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This Sausage White Bean Soup is a cozy, creamy one-pot dinner packed with Italian sausage, cannellini beans, carrots, and spinach. Ready in just 30 minutes, it's perfect for busy weeknights and making ahead since it stores well in the fridge or freezer. Make it on the stovetop, in an Instant Pot, or in a Slow Cooker.
Why this recipe works
- Balanced and nutritious meal. This recipe is packed with protein from sausage and white beans, plus fiber-rich veggies like spinach, carrots, onions, and garlic. It's comforting, gluten-free, and can be easily made dairy-free (just use unsweetened coconut milk instead of cream).
- Minimal cleanup. Everything cooks in one pot, making cleanup simple.
- Great for meal prep. The sausage white bean soup stays fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days or can be frozen (within the first 2 days of making) for up to 2 months.
- Quick and easy. It's only 15 minutes of prep plus idle time while you let the soup simmer!
Notes about the ingredients and substitutions
- Sausage. I went with crumbled spicy Italian sausage for a little kick, but sweet or mild is great, too.
- White Beans. Canned Cannellini beans were my choice, but feel free to swap them out for navy beans, great northern beans, or any other cooked white bean (canned) you prefer.
- Spinach. I used fresh but you can also use thawed and drained frozen spinach, or even kale as a substitute.
- Carrots. I added 2 medium sliced carrots for extra texture and sweetness.
- Seasonings. The flavor comes from a mix of paprika, Italian seasoning, fresh thyme, minced garlic, salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, of course, even though the soup might not need it because of the saltiness that the Italian sausage brings.
- Cream. Just ½ cup of heavy cream adds richness. Use unsweetened coconut cream for a dairy-free option.
- Broth. Chicken broth gives the soup its base, but vegetable broth is a great alternative.
- Onion & Garlic. Both add so much flavor and are some of my favorite ingredients!
How to make sausage white bean soup
➡️ Please note that this is a quick overview of the recipe instructions, accompanied by helpful step-by-step photos. The full recipe with ingredient amounts can be found at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.⬇️⬇️
- In a large saucepan, combine 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, until the onion softens and lightly browns.
- Stir in chopped carrots and half of the drained and rinsed white beans.
- Then add the chicken stock/broth.
- Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the carrots are tender.
- Add the remaining rinsed white beans and fresh spinach to the pot, cover, and let the spinach wilt on low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Once wilted, remove from heat and stir in the heavy cream.
- Adjust the consistency with more chicken stock or cream as needed. Season with salt, pepper, and extra red pepper flakes if desired.
Variations
- Greens. Swap spinach for kale or Swiss chard to add heartiness or earthiness.
- White Beans. Use cannellini, navy, or great northern beans for mild flavor and creaminess.
- Sausage. Choose spicy, sweet, or mild Italian sausage, or try regular/spicy pork sausage (such as Jimmy Dean's brand).
- Carrot Substitutes. Use diced sweet potatoes, parsnips, or butternut squash for added sweetness.
- Lighten it up. Use half-and-half instead of heavy cream.
- Make it Dairy-Free. Replace heavy cream with unsweetened coconut milk, almond milk, or cashew milk.
- Extra Veggies. Add green beans, asparagus, or potatoes to bulk up the soup.
What to serve with it
- Bread. Pair the sausage white bean soup with a slice of garlic bread, olive loaf, or Italian bread. You can warm the bread in the toaster, oven, or even microwave. Breadsticks are another great option. Feeling adventurous? Try making your own loaf with this easy bread machine recipe!
- Salad. A simple fresh salad also complements it perfectly. Try an easy-to-make salad like this arugula salad with lemon zest and balsamic dressing or a simple spinach salad with pine nuts and Parmesan.
Storage and Reheating Tips
- Refrigerate. Store any leftover sausage white bean soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheat on the stovetop. To reheat, warm the soup in a large enough pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. If you want it creamier, add a splash of milk or heavy cream. If it's too thick, just thin it out with some extra chicken or vegetable broth, stock, or even water.
Other sausage soup recipes
- Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup
- Italian Sausage Orzo Soup with Mushrooms and Spinach
- Butternut Squash and Sausage Soup with Spinach and Orzo
Other cozy soups to try
- Chicken Spinach Bean Soup
- Thai-inspired Red Curry Chicken Noodle Soup
- Vegetable Beef Soup
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup with Mushrooms
Sausage White Bean Soup
This Sausage White Bean Soup is cozy, creamy, and packed with Italian sausage, cannellini beans, carrots, and spinach. Everything cooks in one pot (cleanup is a breeze!). It stores well in the fridge or freezer (making it a great make-ahead option for busy weeknights!). Make it on the stovetop, in an Instant Pot, or in a Slow Cooker.
