Description
A hearty and flavorful Sausage and White Bean Soup featuring savory ground sausage, white beans, kale, and a touch of cream for richness. This comforting soup is enhanced with herbs, garlic, and a splash of white wine, perfect for a satisfying meal any day.
Ingredients
Scale
Seasonings
- 0.5 teaspoon oregano
- 0.5 teaspoon basil
- 0.5 teaspoon parsley
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
Soup
- 1 lb ground sausage (regular, hot, or mild)
- 0.5 cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 6 cups chicken broth (low sodium recommended)
- 0.25 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
- 2 (15.5 oz) cans Cannellini beans, drained but not rinsed
- 3 cups kale, roughly chopped
- 0.33 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Combine seasonings: Mix oregano, basil, parsley, and red pepper flakes together and set aside. Measure out all remaining ingredients before starting.
- Cook sausage: Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the ground sausage and cook, breaking it up as it cooks. When about halfway cooked, reduce heat to medium-low and partially cover the pot to allow drippings to collect. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally until sausage is fully cooked, about 10-12 minutes total.
- Reserve drippings: Scoop out 1 tablespoon of sausage drippings and set aside. Set the cooked sausage aside separately. If drippings are insufficient, substitute with butter.
- Deglaze pot with wine: Turn off heat temporarily and add the white wine to the pot. Turn heat back to medium and use a silicone spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the pot, loosening browned bits to add flavor to the broth.
- Sauté vegetables: Add the reserved drippings, butter, diced onion, and celery to the pot. Stir to combine and cook until the liquid has reduced by half, approximately 4-5 minutes.
- Add aromatics and seasonings: Stir in minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and the pre-mixed seasonings. Cook for 1 minute to bloom flavors.
- Add liquids and simmer: Pour in chicken broth and heavy cream, stirring to combine. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Reintroduce sausage: Add the cooked sausage back to the pot. Simmer partially covered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add beans: Stir in the drained Cannellini beans and continue simmering for 10 more minutes.
- Add kale: Add the chopped kale and cook until wilted, about 3-5 minutes.
- Finish soup: Stir in grated parmesan cheese and fresh lemon juice. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Notes
- For Crock Pot method: Melt butter in slow cooker, add onions, celery, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon, and seasonings, toss to coat. Add chicken broth. Brown sausage separately, drain grease, add sausage (and optionally deglaze skillet with wine and add liquid) to slow cooker. Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-7 hours. Add drained beans last 30 minutes. Add kale 5-8 minutes before serving. Stir in cream, parmesan, and lemon juice at the end.
- Preferred sausage is Jimmy Dean Regular Pork Sausage, but any type (mild, hot) works well.
- To get drippings for extra flavor, when sausage is halfway cooked, push it to one side of pot, tilt to collect drippings and reserve.
- Beans alternatives: Great Northern Beans or Pinto Beans are tasty substitutions.
- Choose low sodium chicken broth to control salt levels since sausage, beans, and parmesan add saltiness.
- Additions like frozen corn, peas, green beans, canned tomatoes, zucchini, spinach, or cabbage work well.
- Ground beef, turkey, or chicken can substitute sausage but will alter flavor.
- Best served with crusty bread such as no-knead bread to soak up broth.
- Store soup in airtight container, refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.
- Nutritional info is an estimate per serving. Yield is approximately 6 servings or 9 cups total.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 380 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 780 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
