This fast and easy soup recipe is made with flavorful Italian sausage, hearty kale, and creamy white beans.
Soup doesn’t have a season in our household, and I’ll make it at least once a week, all year round. One soup that is on constant rotation is this hearty Italian sausage, kale, and white bean soup. My kids love Italian sausage and white beans, so I almost always have them on hand. We buy bags of kale each week for smoothies so this is a great dish to make when the greens start to get a bit wilted. Plus, it’s healthy, filling, and delicious!
Ingredients
- Italian sausage: I prefer to use turkey sausage, but you can use pork as well. I used sweet Italian sausage for my soup, but you could use mild or spicy links as well.
- Onion: I prefer to use white onions for their mild flavor, but they caramelize and the flavor blends nicely with all the other ingredients.
- Garlic: Earthy, nutty, pungent flavor that I include in almost all of my cooking.
- Chicken stock: A flavorful base for the broth of soups.
- Diced tomatoes: I like to use a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes for an added smoky flavor.
- Cannellini beans: Also known as white kidney beans, they have a slight nutty taste and cook to be creamy in texture.
- Kale: A great leafy green for soups as it doesn’t fall apart when cooked. If you don’t have kale on hand, spinach would work well, too!
How to Make Sausage, Kale, and WHite Bean Soup
Start preparing for your soup by dicing your onion, peeling your garlic, and washing and chopping your kale.
Then in the bottom of a large pot, heat some olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté the onion.
Then using a microplane, freshly grate in your garlic with the onion.
Next add in your Italian sausage and brown it, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. If you like added heat, you could add some red chili flakes here, too.
Pour in your chicken stock and scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot.
Then add in your diced tomatoes.
And the drained and rinsed cannellini beans. Bring to a boil.
Finish with the chopped kale before reducing to a simmer, then let stew for about 20 minutes.
Check for seasoning, and add salt and pepper.
Serve topped with parmesan cheese, and enjoy your Sausage, Kale, and White Bean Soup.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why is Kale good for you?
The nutritional benefits of kale are countless. Kale is high in vitamin C, beta carotene, and lutein. It is considered a powerful antioxidant and is widely believed to have cancer-fighting agents.
Should you add vinegar to bean soup?
While it is popular to add vinegar when cooking dry beans, you don’t need to add any to soup that has beans in it. Unless you want to!
Can you freeze bean soup?
Yes! This soup freezes great. Put it in a freezer-safe resealable bag and it’ll keep for 3 months.
More Soup Recipes
- Lamb and Chickpea Stew with Spinach
- Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Navy Bean and Ham Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup with Hominy
Eat It, Like It, Share It!
Did you try this recipe and like it? The next time you make it, snap a picture and share it to your socials! Tag @thelemonbowl and #thelemonbowl so we can admire and share your soup.
Regardless if it’s a cold winter’s night or summer, this Sausage, Kale, and White Bean Soup is delicious anytime.
Your spoon is waiting.
Sausage, Kale, and White Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 4 links Italian turkey sausage (or pork)
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (grated)
- 8 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
- 15 ounces fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 15 ounces cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
- 4 cups kale (torn)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat and spark with cooking spray. Add diced onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 6-7 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Remove sausage from casings and brown in pan along with the onions, breaking up with wooden spoon or potato masher into bite-sized pieces. Cook until sausage is golden brown, about 8-9 minutes.
- Stir in chicken broth using a wooden spoon to scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add tomatoes and beans then bring pot to a boil. Stir in kale then reduce to low. Simmer for 20 minutes. Check for seasoning before serving,
When do you add beans?
Oops – all fixed! With the tomatoes. :)
I love this soup. I mean I really love this soup. I’m not the greatest cook, don’t always have patience and I don’t like cleaning. This soup accomplished what I need! Something my family will eat that tastes good, isn’t a big clean up and is easy. My family and friends love this soup. I love it. I’m going to try making kale chips with the extra kale I have. Thank you.
Isn’t it just the best?! We make it all the time too Roberta!!