Ingredients
- 19 oz spicy (hot) crumbled Italian sausage
- 1 small onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or Herbs from Provence
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme no sprigs, just leaves
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes to taste
- 2 medium carrots sliced
- 15 oz cannellini beans canned, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 5 oz fresh spinach
- ½ cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, add crumbled Italian sausage, chopped onion, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, a generous amount of fresh thyme leaves (no sprigs), and red pepper flakes.
- Cook on medium heat, stirring regularly to break up the sausage, for about 5 minutes, until the onion softens and starts to lightly brown.
- Stir in chopped carrots and half of the white beans (rinsed and drained).
- Pour in 4 cups of chicken stock, stir well, cover with a lid, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce to a visible simmer and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes until the carrots are tender.
- Add spinach and the remaining half of the white beans (rinsed and drained) to the pot. Cover with the lid and let the spinach wilt on low heat, stirring occasionally. OPTIONAL: If you prefer a thicker soup texture, transfer the remaining half of the white beans with a ladle of the soup liquid (minus the sausage) in a regular blender and blend it there. Alternatively, for a chunkier texture, transfer the second half of the beans and a ladle of soup (with no sausage) to a medium bowl and mash them with a fork.Then, add blended beans back into the cooking pot, together with fresh spinach, cover with the lid, and let the spinach wilt on low heat.
- Once the spinach has wilted, remove the soup from heat and stir in the heavy cream.
- Adjust the consistency by adding more chicken stock (or water) if the soup is too dense, or more cream for extra creaminess.
- Season with salt, pepper, and additional red pepper flakes if desired. Top with fresh thyme before serving. Enjoy!
- Tip: For a thicker soup, use 1 cup of heavy cream instead of ½ cup. OPTIONAL: Another method would be to transfer the second half of the white beans with a ladle of the soup liquid (minus the sausage) in a regular blender and blend it there. Alternatively, for a chunkier texture, transfer the second half of the beans and a ladle of soup (with no sausage) to a medium bowl and mash them with a fork.
Notes
- I prefer hot Italian sausage because it infuses the soup with incredible flavor. Its spiciness mellows out in the broth, so you don't end up with an overly spicy soup. If you use mild sausage, I recommend adding regular paprika, smoked paprika, or mild chili powder to enhance the flavor.
- Storage: This soup keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days and freezes beautifully for up to 2 months, making it a great option for make-ahead meals.
- Serve with bread: a slice of crusty bread, breadsticks, or homemade bread.
How To Make Sausage White Bean Soup in a Slow Cooker
- Brown in a skillet first: Brown the sausage, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, thyme, and red pepper flakes in a skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- Transfer to the slow cooker and add the carrots, half of the cannellini beans, and the chicken stock.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours, until the carrots are tender.
- OPTIONAL: If you prefer a thicker soup texture, transfer the remaining (reserved) half of the white beans with a ladle of the soup liquid (minus the sausage) in a regular blender and blend it there. Alternatively, for a chunkier texture, transfer the second half of the beans and a ladle of soup (with no sausage) to a medium bowl and mash them with a fork.
- Add the remaining half of white beans (whether whole, mashed, or chunky), spinach, and heavy cream during the last 10-15 minutes of cooking, just until the spinach wilts. Season with salt, pepper, and additional red pepper flakes to taste.
How To Make Sausage White Bean Soup in an Instant Pot
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Add the sausage, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 5 minutes, breaking up the sausage, until the onion softens. Stir in the carrots, half of the cannellini beans, and the chicken stock.
- Lock the lid and cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes, then perform a quick release. Stir in the spinach until wilted.
- OPTIONAL: If you prefer a thicker soup texture, blend the reserved half of the white beans with a ladle of the soup liquid (without the sausage) in a blender until smooth, then stir it back into an instant pot. For a chunkier texture, mash the beans with a fork instead.
- Stir in the remaining whole beans and the heavy cream. Season with salt, pepper, and more red pepper flakes to taste.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information
Sausage White Bean Soup
Amount per Serving
Calories
787
% Daily Value*
Fat
57
g
88
%
Saturated Fat
23
g
144
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
7
g
Monounsaturated Fat
24
g
Cholesterol
145
mg
48
%
Sodium
1703
mg
74
%
Potassium
1036
mg
30
%
Carbohydrates
36
g
12
%
Fiber
8
g
33
%
Sugar
8
g
9
%
Protein
35
g
70
%
Vitamin A
8994
IU
180
%
Vitamin C
20
mg
24
%
Calcium
187
mg
19
%
Iron
6
mg
33
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
If you try (or would like to try) this recipe, don't let it vanish into the culinary black hole-leave a comment and give it a rating! I love hearing from you (not just on Facebook and Pinterest, but right here on my site, too). I always make sure to respond to comments and questions on my site!
