Name: Tuscan White Bean Soup with Sausage and Kale
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 8 oz Italian sausage (or 4 pork sausages, casings removed); 1 medium yellow onion (finely diced); 2 large carrots (sliced into rounds); 2 large celery stalks (diced); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning; ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (crushed ); 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 4 cups chicken broth; 30 oz white beans (2 (15 oz) cans white beans (cannellini or Great Northern), drained and rinsed); ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes (finely chopped); 3 cups packed kale (chopped); salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste); flat-leaf parsley (chopped, for garnish); Parmesan cheese (finely grated, for serving)

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This Tuscan white bean soup is a one-pot dinner made with Italian sausage, creamy cannellini beans, sun-dried tomatoes, and kale in a savory tomato-herb broth. No cream, no blender, no long list of ingredients. Only 15 minutes of prep! Make it in the oven, Instant Pot, or slow cooker.

A close-up of Tuscan White Bean Soup in a black pot, filled with white beans, sliced carrots, greens, and crumbled sausage, topped with chopped parsley.

Easy Tuscan White Bean Soup with Italian Sausage and Kale

This is the easiest kind of one-pot soup recipe! Brown the Italian sausage, soften the vegetables, pour in broth, simmer, and that's it! No roux, no blender, and no straining. You'll need a Dutch oven, 15 minutes of prep, and 30 minutes of hands-off cooking. My recipe uses mostly pantry staples, and tastes even better the next day. If you already make my popular Sausage White Bean Soup, think of this as the Tuscan version. Kale instead of spinach, sun-dried tomatoes for tang, and no cream at all.

The beans do most of the work for you. As they simmer, they release starch into the broth, giving it creaminess and body without any cream at all. You get a rich, silky spoonful from a can of beans and a little patience.

A black pot holds a colorful Tuscan White Bean Soup with white beans, chopped carrots, leafy greens, and crumbled sausage, garnished with fresh herbs.

This soup is unbelievably tasty while being remarkably healthy. I didn't feel it needed any cream, but if you prefer a creamier Tuscan White Bean Soup, stir in ½ cup of heavy cream toward the end of cooking.

Just like my other comfort food recipes like Italian Sausage Potato Soup, Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup, and high-protein Lentil Soup, it is a dependable weeknight dinner for chilly months or Sunday meal prep. Serve it with my Italian Garlic Bread and a simple Tomato Cucumber Avocado Salad with Mozzarella and Basil Pesto, and dinner is done!

A bowl of Tuscan White Bean Soup with white beans, kale, carrots, sun-dried tomatoes, and crumbled sausage, garnished with grated cheese and herbs.

Recipe Highlights

Quick and easy: One pot, 15 minutes of prep + 30 minutes hands-off cooking, minimal cleanup
Rich and savory without a drop of cream
Made mostly from pantry staples you probably have right now
Loaded with protein and fiber, it works as a full meal.
It's naturally gluten-free. Easy to make vegetarian or dairy-free.
Freezer-friendly and even better the next day. The beans soften a little more and the broth thickens.
Great for meal prep: The flavors settle and deepen overnight.
Easy to adjust. Make it spicier, make it milder, swap the greens, or leave the meat out entirely.

A ladle scoops up Tuscan White Bean Soup with white beans, carrots, leafy greens, ground meat, and herbs from a pot.

Ingredients You Need

Sausage: I use 4 pork sausages with the casings removed, or 8 oz of bulk Italian sausage. Spicy, sweet, or mild all work. Chicken or turkey sausage is fine too, though you may want a little extra Italian seasoning to make up for it.
Onion, Carrots, and Celery: The classic Italian soffritto. Dice the onion and celery small so they melt into the broth, and slice the carrots into rounds so you get texture in every spoonful.
Garlic: Three cloves, minced. Add more if you love it.
Italian Seasoning and Red Pepper Flakes: Red pepper flakes add warmth, not heat. Start with ½ teaspoon, then add more if your family likes spice.
Tomato Paste: Just 1 tablespoon. This is what gives the broth its color and its savory flavor.
Chicken Broth: Four cups. Use low-sodium.
White Beans: Two 15 oz cans of cannellini or Great Northern, drained and rinsed. Cannellini are creamier. Navy beans work too.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes: I use the ones packed in oil, drained and finely chopped. They are softer and more flavorful than the dry-packed kind. If you use dry-packed, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes first. Sun-dried tomatoes add an intense tomato richness that would take canned tomatoes much longer to achieve.
Kale: Three packed cups, chopped, stems removed. Lacinato kale holds its shape best, but curly kale works well too. This soup works well with either kale or spinach. Kale is the more traditional Tuscan choice, and it holds its structure well. If you prefer spinach, add it during the final minute of cooking, because it wilts almost instantly.
Parmesan: For serving. Grate the Parmesan yourself if you can. It melts into the broth instead of sitting on top.
Parsley: For authenticity, use flat-leaf parsley, the traditional Tuscan choice. Its fresh, grassy flavor balances the rich sausage and beans, while basil is more typical of southern Italian dishes like the tomato-based Italian Pasta e Fagioli Soup or my homemade basil pesto.

