The Easy Slow Cooker Sausage and Potato Soup I Wait All Year to Make

My autumnal soup fixation is one of the many reasons I consider fall my favorite season. As soon as the Alabama heat drops below 70 degrees, you can find me listening to Nat King Cole with all the windows open, chopping veggies to pile into my slow cooker for some type of delicious soup.

Even though you can make this sausage, kale, and potato soup anytime of the year, there’s something special about waiting until the weather is just right to prepare this comforting meal.

To make it, I simmer cooked Italian sausage and frozen diced hash brown potatoes in chicken broth in the slow cooker, then stir in heavy cream and kale for the last half an hour of cooking. Once you brown the sausage, the slow cooker does the rest of the work to create this hearty, cozy meal you will want to make again and again.

Tips for Making My 5-Ingredient Sausage, Kale, and Potato Soup

• Cook the sausage first: Technically, you can add the raw sausage to the slow cooker, but because it releases a lot of grease as it cooks, I don’t recommend it. It’s much easier to drain the grease from a skillet than from a slow cooker. Draining the grease makes for a better-tasting soup, too.
• Use frozen or fresh potatoes: This recipe calls for a bag of frozen diced hash brown-style potatoes simply because they’re so easy—no prep needed! But if you feel like chopping, fresh potatoes also work well in this soup. If you decide to use them, I recommend either peeled russet potatoes or red potatoes (you can leave the peels on those).
• Use pre-chopped kale for ease: If you want to make this recipe with zero chopping, you can grab a bag of pre-chopped kale at the store. The bagged stuff often includes pieces of stems, but they’ll become tender in the slow cooker as the soup simmers away.
• Don’t overmix: It’s important to stir this soup gently to prevent the potatoes from breaking apart too much. Some of the potatoes will break down as they cook, which adds a nice starchy element to the soup, but I like for most of the potatoes to maintain their shape, so I’m careful not to mix too vigorously before serving.
• Spice things up: This soup is great as-is, but if you want to add even more flavor, there are some herbs and spices that work especially well. A teaspoon of any or all of these will take this dish up a notch: Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, or dried oregano. You can also swap in hot Italian sausage for the mild if you like things spicier.

How to Make This Soup on the Stovetop

To make this soup on the stovetop, cook and drain the sausage as instructed in step 1, then add the sausage, bag of frozen potatoes, and chicken broth to a large stockpot. Cook on medium until the soup starts to simmer. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes start to soften, about 10 minutes. Lastly, reduce the heat to low and stir in the kale and heavy cream. Once the kale is tender, about 10 minutes, remove from the heat and serve.

Serving Suggestions

This soup is extra delicious with toppings like grated parmesan cheese, chopped fresh basil, or crushed red pepper flakes. I always serve it with a side of crusty bread, or it’s also really delicious paired with a tasty grilled cheese sandwich.

Put Your Slow Cooker to Work

• Slow Cooker Butternut Squash and Sausage Soup
• Mississippi Chicken
• Slow Cooker Cider Pulled Pork
• Slow Cooker Meatballs in Tomato Sauce