White Bean and Sausage Soup is hearty, creamy, and packed with flavorful veggies, seasoned Italian sausage, and tender white beans.
Top with Parmesan and dip in crusty bread for the ultimate comfort food!
White Bean and Sausage Soup
This Sausage Tortellini Soup and this White Bean Soup are two of my personal favorite recipes and luckily, the entire family loves both. So naturally, a mashup was in order! This white bean and sausage soup is total comfort food.
While there is some dairy in the soup that helps to thicken it, we also thicken it by blending some of the beans. This results in an even thicker and heartier soup—score!
White Bean and Sausage Soup Ingredients
A few ingredients worth going into detail on:
- Chicken Stock: A good stock makes a big difference. I love Swanson® chicken stock for its deep flavor.
- Italian-Style Ground Sausage: Use mild or spicy sausage based on your preference. You can use a 1-pound package or adjust if yours is a different size. If using sausages with casings, remove them before cooking.
- Creamy Base: I use a mix of heavy cream and whole milk for a creamy soup. This combo provides the best balance of richness and creaminess. For an even richer soup, you can use all heavy cream.
Quick Tip
Sausage comes in many styles. For this recipe, I use fresh sausage, not the smoked kind. And while you can choose either hot or mild (also called sweet), don’t pick the sweet type. That’s breakfast sausage and has a different flavor profile. Sausage can come in links or in bulk. This recipe uses bulk sausage, and if you have links, simply open the casing and remove the sausage. Good to go!
White Bean and Sausage Soup Tips
- Sauté the veggies until they’re very soft to avoid crunchy onion and carrot bits in the soup. They won’t soften much during the rest of the cooking, so be thorough at the start.
- Make sure the flour doesn’t stick to the pan by scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon. Flour stuck on the bottom will prevent the soup from thickening properly.
- For extra heat, use spicy Italian sausage or add crushed red pepper flakes to individual bowls.
- Blend carefully. Secure the lid and use the “soup” or “hot” cycle. Increase speed slowly to prevent spills and watch closely. Remove the lid slowly to release steam. If your blender doesn’t have a hot setting, use a towel to cover the lid and hold it down.
- Thin the soup with extra chicken stock if needed.
- Add toppings like freshly grated Parmesan, red pepper flakes, and fresh herbs for extra flavor.
How To Make White Bean and Sausage Soup
- Cook the Sausage: Heat olive oil in a pot. Cook and crumble the sausage until browned. Set aside.
- Sauté Veggies: In the same pot, melt butter. Add onion and carrots, season, and cook until soft. Add garlic, seasoning, and paprika. Stir in flour and cook briefly.
- Add Stock and Beans: Gradually add chicken stock, stirring until thickened. Add beans and bay leaves. Boil, then simmer until beans are tender.
- Blend: Blend a portion of the soup until smooth, then return it to the pot.
- Finish:
- Stir in spinach, sausage, cream, and milk. Simmer until spinach is wilted. Adjust seasoning.
Storage
Reheating Leftovers
Reheating a creamy soup can be tricky; you want to avoid separation and a grainy texture. To reheat, add the leftover White Bean and Sausage Soup to a pot and slowly increase the heat while stirring frequently. Don’t boil the soup or reheat it at a high temperature; this can cause the ingredients to separate or even curdle.
If the soup has thickened too much for your liking, add a splash more of chicken stock to thin it out as it warms through again.
Unfortunately, because of the dairy in this soup, it is not a great candidate for freezing and thawing.
More Soup Recipes
- Corn Chowder with bacon and potatoes
- Cauliflower Soup with lots of veggies
- Potato Soup with bacon and Cheddar
- French Onion Soup with a cheesy crouton topping
- Tomato Basil Soup with roasted tomatoes
White Bean and Sausage Soup
White Bean and Sausage Soup is creamy, hearty, and loaded with tender white beans, savory Italian sausage, and flavorful veggies. It’s the perfect one-pot meal to warm you up on chilly nights!
