusty bread though. 🙂
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
I totally want to make this! We have been having soup several times a week!
I hope you enjoy it!
I love soup and our entire family adores cheese! Another winning recipe – thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoy the recipe!
This is always a huge hit every time I make it!
So glad to hear that!