Tuscan White Bean Sausage Soup (Print View)

Hearty Italian soup with sausage, white beans, kale, and potatoes simmered in aromatic chicken broth.

# Components:

→ Meats

01 - 1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed (mild or spicy)

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 large yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 2 cups chopped kale, stems removed
07 - 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
08 - 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained

→ Beans

09 - 2 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

→ Broth & Liquids

10 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

→ Herbs & Seasonings

11 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
12 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
13 - 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
14 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
15 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Finish

16 - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
17 - Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

# Directions:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking it up with a spoon, and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 5-6 minutes. Transfer sausage to a plate, leaving fat in the pot.
02 - Add onion, carrots, and celery to the pot. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Return the sausage to the pot. Add potatoes, cannellini beans, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, oregano, basil, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
04 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
05 - Stir in the kale and simmer uncovered for 5-7 minutes, until the kale is wilted and tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
06 - Serve hot, garnished with freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour, which means weeknight dinners that actually taste like you've been cooking all day.
  • The sausage does the heavy lifting flavor-wise, so there's no fussing with complicated spice blends or techniques.
02 -
  • Don't drain the canned beans and then add them to clear broth without rinsing—the starchy liquid makes the soup cloudy and overly thick.
  • If your potatoes are taking longer than 20 minutes to soften, your heat is too low or they were cut too large; this taught me to prep ingredients uniformly in size.
03 -
  • If you want deeper flavor, add a Parmesan rind to the broth during simmering and fish it out before serving—it dissolves slightly and adds umami you can't quite identify but absolutely taste.
  • For a vegetarian version, quality plant-based sausage and vegetable broth work beautifully, though the flavor profile shifts slightly toward earthier notes.
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