A flat lay of Tuscan White Bean Soup ingredients on a wooden table, including carrots, celery, kale, parsley, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes, sausages, white beans, garlic, yellow onion, chicken broth, olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

A bowl of hearty Tuscan White Bean Soup with carrots, greens, white beans, and herbs sits on a rustic wooden table.

Make It Vegetarian

Skip the sausage, use vegetable broth, and add a third can of beans. You can also substitute your favorite plant-based sausage and brown it well. Increase the Italian seasoning to 2 teaspoons, add a pinch of smoked paprika, and add ½ teaspoon of fennel seeds to mimic the savory flavor of traditional sausage. Another flavor booster would be to stir in a Parmesan rind while the soup simmers, then fish it out before serving.

A bowl of hearty Tuscan White Bean Soup with white beans, carrots, kale, tomatoes, crumbled sausage, and fresh herbs in a rich broth, viewed from above.

My Success Tips

I mash some of the beans if I want a thicker soup. Press about half a cup against the side of the pot with a spoon, then stir. It thickens everything without any flour or cornstarch.
You should taste before you salt. Sausage, broth, sun-dried tomatoes, and Parmesan all add sodium. I wait until the very end to season.
Add a squeeze of lemon if the soup tastes flat.
Use a Parmesan rind if you have one. Drop it in with the broth and let it simmer with the soup, then fish it out before serving. It adds a savory, nutty flavor that is hard to name but easy to miss once you know it.

A pot of hearty Tuscan White Bean Soup with sliced carrots, beans, kale, and other vegetables, topped with crumbled browned sausage, on a wooden surface.

Serving Ideas

A pot of Tuscan White Bean Soup with beans, carrots, greens, and sausage on a wooden table.

More Soup Recipes

Make my Tuscan White Bean Soup once, and it might earn a permanent spot in your cold-weather rotation. If you love this style of Italian soup with beans and greens, my Pasta e Fagioli and Minestrone Soup are waiting for you next. Enjoy, friends! And please, don't forget to say hi in the comments, leave a review, or share constructive feedback/criticism. Julia.

A pot of hearty vegetable stew with carrots, white beans, greens, and chopped herbs in a rich broth, sitting on a rustic wooden table.

5 from 1 vote

Tuscan White Bean Soup with Sausage and Kale

This Tuscan White Bean Soup is a hearty one-pot dinner made with Italian sausage, creamy cannellini beans, sun-dried tomatoes, and kale in a tomato-herb broth. It is filling, protein-packed, and ready in 45 minutes, which makes it perfect for cold-weather weeknights, meal prep, and casual dinners with friends. Make it in the oven, in an Instant Pot, or in a slow cooker.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Italian

Servings

Calories per serving 429 kcal

Author: Julia

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
8 oz Italian sausage or 4 pork sausages, casings removed
1 medium yellow onion finely diced
2 large carrots sliced into rounds
2 large celery stalks diced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes crushed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cups chicken broth
30 oz white beans 2 (15 oz) cans white beans (cannellini or Great Northern), drained and rinsed
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes finely chopped
3 cups packed kale chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
flat-leaf parsley chopped, for garnish
Parmesan cheese finely grated, for serving

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cook the sausage. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sausage and break it up with the back of a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 6 to 8 minutes, until browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and leave a little of the rendered fat in the pot.
Soften the vegetables. Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the same pot. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring now and then, until softened and fragrant.
Add the aromatics. Stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, until the tomato paste darkens slightly.
Simmer. Pour in the chicken broth and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the white beans and sun-dried tomatoes. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
Finish. Stir in the kale and return the sausage to the pot. Simmer 5 more minutes, until the kale wilts and the soup thickens slightly. Season generously with salt and black pepper.
Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with chopped parsley and finely grated Parmesan. Serve with crusty bread.

