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.

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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
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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.
MaitePons
SO yummy and easy to make! I feel the lemon and parmesan added a lot to the flavor. My father in law had three servings so I’m sure i’ll be making this again – at least when he’s over for lunch!
Jill
This soup was delicious. WhenI make it again, I will allow the vegetables (especially carrots) simmer in the liquid until tender before adding the beans. A definite keeper!
Dawn
I made this tonight, everyone loved it! I didn’t have fresh thyme (quarantine) so I used dried thyme. We also put noodles and spinach in our bowls and paddles the soup over it. So good.
Terri
Delicious!!! I made my beans but otherwise followed the recipe. Simply marvelous! I made cornbread to go with, and a tossed green salad. Lovely fall meal. Thank you!
Pamela
We love love love this sausage and bean soup. It is so hearty and flavorful! I made it exactly as written the first time and it was really good. The beans broke apart and disappeared though, so the second time I made it I didn’t add them until the last 5 minutes of simmering. I liked it much better that way. I also added a handful of frozen chopped spinach for nutrition and a heaping tablespoonful of sun-dried tomato pesto to bump up the flavor even more. I used sliced Italian chicken sausages instead of ground sausage; I think you can use any kind of sausage in this soup and get great results. Thanks for the recipe … it’s a keeper!
Jill
Delicious! I followed the recipe making this in the morning for our evening meal, allowing the flavors to meld. I waited until the reheating t9 add the beans. My hubby said ‘it’s a keeper!” Thanks for sharing your recipe!..
Laura
Bold and flavorful!
Alana
I am in love with this recipe! I made it for my family last night and it was a huge hit all around. I’m hoping to make it for my sister and her family but she’s a vegetarian. Any recommendations for a good fake meat brand? Thanks!
Danielle
Hi Alana – I’m sorry I missed your question! I have had good luck using the “beyond meat” products! I haven’t tried their sausages, but the ground beef products are pretty good. Probably worth a try!
Becky weatherly
This was so easy! I already had everything! So flavorful even on a summer day it was fabulous! Thx!
Danielle
So happy to hear you enjoyed it – thanks Becky!
V. Breshears
A wonderful different hearty soup for a chilly night!
Keri
Can this be frozen after cooked?
Danielle
Yes!
Bob C
WOW! Quick, easy and delicious.
Drake Chef
Soooooooo many god-damned advertisements popping up all over the place that I couldn’t concentrate or even see the recipe! I will never visit this site again. Probably tastes like shit based on the experience!!!