Creamy Italian Sausage and Pasta Soup

This Creamy Italian Sausage and Pasta Soup is loaded with Italian sausage, macaroni, basil, tomatoes, cheese and more. So hearty and delicious!

There are affiliate links in this post – please read my full disclosure policy.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

I absolutely love soups! And this soup recipe is one of my favorites.

It’s ridiculously tasty- so much so that my husband says it reminds him of something you’d eat at a restaurant! I don’t disagree.

Why We Love This Italian Sausage Soup Recipe

• Hearty. The combination of the veggies, sausage, and pasta makes for a filling lunch or dinner.
• Easy and Cheap to Make. Made with simple, inexpensive ingredients, most of which you probably already have on hand.
• Full of Flavor. The variety of seasonings combined with the sausage make this so delicious! It’s a recipe that I never hesitate serving to guests because of how amazing it tastes.
• Serve Year Round. Italian soup isn’t just for the cooler months, it’s great any time!
• Makes A Lot. Perfect when serving a crowd, or if you want want to just cook once and then have leftovers to enjoy later in the week.

Creamy Italian Sausage Soup Ingredients

• Mild Italian Sausage.
• Macaroni Pasta.
• Butter. You can go with salt or unsalted.
• Onion.
• Carrots.
• Garlic cloves. Mince your own, or use the store-bought jarred version.
• Flour. Any flour will work just fine.
• Chicken broth. You can substitute with vegetable broth if you prefer.
• Diced tomatoes. Be sure to not drain, this adds more flavor to the soup.
• Sugar.
• Chicken bouillon.
• Parsley, Oregano, Cumin, Salt, Black Pepper, Red Pepper, Basil.
• Milk. Full fat will make this the creamiest, but 1% or 2% will be okay to use too.
• Parmesan cheese. Jarred Parmesan is fine!
• Mozzarella cheese. Freshly grated will melt the nicest, but pre-shredded mozzarella can work too.

How to Make Pasta Soup with Italian Sausage

STEP 1: Cook the noodles until they are al dente in 2 quarts of boiling water and a teaspoon of salt. Drain and set aside.

STEP 2: Slice the sausage into bite-sized pieces and brown it in a large stockpot. Once it’s done, drain and transfer to a plate.

STEP 3: Melt the butter in the soup pot and add the onions, carrots, and minced garlic. Cook for 5 minutes or until the veggies have softened, stirring often.

STEP 4: Sprinkle in the flour while stirring for 3 minutes. Gradually pour in the chicken broth, followed by the tomatoes, sugar, and seasonings.

STEP 5: Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

STEP 6: Stir in the parmesan cheese until it’s smooth and creamy. Then add the milk, sausage, and pasta. Stir once more and continue heating until it’s warmed completely.

STEP 7: Serve in your favorite soup bowl topped with grated mozzarella!

FAQ & Expert Tips

Slicing Sausage. I love using kitchen shears when cutting up sausage and other meats. It makes it so easy!

Substituting Dried Basil. If you don’t have fresh basil leaves, you can swap them for up to 1 1/2 tablespoons of dried basil.

Storing. Place the soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This soup does not freeze well due to the pasta.

What is closest to Italian sausage? If you didn’t have Italian sausage but still wanted to make this pasta soup recipe, you could use ground pork sausage or even beef sausage. It wouldn’t have the same flavor but you could doctor it up with a few spices.

Can I use brats instead of Italian sausage? The Italian sausage really adds to the flavor of this soup. I don’t think it would be awful to use brats, but I also don’t think it will be nearly as flavorful and delicious.

More Easy Soup Recipes You’ll Love

• Curry Chicken and Rice Soup
• Easy Vegetable Beef Soup
• Cream Cheese Potato Soup with Ham
• Easy Tomato Basil Soup (Crockpot or Stovetop)

Print Recipe

4.79 from 14 votes

Creamy Italian Sausage Soup with Pasta

This Creamy Italian Sausage and Pasta Soup is loaded with Italian sausage, macaroni, basil, tomatoes, cheese and more. So hearty and delicious!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: 8 people

Author: Lydia @ ThriftyFrugalMom.com

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 19 oz. mild Italian sausage
• 2 cups macaroni, uncooked
• 5  tbsp. butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cups diced carrots
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cups flour
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes- do not drain
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. chicken bouillon
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• ½ tsp. dried oregano
• ½ tsp. cumin
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper
• ¼ cup loosely packed fresh basil, chopped (see Notes below)
• 2 cups milk
• ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese (jarred Parmesan is fine!)
• mozzarella cheese (fresh grated is best)

Instructions

• Cook pasta in 2 qts. water and 1 tsp. salt until al dente. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, cut sausage into bite sized pieces. (I love using kitchen sheers to make this super easy). Brown the sausage in a large soup pot until cooked through. Drain, then remove to a plate.  
• Melt butter in soup pot; add onions, carrots, and garlic cloves and cook for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are slightly soft, stirring frequently.
• Sprinkle in flour and cook, while stirring, for 3 minutes. Gradually add chicken broth, followed by tomatoes, sugar, and all the herbs and seasonings.  
• Reduce heat and gently simmer for about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
• Stir in Parmesan cheese until smooth, then add the milk, cooked sausage and cooked pasta. Stir well and heat through.
• Garnish individual servings with grated mozzarella cheese.

Notes

If you don’t have fresh basil, you can substitute dried basil.  The rule of thumb seems to be that when using dried herbs instead of fresh, you use 1/3 the amount.  Which would mean you’d need to add about 1 ½ tbsp. of dried basil.  That seems like kind of a lot though, so you could always start with less and then add more to taste.