Description
A hearty and comforting Sausage White Bean Soup featuring spicy Italian sausage, tender cannellini beans, fresh vegetables, and a touch of cream. This one-pot meal is perfect for chilly nights and offers a rich, flavorful broth with a creamy texture and a balance of savory and spicy notes.
Ingredients
Scale
Meats
- 19 oz spicy (hot) crumbled Italian sausage
Vegetables and Herbs
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 medium carrots (sliced)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (no sprigs, just leaves)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or Herbs from Provence)
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
- 5 oz fresh spinach
Pantry
- 15 oz cannellini beans (canned, rinsed and drained)
- 4 cups chicken stock
- ½ cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Cook Sausage and Aromatics: In a large saucepan, add crumbled Italian sausage, chopped onion, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, fresh thyme leaves, and red pepper flakes. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly to break up the sausage, until the onion softens and begins to lightly brown.
- Add Vegetables and Beans: Stir in sliced carrots and half of the rinsed and drained cannellini beans into the sausage mixture.
- Add Stock and Simmer: Pour in 4 cups of chicken stock, stir well, cover with a lid, and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a visible simmer and cook for 20 minutes until the carrots are tender.
- Add Spinach and Remaining Beans: Add the fresh spinach and the remaining half of the white beans to the pot. Cover and let the spinach wilt on low heat while stirring occasionally.
- Optional: Blend or Mash Beans: For a thicker texture, transfer the remaining beans with some soup liquid (without sausage) to a blender and puree. Alternatively, mash the beans in a bowl with a fork for a chunkier texture. Then add the blended or mashed beans back to the pot with the spinach and cover to let spinach wilt.
- Finish Soup: Remove the soup from heat once the spinach is wilted, then stir in the heavy cream. Adjust consistency by adding more chicken stock or cream as desired. Season with salt, pepper, and additional red pepper flakes if preferred.
- Serve: Garnish with fresh thyme leaves and serve warm for a comforting meal.
Notes
- This soup is ideal for cozy, chilly nights as a filling and warming meal.
- It stores well in both the fridge and freezer for convenient make-ahead meals.
- For a richer soup, use 1 cup of heavy cream instead of ½ cup.
- You can customize the texture by blending or mashing the beans according to preference.
- Make sure to rinse and drain canned beans to remove excess sodium.
- One-pot cooking makes for easy cleanup.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 787 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 1703 mg
- Fat: 57 g
- Saturated Fat: 23 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 31 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 145 mg