Delicious! I substituted chicken for the sausage. I want to make another batch.
Thank you, Tammy, for your review! Glad you loved it! 🙂
I look forward to trying this soup.
Let me know if you give it a go, Sandra!
This soup was easy to make and very delicious. I did not have Italian seasoning so I used dried oregano. I also added two yellow potatoes. I will definitely make this again.
Thank you for your review!! Love that you added dried oregano and yellow potatoes - yum!
So good! Making it twice in once week 🙂 Question: When you freeze do you wait to add spinach until you reheat or can you freeze it with the spinach already added? Thank you!
This was delicious! We loved the spice and enjoyed it with a wheat baguette. Next time I might add 2 cans of beans.
Super yummy soup. Super easy soup. I made this 2 nights ago. Definitely will put in rotation esp for cold nights. Thank you for sharing!
This looks great! I don't have haft cream on hand, but I have full-fat sour cream. What would I need to adjust?
This was unbelievable made it tonight! Loved it
Julia, I made this fabulous soup for my family I’m visiting this Christmas. Everyone loved it!! I doubled the recipe and barely had leftovers. So so good. Thanks so much for all you do to help us all be good cooks!! XXOO
Besides your talent for creating delicious meals, what's your pic trick!?(couldn't get any beans to pose) Just fininished making this amazing soup!! Usually you have to let most any dish sit a day or so to let flavors truly meld but, wow, I don't think we'll be waiting. So delicious out of the gate! I found a recipe for Texas firehouse crackers that would taste amazing sprinkled on top. I will have to try and let you know:-) Thanks for sharing, Julia❣️
Can I use a different kind of bean? Like kidney?
I had some leftover Savory mashed sweet potatoes that I added. It calmed down the spiciness of the sausage. I thought it was an unusual addition but I tested it with a small amount in a bowl of the soup. Wow. Delicious.
I love incorporating sweet potatoes into soups—they're perfect for balancing out the flavors! ❤️
I made this for the first time tonight. It was delicous. We used 4 cups of chicken stock and found it a bit watery - should some of the stock cook down a bit? We added cream but it didn't really thicken it.
Hi Abby! I would double the cream to make it creamier. You can also use an immersion blender to blend some white beans and leave some whole - that will thicken the soup.
I’m making this as I type this and am excited to try it! I’m curious about the notes about using an immersion blender to thicken the soup. At the step it’s mentioned , wouldn’t that mean blending up the sausage too? Blended sausage doesn’t sound very appetizing - am I not understanding when that would be done?
That's a really good point, Allison. I will correct this immediately with the following which would be a much better way to thicken this kind of soup. You don't really have to thicken it, though, it's optional (if you like a thicker texture).
To thicken the soup, the best method would be to transfer the remaining half of the white beans with a ladle of the soup liquid (minus the sausage) in a regular blender and blend it there. Alternatively, for a chunkier texture, transfer the remaining half of the beans and a ladle of soup (with no sausage) to a medium bowl and mash them with a fork.
Thank you, Julia! The soup was so delicious. Great recipe! I actually used butternut squash instead of carrots, it was tasty. Thanks for the recipe!
I love that you used butternut squash here - that's brilliant!
The soup was yummy! My brother receives your emails, and recommended this dish. I did make a few adjustments: I sautéed the meat separately from the onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, thyme, and red pepper flakes, and then added the aforementioned seasonings once the sausage was thoroughly cooked; I added about one tablespoon of EVOO to sauté the meat; and I omitted the spinach, as my brother and I are not fans of cooked greens like spinach. My brother had several bowls, with some left over for his lunch on Monday. We will make this again, and next time, I will add a bit more heavy cream, to thicken the soup a bit more.
A question: Would four cups of chicken stock actually be enough? I may use only four cups the next time, with an additional cup on reserve if needed.
Hi there, Thanks for commenting again—I’ve missed seeing you on my site! 🙂 I’m so glad you both enjoyed the recipe. I’d say 4 cups of chicken stock should do the trick if you prefer your soups on the thicker side. I’m right there with you—I’d much rather have a hearty, less-liquid soup than one that’s too watery!
This is awesome, ready for cooler weather!
It's the perfect Fall soup!