Equipment
- Large pot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage see note 1
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic 3 to 4 cloves
- Salt and pepper
- 1-1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 4 cups chicken stock I love Swanson’s
- 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach coarsely chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream see note 2
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- Serving suggestions see note 3
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, drizzle in olive oil and add sausage. Cook and crumble sausage until browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked sausage to a paper-towel-lined plate. Dab sausage with another paper towel, tent plate with foil, and set aside. There should be about 2 tablespoons grease left behind; if not, add an additional 2 tablespoons butter or oil. If there is more than 2 tablespoons, drain off the excess.
- Keeping the pot at medium-high heat, add the butter. Once melted, add diced onion and carrots, season with salt and pepper (I add 1/4 teaspoon each.), and sauté, stirring occasionally, 4–6 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, and paprika, then sauté 1 more minute, stirring occasionally. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
- Gradually pour in 1 cup of the chicken stock while mixing constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan to release any browned bits. Stir until thickened and add remaining 3 cups stock gradually while stirring. Add drained and rinsed beans and bay leaves. Bring soup to a boil, then immediately turn heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally or until beans are tender to your liking.
- Remove 2 full cups of the soup and transfer into a blender (see note 4). Blend until completely smooth and pour back into the pot. (Use a spatula to scrape it all back in!) Mix to combine.
- Add coarsely chopped spinach, cooked sausage, heavy cream, and whole milk. Stir and simmer on medium heat, about 3–5 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Remove bay leaves and discard. Taste and adjust seasonings; I typically add another 1/4 teaspoon up to 3/4 teaspoon salt—the flavors should sing!
- Serve immediately with lots of freshly grated Parmesan and a crusty baguette, if desired. Add red pepper flakes to individual bowls for those who would like some more heat!
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Use mild or spicy sausage depending on personal preference. Sausage can come in different-sized packages—as long as you’re in the general ballpark, this recipe will work just fine. I use 1 pound, but if you have a 19 ounce package, throw it all in if you like—you’ll just have a meatier sauce. If using Italian sausages with casings, be sure to remove the casings before cooking.
Note 2: I combine heavy cream and whole milk to create an ultra-creamy and indulgent soup. In testing, this was the favorite combination I found that yielded the perfect heartiness and creaminess with the least amount of calories and fat. When I tested the soup using all milk (no cream), it wasn’t quite creamy/rich enough for my preference. For an even richer soup, feel free to use all heavy whipping cream instead of a combination of the two.
Note 3: Here are a few serving suggestions: fresh thyme or parsley, hearty bread for dunking, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes. Try a few or them all!
Note 4: When blending, make sure to secure the lid on tightly and select the “soup” or “hot” cycle. Heat expands, so increase the speed slowly and watch it carefully to avoid soup exploding out or over. Remove the lid carefully as it will likely release a burst of steam. If your blender doesn’t have a hot/soup setting, you can replace the blender lid with a folded towel and hold it in place with your hands. This will help reduce steam pressure.
Storage: To reheat, add leftovers to a pot and slowly increase the heat while stirring frequently. Don’t boil the soup or reheat it at a high temperature; this can cause the ingredients to separate or even curdle. Because of the dairy in this soup, it is not a great candidate for freezing and thawing.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 643kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 1073mg | Potassium: 1228mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 15429IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 261mg | Iron: 6mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this recipe tonight it was so delicious! I followed the recipe pretty much as is except I used an immersion blender instead of the regular blender. I also added some crushed red pepper for extra spice. My husband loved it too! Will definitely be making again!
Delish! I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks Allison!
I made this soup exactly “as is” the first time aand it was delicious. As I was preparing it the second time a couple of friends showed up unexpectedly and I realized there would not be enough for all of us. I threw in a package of gnocchi and a jar of sun dried tomatoes and a little more salt and voila – dinner. Also delicious. The second time I did not put part in the blender due to the addition of extra solid ingredients.
Delish! I am so happy to hear this! The added gnocchi and sun-dried tomatoes sounds DELICIOUS! Thanks for your comment Judy! 🙂
When do you add the bay leaf?
Sorry Courtney! They go in with the beans! 🙂
As your sister this is one of my all time favorite soups!! So satisfying!
I am thrilled to hear you loved this White Bean and Sausage Soup! Thanks! 🙂
Could I omit the dairy ( milk and cream )? Would it be thick enough just from blending some of the beans?
It won’t be very thick without the dairy, sorry! I think it would still be tasty, but a different soup for sure!