Creamy Italian Sausage Soup

Ingredients

• 16 ounces Italian sausage
• 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
• 1/2 medium onion (chopped small)
• 2 sticks celery (chopped small)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 pound Russet potatoes (peeled & diced small)
• Salt & pepper (to taste)

Instructions

1. 1

   Add the sausage meat to a soup pot. Over medium-high heat, cook until browned (about 10 minutes), and break it up with your spoon as it cooks. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Leave the fat in the pot, but if it's more than about a tablespoon, drain some of it out.

2. 2

   Add the butter to the pot and once it's melted, add the onions and celery and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

3. 3

   Stir in the garlic and flour. Cook for about 2 minutes, breaking it up with your spoon/stirring it as you go along. This step cooks the raw flour flavor out.

4. 4

   Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until all the flour has dissolved and there's no lumps.

5. 5

   Stir in the half-and-half, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, potatoes, and add the sausage meat back to the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat so it's bubbling but not boiling like crazy (medium-low heat works with my cast iron pot and gas stove). Cover the pot with the lid slightly open.

6. 6

   Let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the soup has thickened up to your liking. I like to stir it a few times to ensure nothing is sticking and that the stove's temperature is still correct.

7. 7

   Season with salt & pepper if needed.