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This sausage stew recipe is hearty, easy to make, and has a tasty mix of vegetables for a flavorful and filling meal! It has only 15 minutes of prep time.
Love stews? Try my Beef Stew or Hamburger Stew.
Why you’ll enjoy it
Sausage stew is one of those cozy recipes that’s not at all hard to make and you can have on the table quickly. It’s one of my go-to meals when I don’t really feel like putting in a ton of effort and is loaded with sausage, beans, and veggies.
This stew makes up to six portions, so it’s wonderful for meal prep for the rest of the week. It also tastes even better the next day or the day after that when the flavors have a chance to meld and become richer! What’s not to love?
Ingredients for it
- Sausage – try Ukrainian smoked sausage or Kielbasa
- Olive oil & butter – for sautéing
- Aromatics – garlic, onions, celery are the building blocks of flavor
- Broth & seasonings – beef broth (or use chicken if preferred) dried Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, paprika
- Veggies – carrots and red bell peppers. Their sweetness fabulously complements the sausage!
- Potatoes & cannellini beans – to make this soup a hearty complete meal
How to make sausage stew
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Begin by sautéing the sliced sausage in a large pot until perfectly browned. Set aside, and then add the butter to the pot and cook the carrots, onions, and celery.
Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, and other seasonings. Then add the broth along with the potatoes, cannellini beans, and red bell pepper. Add the sausage back in and simmer!
Helpful tips
- The liquid will cook down as this stew simmers and the potatoes fall apart and release starch. It doesn’t have as much liquid as a soup, but if you want more of a soupy texture, simply add in some more broth or water if the liquid seems to be getting too low.
- To save some prep time, I will start by prepping the sausage, and then I prep the onion, carrots, and celery while it cooks. I then prep the bell pepper and potatoes while the onion/carrots/celery cook.
Substitutions and variations
- If you want to use regular uncooked Italian sausages (I suggest a sweet Italian variety), take the meat out of its casing and sauté it until browned, then drain excess fat if there’s a lot of it, and proceed with the recipe as indicated.
- This recipe is very flexible! Feel free to throw in additional veggies if you happen to have some in the fridge.
- The beans can be left out if needed or replaced by a different variety of canned beans (red kidney, navy, pinto, etc.).
- I love how Russet potatoes fall apart in this stew, but you could use a different variety such a red potatoes or Yukon Gold (they tend to stay intact more).
- If you want to give this a spicy kick, add in a few dashes of cayenne pepper or use hot paprika.
What to serve with this stew
- It’s a complete meal in itself, but dipping a slice of crusty bread into it is always a good idea.
- If you’re craving a salad, try making a Caesar salad with my famous Homemade Caesar Dressing. Mixed greens with this Olive Garden Salad Dressing would also be the perfect complement.
Leftovers and storage
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days. Reheat on the stove on a low heat for best results.
- You can also freeze this soup in an airtight container for up to 4 months.
Questions about this sausage stew recipe? Talk to me in the comments below!
Sausage Stew
Ingredients
- 1 pound smoked sausage sliced, see note
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 sticks celery chopped
- 3 medium carrots peeled & chopped fairly thin
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 2 Russet potatoes peeled & diced fairly small
- 1 (14 fluid ounce) can white (cannellini) beans drained
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the sausage pieces and olive oil to a pot and sauté over medium-high heat until crispy and nicely browned (about 8-10 minutes), then transfer to a plate.
- Add the butter, onion, celery, and carrots to the pot. Cook until the onions are starting to lightly brown (about 8-10 minutes).
- Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, and paprika. Cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the broth, bell pepper, potatoes, beans, and add the sausage back to the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring it to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to a rapid simmer. Cook, covered (with the lid slightly open), stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fall-apart tender, the carrots have softened, and the flavors have had some time to build. Add more broth or water if it looks like the liquid is getting too low. This isn't meant to have as much liquid as a soup would, but feel free to add more than suggested (I would add 1/2 cup at a time).
Notes
- To save some prep time, I will start by prepping the sausage, and then I prep the onion, carrots, and celery while it cooks. I then prep the bell pepper and potatoes while the onion/carrots/celery cooks.
- What kind of sausage to use? I bought a coil of already cooked Ukrainian sausage. Kielbasa is similar and will work too. You could even used uncooked sausage (like Italian sausage). I’d take it out of the casings and crumble it if going that route.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Absolutely perfect recipe Natasha! I did it in the Instant Pot w/ only a couple of minor changes: Cooked sausage on saute setting (I used mild Italian and left the casing on since I prefer it that way), step 2 and 3 (added bell pepper at this time) were also done on the saute setting and I left the sausage in the pot during that time, turned off saute setting, added everything in step 4 (changed potatoes for butternut squash since I had one I needed to use), sealed and did high pressure for 5 minutes, let rest for 5 minutes then released. It was perfect!!! The butternut squash worked nicely too.
Thank you so much! and love the IP tips!
Came out great. Used andouille and added a couple shakes of cayenne to give it a kick. Pairs great with sourdough.
I’m thrilled you enjoyed it, Isaiah!! Thanks for your review! 😀
I’m always looking for new things to cook and found this on your instagram page. I made it tonight and it was absolutely delicious. My husband loved it too. It’s very hearty with a wonderful flavor. I kept thinking there should be salt added, but I didn’t see it listed in the ingredients. After tasting it, there was no need for any salt or additional spices. Perfect just the way it is! Thank you for this…I’ll definitely be making it again!
I’m so happy it was a hit!! 🙂
So gooood, the broth turned out exactly how I hoped for
Yay!! That’s great!!
Second time that I have made it. I used a chicken sausage each time. The broth is amazing! I love this recipe. There is so much flavor. I will be making this over and over again.
Awesome!! That’s so nice to hear, Sarah! Thanks for coming back to write me a review. 🙂
Made this tonight, an absolute hit with the family! So delicious!!
Fantastic!! 🙂
Really great recipe! I followed it exactly and the flavor was fantastic! My polish sausage package was only 13 oz, not a full pound but that didn’t matter! This was my first salt & lavender recipe and I will be trying more! Thank you!
That’s so great to hear, thank you Cheryl! 🙂
Can this be made in the crockpot?
I think you could. You could either do the browning steps in a skillet and then transfer it to your Crockpot or just add it all in (minus the oil and butter) and it should still be good (may be a touch less flavorful if you don’t do any searing, however).
Oh my goodness. We just made this stew (we added a medium zucchini because it was on its way out and cooked brown rice into our bowls, because it was leftover). My husband had THREE bowls and said this was so good that it needs to be in our monthly rotation!
Oh wow that’s awesome!! I’m so happy to hear that. Really appreciate your review, Mary Ann!
This looks delicious and would be a great break from soups for Midwest winters! Can’t wait to try it! I might throw in some fresh chopped spinach at the end just to ramp up the veggies! Thanks!
Yes! That’s a good idea. I was actually going to do that myself but the spinach I was planning on using wasn’t the freshest lol. Let me know if you try it!