Sausage and White Bean Soup

Sausage and White Bean Soup is an easy and deliciously filling combination of cannellini beans, onions, garlic, roasted tomatoes, kielbasa, and lots of Italian herbs and spices that bring it all together. 

Want more simple, hearty soups? Then check out my popular posts for Italian Minestrone, Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana, Tortellini Soup with Sausage and Spinach, and Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi. 

We’re all still knee-high in soup season over here. How about you? Just when I think spring is right around the corner with some warmer temperatures and little spring flowers already poking their adorable heads out of the ground, we take two steps back into winter. 

Not that I need an excuse to make soup. I feel like any time the temperature dips below 70 degrees, I’m ready to throw on my wool sweaters and cuddle up by the fire with a nice, hot bowl of deliciousness. 

For this andouille sausage soup, I combined several of my favorite things: turkey kielbasa, fire-roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic, cannellini beans, and of course a healthy shot of Italian herbs and spices. Serve with a crusty baguette and you’ve got yourself quite a lovely meal, if I do say so myself! 

WHAT INGREDIENTS DO YOU NEED FOR SAUSAGE AND WHITE BEAN SOUP? 

• Turkey kielbasa sausage
• Yellow onion
• Oil 
• Minced garlic
• Chicken broth
• Diced fire roasted tomatoes
• White cannellini beans
• Dried Italian herb seasoning blend or Herbs de Provence see note for DIY
• Salt and pepper
• Baby spinach
  

HOW DO YOU MAKE SAUSAGE AND WHITE BEAN SOUP?

Making this soup is fairly straightforward and it can be made right on your stovetop. 

Put on a large stockpot over medium heat and add the sausage, onions, and oil. Saute these ingredients together for 4-5 minutes or until the sausage starts to brown. Once browned, add the garlic and stir for another minute, the garlic will start to become fragrant. 

Next, add the chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir to mix ingredients together. Bring the soup up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add a lid to the pot and let it cook for 10 minutes. 

Take the lid off and add in the spinach to put the greens in this healthy sausage soup. Stir for a couple minutes until the spinach wilts. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you prefer. Serve, garnished with grated parmesan and more cracked black pepper if you’re the peppery type! 

HOW DO YOU MAKE SAUSAGE AND WHITE BEAN SOUP IN A SLOW COOKER?

If you want to make this white bean soup with sausage in a slow cooker, that’s no problem. Follow these instructions instead for putting together a winter sausage soup, slow-cooker style. 

1. I suggest you still first cook together the onions, oil, sausage, and garlic in a saute pan till the sausage browns a bit and the onions start to turn translucent. This will help meld the flavors together before it cooks all day and it gives the sausage and onions a better texture. Once you’ve done this, put all of these ingredients into the slow cooker. 
2. Add the cans of white beans, chicken broth, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings to the sausage mixture in the Crock Pot. Stir to combine. 
3. Put the lid on and set the slow cooker to low for 6 hours or to high for 3 hours. 
4. During the last 15 minutes of cooking, stir in the spinach and put the lid back on to let it wilt. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if preferred. 
5. Garnish with grated parmesan and cracked black pepper if you like before serving. 

ARE CANNELLINI BEANS AND WHITE KIDNEY BEANS THE SAME?

Cannellini beans are the same as white kidney beans. Both beans have a signature kidney shape that puts them in the same type as white beans and other beans like navy and great northern. 

HOW CAN I CUSTOMIZE THIS SAUSAGE AND WHITE BEAN SOUP?

Oh guys, one of my favorite things to do with any recipe (besides eating it) is customizing it! That’s how we come up with new recipes most of the time anyway! Here are some of the ways I have or plan on changing up this soup: 

• Change up the greens. Instead of spinach, try kale or Swiss chard or some of all three! 
• Switch up the beans. I prefer to stick with a white bean in this recipe because they are softer and nuttier and seem to pair better in this winter sausage soup. Try white kidney beans, navy, or great northern. 
• Want to make this with a different kind of sausage? No problem. Try chicken kielbasa, or a pork and beef combo. Other kinds of sausage will work here too like Italian sausage (hot or mild).
• If you want to add a bit of pasta to this dish, I suggest using a smaller-sized one like ditalini, orzo, or mini shells. Cook this pasta separately and add to the soup at the end. About one cup should suffice without overwhelming the soup and making it too starchy.