Notes

Thicker Soup: Mash about ½ cup of the beans against the side of the pot before adding the kale.
Vegetarian: Skip the sausage, use vegetable broth, and add a third can of beans. You can also substitute your favorite plant-based sausage and brown it well. Increase the Italian seasoning to 2 teaspoons, add a pinch of smoked paprika, and add ½ teaspoon of fennel seeds.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes: I use oil-packed and drain them well. If you only have dry-packed, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes first.

How to Cook Tuscan White Bean Soup in a Slow Cooker

Brown in a skillet: Brown the sausage, then cook the vegetables and tomato paste in the same skillet.
Transfer everything to the slow cooker except the kale and browned sausage, together with the broth, beans, and sun-dried tomatoes.
SLOW COOK: Cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours or HIGH for 2½ to 3 hours.
Add the kale and sausage in the last 20 minutes.

How to Cook Tuscan White Bean Soup in an Instant Pot

Use SAUTE to brown the sausage and cook the vegetables and tomato paste.
Add the broth and scrape the bottom well to avoid a burn notice.
Add the beans and sun-dried tomatoes, then cook on HIGH pressure for 5 minutes with a quick release.
Stir in the kale and sausage on SAUTE for 3 to 4 minutes.

Storage, Reheating, Make-Ahead

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently over medium heat.
Freeze it for up to 2 months. This soup freezes beautifully because it has no cream or pasta.
Reheat over medium-low heat and add a splash of broth or water. The beans keep drinking up liquid as the soup sits.
Make Ahead: You can dice the onion, carrots, and celery up to 2 days in advance and store them in the refrigerator. You can make the full soup 1 day ahead. Add the kale when you reheat, so it stays bright green.

Nutrition

Nutrition Information

Tuscan White Bean Soup with Sausage and Kale

Amount per Serving

Calories

429

% Daily Value*

Fat

Saturated Fat

Polyunsaturated Fat

Monounsaturated Fat

Cholesterol

Sodium

924

Potassium

1418

Carbohydrates

Fiber

Sugar

Protein

Vitamin A

5244

105

Vitamin C

Calcium

200

Iron

* 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.

Keyword Tuscan White Bean Soup

How to make Tuscan White Bean Soup (Step-by-Step)

Nothing here is complicated, but I've included step-by-step photos below as a visual guide. Scroll up to find the complete instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card above.

Brown the sausage properly. Cook it for 6 to 8 minutes, until it gets a real color. Those browned bits on the bottom of the pot become the base of your broth later.
Leave a little rendered fat behind. After you transfer the sausage to a plate, keep a thin film of fat in the pot. Your onion, carrots, and celery will cook in it and pick up all that savory flavor.
Browning the sausage and soffritto isn't just about color; it creates the "fond," those golden bits at the bottom of the pot. When you deglaze with broth, the fond melts into the soup and builds a deep, savory base that tastes like it's been simmered for hours.

Side-by-side images show a skillet with cooked, seasoned ground meat on the left, and a skillet with sliced carrots, celery, and chopped onions on the right, both on a wooden surface.

Side-by-side images show a black skillet with sautéed carrots, celery, and onions on a dark wooden surface. The right image has minced garlic added on top of the vegetables.

Cook the tomato paste for a full minute. Stir it in with the garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. It darkens slightly and loses its raw edge. This one minute deepens both the color and the flavor of the whole soup.

Side-by-side images of a black pan on a wooden surface. Left: chopped carrots, celery, onions, and seasonings before mixing. Right: the same mixture sautéed and blended together.

Scrape the bottom of the pot. When you add the chicken broth, drag your spoon across the bottom and lift every browned bit into the liquid. Don't skip this step, because that also boosts flavor.

Two images side by side show a pot of soup. The left image displays beans and sun-dried tomatoes added to broth with carrots. The right image shows the same soup after stirring, with ingredients blended and simmering.

Add the kale last. Five minutes of slow simmering is all it needs. Any longer and it turns dull and army green instead of deep and glossy.