Easy Spicy Sausage & White Bean Soup

One of our all-time favorite recipes, this Easy Spicy Sausage & White Bean Soup is full of all good things: Spicy ground Italian sausage, creamy white beans, sweet carrots, spinach, white wine, and cream.

With only a few simple, easy to find ingredients you can have this savory, ultra comforting one-pot soup on the table in just 50 minutes.

A perfect dinner for any night of the week.

Spicy Sausage and White Bean Soup Ingredients:

• Unsalted Butter– butter is used to grease the pot before cooking the sausage & vegetables to prevent sticking. I’ve found the flavor of butter compliments the sausage and soup better than oil.

• Spicy Italian Sausage– with the casings removed. Spicy Italian sausage has a perfect blend of spices and adds just a touch of heat to your soup. You can also use spicy bulk breakfast sausage, such as Hot Jimmy Dean.

• Vegetables- diced red onions, diced carrots, and minced garlic.

• Canned White Beans– white beans add a wonderful creamy element to your soup. Use your favorite or a mixture of a few! Some great options are Butter Beans, Great Northern, Navy, or Cannellini. You can use dried beans (see notes below) however if you’d like to keep this an easy soup recipe, use canned beans.

• Dry White Wine– dry white wine adds a much needed acidity to your soup. If you are worried about the alcohol, no worries! When simmered for a minute at high heat, the alcohol will evaporate.

• Chicken Broth

• Fresh Spinach

• Spices– bay leaves, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper

• Cream– half & half, heavy cream, or whole milk can be used. You want a cream or milk with a higher fat content because it is less likely to curdle when exposed to the heat of the soup. I tend to use half & half. I love the flavor and it’s still creamy but has less fat and calories than heavy cream.

Substitutions & Variations:

• Instead of butter, try a neutral tasting cooking oil such as light olive oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil.

• Try adding other vegetables, such as roasted red pepper, butternut squash, or canned diced tomatoes.

• Instead of red onion, try using shallot for a more delicate, sweeter flavor.

• Instead of dry white wine, try adding just a splash of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to keep the balanced acidity of your soup.

• Spicy not your thing? Try using regular sausage, or even maple sausage for a bit of sweetness.

• For a more hearty, robust flavor, try using a mixture of both chicken and beef broth.

Can Spicy Sausage & White Bean Soup be made Vegetarian?

Yes!

Vegetarian Substitutions:

• Sausage: you can sub the sausage for a vegetarian breakfast sausage. My favorite is the Impossible brand spicy breakfast sausage. It tastes amazing and cooks up just like the real thing. Or leave out the sausage all together.

• Broth: swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth.

• Cream: if you would like a non-diary substitute, coconut milk works really well here. If gives the soup a bit of sweetness, great for those sweet and savory lovers.

Can I use Dried Beans?

Yes! However, using dried beans takes a bit more time and effort.

You will need to first soak your beans in water overnight. Once ready to cook, drain and rinse beans.

Once added to the pot, increase the simmering time to 50-60 minutes until beans are tender.

How to Make Spicy Sausage and White Bean Soup:

• Cook Sausage:
  • In a large soup pot, melt 1 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Add spicy Italian sausage (casings removed) to soup pot.
  • Cook sausage 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally and breaking up with a spatula until sausage is browned & crumbled.
  • Once browned, remove sausage from soup pot and add to a paper towel lined plated to drain.

• Cook Vegetables:
  • Drain most of sausage grease from soup pot, but do not wash.
  • Melt remaining 1 tbsp of butter in pot over medium heat. Add diced red onion and diced carrot to pot and cook for 4 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning, until vegetables have softened slightly.
  • Add minced garlic to pan and continue cooking for 1 minute.

• Add Seasoning & White Wine: add salt and Italian seasoning to pot and give a quick stir. Carefully add dry white wine to pot, scraping the bottom to de-glaze. Allow wine to simmer for at least 30 seconds to let alcohol evaporate.

• Simmer: add broth, drained white beans, spicy sausage, and bay leaves to pot. Stir and bring to a boil. Bring heat back down to a medium-low simmer and allow soup to simmer for 25 minutes until vegetables are tender.

• Finish: remove bay leaves from pot. Add roughly chopped spinach and cream. Allow to simmer for a few more minutes until spinach has wilted and soup has warmed back through. Plate and top with shaved Parmesan.

Leftovers:

• Store– store sausage and bean soup in an airtight container. When properly stored, soup will last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

• Reheat– soup can be reheated in the microwave, cooking and stirring in 30 seconds intervals. Soup can also be reheated on the stove top, over low heat to prevent curdling. Stir and simmer until warmed through.

Spicy Sausage & White Bean Soup Tips & Recipe Notes:

• Soup can be made vegetarian (see notes above).

• Soup can be made with dried beans (see notes above).

• Half & half is a mixture of whole milk and heavy cream and can be found near coffee creamer in most grocery stores.

• Serve soup with shaved Parmesan and a side of your favorite bread. We love to serve it with rosemary focaccia.

More Soup & Stew Recipes You Will Love:

• Creamy Mushroom & Pearl Couscous Soup
• Creamy Sausage, Kale, & Ravioli Soup
• Italian Wedding Soup
• (The Best) Slow Cooker Chili
• Garlic & Bacon Brothy White Bean Soup

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