Tuscan White Bean Soup with Sausage and Kale

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

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.

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Tuscan White Bean Soup

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings

Calories 429kcal

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