Italian Sausage White Bean Soup

This flavorful Italian sausage white bean soup is loaded with bacon, plenty of tasty sausage pieces, spinach, and oodles of tender cannellini beans. 

This soup is simple to make and doesn't use a ton of ingredients. It's also dairy-free, so if you're looking for a soup that's super comforting without any added milk or cream, you've found the right recipe. 🙂

I wanted to make a hearty white bean soup since it's been a long time since I've made one for this website (the last one was my Ham and White Bean Soup back in 2017... yowza). This one ended up reminding me a lot of Zuppa Toscana, actually (the famous Olive Garden soup with sausage, bacon, kale, and potatoes). Chances are that you will like this soup if you like that one!

Love white beans? Try my Turkey White Bean Chili or this Sun-dried Tomato and Basil White Bean Dip.

Recipe notes & tips:

• You could add a diced potato or two to this soup if you wish. I didn't find it necessary, but I think it would make it even heartier. 
• Want some heat? Try hot Italian sausage or adding some red pepper flakes. I made the soup in the photos with Johnsonville Hot Italian Sausages.
• Don't want to use spinach? Try kale or Swiss Chard.
• You can use some freshly chopped rosemary if you have some on-hand vs. the dried stuff.
• You could add a splash of cream to this soup if you want to make it even richer (try 1/2 cup to start). 
• If you're making a big batch to freeze, I would suggest adding the spinach after you thaw it/just before serving. 
• The beans will continue to release starch as the soup cools, so you may need to add some more broth to leftovers when you're reheating it.
• I use this Oster hand blender for this recipe. I like how the plastic doesn't scratch my pot.
• This recipe would be easy to adapt for the Instant Pot. I'd sauté the ingredients as instructed, blend the beans right in the pot, cook it on high pressure for 8 minutes, then add the spinach in after you release the pressure. You may need to thin the soup out with extra broth if needed.

More tasty recipes with Italian sausage:

• Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup
• Spicy Italian Sausage Pasta
• Easy Sausage Rigatoni

Will you make this Italian sausage white bean soup? Questions? Talk to me in the comments below!

Italian Sausage White Bean Soup

This flavorful Italian sausage white bean soup is loaded with bacon, plenty of tasty sausage pieces, spinach, and oodles of tender cannellini beans. 

4.93 from 99 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Calories 715 kcal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

 

• ▢ 1 pound Italian sausage see note
• ▢ 4 strips bacon cut into small pieces
• ▢ 1/2 medium onion chopped
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 4 (14 fluid ounce) cans white beans (cannellini) drained
• ▢ 4 cups chicken broth
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• ▢ 2 small carrots peeled & chopped small
• ▢ 2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
• ▢ Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Add the sausage meat to a large soup pot, along with the bacon (I cut it up using kitchen shears).
• Cook over medium-high heat until the sausage and bacon are somewhat crispy/the fat has been rendered out (this can take upwards of 15 minutes). Meanwhile, prep the other ingredients.
• Transfer the sausage and bacon to a plate (I don't line it with paper towel because the extra fat adds more flavor, but you can if you want). Leave about 2 tablespoons of fat in the pot (spoon any excess out).
• Add the onion to the pot and sauté it for 3-5 minutes or until it's softened and starting to lightly brown.
• Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
• Add the beans, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, and rosemary. Give it a good stir and scrape up any brown bits off the bottom of the pot.
• Take the pot off the stove. Using an immersion/stick blender, purée the soup. I like to leave some beans whole. The soup will thicken a bit more as it cooks, but the thickness/texture will be similar to what it is after you do this part, so keep that in mind. If you don't have a stick blender, transfer a ladle or two of beans to a regular blender, or use a potato masher or fork for a more rustic texture.
• Return the sausage and bacon to the pot and add in the chopped carrots as well. Increase the heat to high. Once the soup starts to boil, cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar and reduce the heat so it's simmering. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the carrots have softened and the soup has thickened up a bit more.
• Stir in the spinach and let it wilt for a minute or two. Taste and season with salt & pepper as needed. Serve immediately.

Notes

• For the sausage, anything around the 1 pound/16 oz. ballpark is fine - it doesn't need to be exact. Here in Canada I buy a 500g (17.6 oz.) 5-pack of Johnsonville mild Italian sausages and take the meat out of the casings.
• Use low-sodium chicken broth if sensitive to salt. Bacon and sausages can be fairly salty so you probably won't need to add much extra salt to this soup.
• Instant Pot method: sauté the ingredients as instructed, blend the beans right in the pot, cook it on high pressure for 8 minutes, then add the spinach in after you release the pressure. If needed, add extra broth to thin the soup out.
• Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition

Calories: 715kcalCarbohydrates: 71gProtein: 40gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 1267mgPotassium: 1864mgFiber: 18gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 3734IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 282mgIron: 11mg

Keyword Italian sausage white bean soup

Author Natasha Bull