Italian Sausage Soup with White Beans

Italian Sausage Soup is soul food. This one pot meal is ready in less than 45 minutes, but the flavor is so rich you’ll swear it was simmered for hours. It’s a great option for meal prep (it tastes even better the next day!) and freezes like a boss. Naturally gluten free, grain free, and dairy free. 

I often reach for this Italian sausage soup recipe when I have no idea what to cook (or, ahem, failed to plan ahead). I almost always have the basic ingredients on hand, and what I don’t have readily available can be easily substituted by whatever’s in the pantry or the fridge.

This recipe is the perfect place for those odds and ends you have hanging around – a loose leek, a handful of fresh herbs, or bits of root vegetables. It’s a terrific recipe for experimentation, so feel free to get a little wild.

How to Make Italian Sausage Soup

The ingredients might be humble, but don’t be fooled – this sausage soup packs big, bold flavor, and it’s even better the next day. A few key ingredients really amp things up – fire-roasted diced tomatoes, canned white beans with their canning liquid, and a bundle of fresh thyme. Use hot Italian sausage and add a pinch of red pepper flakes to (literally) heat things up.

• Heat a splash of oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking into small pieces using a wooden spoon until no longer pink.
• Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent.
• Add the garlic and italian seasoning; sautee 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Add the white beans with the canning water, along with one can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes, and three cups chicken bone broth or stock. Season with cracked black pepper and red pepper flakes (if using), but hold of on seasoning with salt until the end. Give everything a good stir, then top with a bundle of fresh thyme.
• Simmer, uncovered, 10-15 minutes or until the thyme leaves are falling off the stems and the vegetables are soft. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt if needed.

That spoon right there is seriously bursting with flavor. Cameron loves this soup so much that he’ll eat it all week long for leftovers – and he is so not a leftovers kinda guy.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top generously with fresh chopped parsley.

Make It Your Way

• Use sweet or hot italian sausage based on your preference for spice.
• Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for just a little heat, or to enhance hot italian sausage.
• Turkey sausage can be substituted with excellent results.
• Use whatever vegetables you have for a clean-out-the-fridge produce party. Parsnips, celeriac, and fennel would be great substitutions or additions. Swap out the onions for leeks or shallots.

Tips for Making This Recipe Perfectly

• If you can find ground sausage, terrific! If not, use links – just remove the casings, then crumble into the pot.
• This recipes calls for using canned white beans as well as their canning liquid. The canning liquid is starchy, so it adds some body to the broth. It also tends to be salty, so hold off on seasoning with salt until the very end.
• Use fire-roasted tomatoes for rich, bold flavor. You’ll swear this soup was simmered for ages!
• Layering recipes with both dried and fresh herbs is one of my favorite ways to add depth. Dried italian seasoning and fresh thyme do the trick here, but even just adding chopped parsley at the end will add a fresh touch.

More Recipes Using Italian Sausage

• Caprese Pasta with Italian Sausage
• Sausage and Veggie Stuffed Acorn Squash
• Italian Sausage and Peppers over Creamy Cauliflower Puree
• Sausage and Vegetable Stuffed Mushrooms
• Italian Sausage Zucchini Boats

Did you make this Italian Sausage Soup with White Beans? I’d love to know how it turned out! Leave a comment and a rating below.

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Recipe

Italian Sausage Soup with White Beans

4.74 from 15 votes

Author: Danielle Esposti

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The ingredients might be humble, but don't be fooled – Italian Sausage Soup packs big, bold flavor, and it's even better the next day. A few key ingredients really amp things up – fire-roasted diced tomatoes, canned white beans with their canning liquid, and a bundle of fresh thyme. Use spicy Italian sausage and add a pinch of red pepper flakes to heat things up.

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 40 mins

Servings : 4 servings

Calories: 418

Recommended Equipment

• Dutch Oven

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb sweet or hot italian sausage, if using links, casing removed
• 1 large sweet onion, diced to ½”
• 3 medium carrots, peeled, halved and sliced
• 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp italian seasoning
• 1 14-oz can white beans, with canning liquid
• 1 14.5-oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• ½ tsp cracked black pepper
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes, optional
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• ½ – 1 tsp sea salt, if needed, see notes
• chopped parsley, for garnish

Instructions

• Place a dutch oven over medium high heat; add olive oil and heat until it shimmers. Add the sausage to the pot and break into crumbled with a wooden spoon. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, about 8 minutes.
• Add onion, carrots and celery to the pot. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and the vegetables are soft, 5-6 minutes. Add garlic and italian seasoning and cook 1 minute more, stirring continuously.
• Add the can of white beans (including the canning liquid) along with the diced tomatoes and three cups of broth. Season with cracked black pepper and red pepper flakes (if using), but hold the salt until the end. Stir to combine and top with thyme bundle.
• Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer uncovered 10-15 minutes until the flavors meld. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt or pepper if needed.
• Ladle into soup bowls, garnish with chopped parsley, and serve immediately. Leftovers will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up about a week. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Notes

• Use sweet or hot italian sausage based on your preference for spice. Turkey sausage may be substituted with excellent results. 
• If you can’t find ground sausage, use sausage links – remove the casings, then crumble into the pot. 
• This recipes calls for using canned white beans as well as their canning liquid. The canning liquid is starchy, so it adds some body to the broth. It also tends to be salty, so hold off on seasoning with salt until the very end. 

Nutrition Information

Calories: 418kcal (21%), Carbohydrates: 40g (13%), Protein: 28g (56%), Fat: 17g (26%), Saturated Fat: 5g (25%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 34mg (11%), Sodium: 1519mg (63%), Potassium: 895mg (26%), Fiber: 10g (40%), Sugar: 6g (7%), Vitamin A: 4% (4%), Vitamin C: 7% (7%), Calcium: 13% (13%), Iron: 16% (16%)

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