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3.9 from 213 votes

Italian Sausage and Bean Soup

Italian Sausage and Bean Soup is a classic Mediterranean soup that's a meal in itself.

Prep Time
20 mins
Resting time
30 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 346 kcal
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 1 pound sweet Italian sausage meat
  • olive oil optional
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 2 carrots peeled and sliced
  • 2 stalks celery diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 15 ounce can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 3 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 32 ounce carton of chicken broth or stock
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
  • 15 ounce can white beans
  • 3 cups of fresh baby spinach leaves more to taste
  • 1 cup cooked mini pasta any shape
  • grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Brown the sausage in a large soup pot. You can add a touch of olive oil first if you like, I don't find it's necessary. Break apart the sausage into small bits as it cooks, and let it cook until nice and browned. Remove the sausage to a paper towel lined plate, but leave the fat behind in the pan.
  2. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the pan and sauté for about 5-10 minutes, stirring often, just until they start to soften. Return the sausage to to the pot with the tomatoes, paste, and broth. Season with the Italian seasoning, bay leaves, and a good grinding of black pepper. Hold off on the salting to taste until the end.
  3. At this point I bring the soup up to a boil, then I turn the heat off and cover. I let it sit for about 30 minutes. I love this technique because the flavor get a chance to develop but the veggies don't get boiled to death.
  4. When you're ready to eat, add the beans, and greens, and bring back up to a simmer. Taste to add salt, or any extra pepper. The trick with the pasta is to add it individually to each serving, you can put a little at the bottom of each bowl as you ladle out the soup. This is important because if you mix pasta into soup it will eventually soak up all the broth.
  5. Serve this soup with a generous amount of grated Parmesan.

Notes

  •  
  • Feel free to leave out the pasta for a lower calorie/carb soup.
  • Use turkey sausage for lower fat.
  • Kale can be substituted for the spinach.
  • This soup can be made with a light chicken broth or stock base, just omit the tomatoes and tomato paste. Add about 2 cups more broth or stock.
  • To control sodium in this soup look for low sodium broth and beans and omit the Parmesan, opt for shredded Swiss or mozzarella instead.

Nutrition Information

Calories 346kcal (17%) Carbohydrates 33.18g (11%) Protein 18.53g (37%) Fat 16.08g (25%) Saturated Fat 4.83g (24%) Sodium 793.46mg (33%) Fiber 5.55g (22%) Sugar 6.39g (13%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 346

% Daily Value*

Calories 346kcal 17%
Carbohydrates 33.18g 11%
Protein 18.53g 37%
Fat 16.08g 25%
Saturated Fat 4.83g 24%
Sodium 793.46mg 33%
Fiber 5.55g 22%
Sugar 6.39g 13%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.