White Bean and Sausage Soup

This white bean and sausage soup has been a family favorite for many years. It is hearty, flavorful, and packed with protein and veggies. Plus, it is super customizable to your taste and available ingredients.

I love making soups. I love that they are so versatile, so flavorful, so veggie-full. They can be cream-based or broth-based, meaty or vegetarian. Making soups is one of my go-to strategies to help my family eat more vegetables.

Maybe I should write a sonnet to soups… I digress. But knowing how to make good soups is a valuable skill. A few simple tricks can help take a basic soup recipe to the next level.

Simple Tricks to Level-up Your Soups

Make it hearty! Some people love a thin broth, but I prefer my soup to be a meal in itself. Beans, potatoes, squash, and carrots are some of my favorite additions to make a soup more hearty. You can also add cornmeal or a flour roux to thicken up the cooking liquid. And we can’t forget about noodles (although, I have a tendency to add too many noodles and make pasta instead of soup).

Add a splash of vinegar to broth-based soups at the end of cooking. Acidity is one of the most basic flavors that makes food taste good. In fact, Acid is one of the foundations of good cooking according to Samin Nosrat in her cookbook Salt Fat Acid Heat, which I highly recommend. She also has documentary of the same name on Netflix, if that is more your speed.

Stir in a dollop of sour cream to creamy soups. Like vinegar, sour cream is acidic and that will make the flavor profile more complex.

Pre-roast the vegetables to add another depth of flavor in your soup, if you have time. (This is the “Heat” element of Samin’s Fat Salt Acid Heat.)

Cut bite-size pieces. It just makes soup easier to eat.

Variations for White Bean and Sausage Soup

White Beans: I typically use cannellini beans, but navy beans or any other white beans will work. Heck, you don’t even need to use white beans! The sky is the limit, but you may have to call your soup by another name.

Sausage: I typically use a Beef Smoked Sausage round, but ground Italian sausage is a great alternative. You can even omit the sausage altogether for a vegetarian option. Just sauté your veggies in 1-2 Tablespoons of oil and use 2-3 cans of beans.

Broth: I use a combination of water and Better Than Bouillon paste, but any chicken, beef, or veggie broth, stock, or bouillon works.

Italian Seasoning: Italian seasoning is easiest to use, but I typically don’t have Italian seasoning. Instead I use a combination of basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary.

Spinach or Kale: Both are excellent in this soup. I use whichever I have on hand. The leafy greens could also be omitted, but I find that adding them in is an easy way to add more nutrients into your diet (or your family’s!)

How to Make White Bean and Sausage Soup

Brown the sausage

Sauté the vegetables (except your spinach or kale)

Add herbs, broth, and beans

Heat until simmering, then add browned sausage and greens

Finish with a splash of Apple Cider Vinegar

(Soon after taking this picture my toddler decided that she had waited long enough and grabbed the bowl. Unfortunately, it slipped and shattered on the ground, and this bowl of lovely soup never got to be consumed. May you rest in pieces, bowl of soup.)

Enjoy your White Bean and Sausage Soup!

Ingredients for White Bean and Sausage Soup

• 1 sausage ring, sliced into rounds or half circles
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2-3 carrots, chopped
• 1-2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1-3 tsp Italian seasoning (OR 1/2 tsp Basil + 1/4 tsp each: rosemary, thyme and oregano)
• 4 cups chicken broth (OR 4 cups water + 1 Tbsp Better than Bouillon)
• 1 or 2 cans white cannellini beans or navy beans
• 2 cups spinach OR Kale, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions for White Bean and Sausage Soup

1. Sauté the sausage rounds in a large, deep frying pan or soup pot. Remove when browned.
2. Add onions, carrots, and celery to hot pan and sauté in sausage grease until onion is translucent.
3. Add minced garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds more (until the garlic is fragrant.)
4. Add red pepper flakes, herbs, white beans, and broth/ water+bouillon. Bring to simmer.
5. Turn off heat and add browned sausage and spinach/ kale. Stir until wilted.
6. Stir in apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper to your taste preference.
7. Enjoy!

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