This easy dairy-free Sausage and Pepper Soup is a hearty one-pot meal packed with smoky sausage, tender potatoes, and colorful vegetables. Healthy and filling, this sausage and vegetable soup makes a cozy weeknight dinner or satisfying winter recipe the whole family will love.
Why I Love This
- One-pot Dinner: This easy one-pot soup comes together with just a knife, cutting board, and a single pot. Quick to make yet full of flavor, it's hearty, cozy, and satisfying.
- Sweet and Smoky: Frying the sausage first adds warm, savory flavor to the soup that blends beautifully with the sweet peppers and corn.
- Winter Weeknights: This hearty Sausage and Pepper Soup is an easy, one-pot meal perfect for busy weeknights in the fall or cozy winter weekends. Filling, flavorful, and comforting, it's the ideal soup for the cooler months.
This soup pairs exceptionally well with my quick, one bowl Cheddar Cheese Chive Biscuits. Or, if you have a little more time try this mouth watering Rosemary Garlic Loaf that whips up in as little as 2 hours.
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Ingredients
- Farmer Sausage (or smoked sausage) - Farmer sausage is an uncooked, all-pork sausage often seasoned with garlic, salt, pepper, and sometimes smoked. If you can't find it, any smoked sausage works beautifully.
- Onion - yellow onion is what I typically use but you can use whatever type is your preference.
- Celery - adds flavor and a nice texture to the soup.
- Garlic - both minced or fresh cloves work beautifully. If using fresh cloves either use a garlic press or mince it very fine.
- Carrots - bring a beautiful color to the soup as well as wonderful crunch and touch of sweetness.
- Potatoes - I love to use baby potatoes as they have great flavor and are so tender but Yukon gold potatoes or red potatoes can work too. It's individual preference if you peel them or not.
- Chicken Stock - this is the base of the soup and cooks the veggies down to be perfectly tender. Chicken broth works fine too.
- Bell pepper - any color works fine but I like red the best both for flavor and color.
- Corn - canned corn is the sweetest and most tender corn and thus is what I use here, but you can use frozen corn if that's what you have on hand.
- Soy Sauce - gives depth and grounds the flavors of the soup.
- Hot sauce - just enough is used to add a touch of heat without anyone ever knowing it's in there. My 2 and 4 year old never noticed!
- Seasonings - bay leaves, dill (preferably fresh), basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, mustard powder and pepper. It seems a lot but I promise it's amazing!
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Step 1: In a large pot over medium heat, brown the sliced sausage, adding a splash of water if it sticks. After 3-5 minutes, once the sausage is partially cooked, add the onions, garlic, celery, and carrots. Cook another 5 minutes, until the onions are tender and translucent.
Step 2: Add the potatoes and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, soy sauce, hot sauce, bay leaves, dill and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add the bell pepper and corn, and simmer an additional 10 minutes, or until the carrots and potatoes are tender.
Step 4: Serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley.
Hint: If using pre-cooked sausage, avoid overcooking-sauté it for just 2-3 minutes before adding the onions and celery, as it will continue to cook with the other ingredients.
Substitutions
- Soy Sauce - you can use a gluten free soy sauce or coconut aminos work wonderfully as well.
- Lean Sausage - if you do not like pork or would like a leaner option, try using a chicken or turkey smoked sausage. If you find the soup lacking flavor, add a little liquid smoke.
- Vegetarian - this soup has so many wonderful vegetables and spices that it would be delicious without any meat and still incredibly hearty.
Variations
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the soup. A quarter teaspoon will go a long way.
- More Veggies! - try adding a handful of kale or spinach, or for a more traditional flavor, stir in a can of diced tomatoes.
- Creamy - for a creamy version substitute one cup of chicken broth for heavy cream. If you find it lacking flavor add ½-1 teaspoon chicken soup base.
For another cozy meal try this rich and creamy Homemade Alfredo Sauce with Cream Cheese recipe or try the Spicy Alfredo Sauce for a warmer kick!
Equipment
I love using a sturdy cast iron pot for this Sausage and Pepper Soup. It distributes heat evenly and cooks the ingredients gently without burning. LeCreuset offers beautiful enameled pots that work wonderfully, but there are many other brands to choose from as well.
Storage
The first few days: Store the Sausage and Pepper Soup covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing: You can freeze this soup in an airtight container or freezer bag (it's helpful to double the bags to avoid leakage) for up to 3 months.
Reheating: To thaw the soup you can leave it in the fridge for 24 hours or in a cold water bath. For an even faster method, try using the defrost setting on your microwave, ensuring the soup is in a microwave safe dish first.
To warm the soup you can either reheat individual portions in the microwave or you can place the pot back on the stove and slowly reheat the entire pot.
Top Tip
Make this Sausage and Pepper Soup your own! It is truly so versatile and lends itself to being spicy, hearty, creamy, vegetable heaven and any combination there of! See my variations and substitution suggestions above for some great ideas!
FAQ
Yes! Just sauté pre-cooked sausage for 2-3 minutes before adding the vegetables so it doesn't overcook-it will continue to heat through as the soup simmers.
Absolutely. This soup stores well in the fridge for 3-4 days and the flavors deepen as it sits. Simply reheat on the stove top or in the microwave.
This recipe is naturally dairy-free. To keep it gluten-free, just double-check your sausage, broth, and soy sauce labels.
Farmer sausage, smoked sausage, or even Italian sausage all work well. Choose your favorite based on the flavor you want.
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Sausage and Pepper Soup
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 1 pot (~ 8 Servings) 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This easy dairy-free Sausage and Pepper Soup is a hearty one-pot meal packed with smoky sausage, tender potatoes, and colorful vegetables. Healthy and filling, this sausage and vegetable soup makes a cozy weeknight dinner or satisfying winter recipe the whole family will love.
Ingredients
1 pound farmer or smoked sausage sliced
1 onion (~170 grams) diced
2 cloves garlic minced
3 celery sticks (~20 grams) diced
3 carrots (~215 grams) finely sliced
2 cups potatoes (~340 grams) diced quite small
4 cups (32 ounces) chicken stock/broth
1 red bell pepper (~185 grams) diced large
1-15 ounce can of corn drained
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 tablespoon fresh dill finely chopped
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon basil
½ teaspoon each parsley, oregano, mustard powder
¼ teaspoon each thyme, pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, brown the sliced sausage, adding a splash of water if it sticks. After 3-5 minutes*, once the sausage is partially cooked, add the onions, garlic, celery, and carrots. Cook another 5 minutes, until the onions are tender and translucent.
- Add the potatoes and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, soy sauce, hot sauce, bay leaves, dill and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the bell pepper and corn, and simmer an additional 10 minutes, or until the carrots and potatoes are tender.
- Serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley.
*All nutritional information is an estimation only. Exact nutritional value depends on exact amounts and ingredients used.
Notes
Potatoes - dice the potatoes quite small so that they cook at a more even pace with the rest of the vegetables. This helps avoid soggy peppers etc.
1. If you are using pre-cooked sausage, only saute it about 2-3 minutes to avoid overcooking as it will continue to cook as you saute the vegetables and simmer the soup.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Jenice Wallace says
I am in love with this soup! I lean towards creamy soups but this one is delicious, hearty and filling while being completely dairy free! The vegetables paired with the smoky sausage is so delicious and it comes together quickly! Perfect for those cool fall days.