We get very attached to soups with sausage… Or should I say with Italian sausage. Some soul satisfying magic happens when sausage and veggies are simmered in a pot with our secret ingredient.
This Italian Sausage Soup demands to be in your meal rotation all through out the year. And who could resist it on any night when those hearty, comfort cravings call for a bowl full of soup brimming with good old Italian flavors…
We go through a lot of soup bowls here, winter or not. Why not? They are super easy one pot meals that are ideal for quick weeknight dinners. Our go to dream soups are Zuppa Toscana and Meaty Cabbage Soup.
We also enjoy unique and interesting international flavors in our fabulous soups like Mexican Albondigas Soup, or Laksa if we’re looking for an Asian flair.
When looking for Italian soups, we kinda always veer towards soups loaded with sausage and veggies in a well seasoned broth. This time, we are bulking it up with creamy cannellini beans.
This Italian Sausage Soup is Great for Many Reasons
- It’s super delicious when it’s simmered with one special secret ingredient. Classic Italian sausage flavors at their BEST.
- It’s a fairly quick, super easy one pot meal, ideal for busy weeknights with less clean up later.
- Perfect for meal prep and make ahead meals, as it freezes well. Make a big batch and freeze leftovers for later.
- Many variations and add-ins can make it super versatile, and can vary the flavors greatly when you experiment with the base soup.
Italian Sausage Soup Ingredients
- Italian Sausage – You can use spicy or mild Italian sausage, depending on what you prefer. We used spicy chicken Italian sausage for this recipe, but you can use pork or turkey Italian sausage too. We used Italian sausage link, with casing removed. You can buy ground Italian sausage to avoid a step.
- Veggies – Onion, carrots, celery, diced canned fire roasted tomatoes.
- Aromatics, herbs and spices – Garlic, fresh thyme, fresh parsley, red chili flakes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Beans – We are using cannellini beans today. You can sub them with great northern or any other white bean.
- Chicken stock
- Olive oil
- Secret Ingredient – It’s Parmesan Cheese rind!! We always keep leftover parmesan cheese rinds in our refrigerator. When you simmer the soup with it… hmm… mama mia!!
Italian Sausage Soup Recipe
1. Cook the sausage and veggies: Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or soup pot over medium high heat and add the sausage to the pot. Cook it for about 7-8 minutes, or until no longer pink and starting to brown up. Break into crumbles with a wooden spoon.
Add onion, carrots and celery to the pot. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and the vegetables are soft, 6-8 minutes.
2. Form the base of the soup: Add garlic and Italian seasoning and cook for a minute, stirring. Add cannellini beans along with canning liquid and diced tomatoes, stir well.
Add in chicken stock, black pepper, red chili flakes, cheese rind and thyme sprigs.
3. Simmer the soup: Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15-20 minutes (you can simmer more, like 30 minutes, if you have time). Stir occasionally.
Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to your taste. Most of the cheese rind melts in the pot, adding tons of flavor. Discard any remnants if still there. Garnish with parsley, and serve immediately.
Tips and Tricks for the BEST Italian Sausage Soup
- Use ground Italian sausage if that’s available, so no need to remove the casings.
- When cooking the sausage, break it up with a wooden spoon and space the pieces out so they get a nice brown color, instead of just steaming.
- You are using chicken stock as a base, and beans with their canning liquids, so the soup already has salt. So season for the salt only at the end after tasting.
- If watching sodium content, drain and rinse the beans before adding them to the soup.
- Our huge flavor booster for this Italian soup is adding Parmesan cheese rind while simmering. It adds tons of delicious flavors, so don’t omit it.
Italian Sausage Soup Variations:
- Use a variety of Italian sausages. You can use chicken, turkey or pork. Use mild or spicy for a different flavor profile. You can also use ground meat for the same recipe like ground beef, ground pork, ground turkey or chicken.
- Add other vegetables like zucchini, spinach, yellow squash, broccoli, peas, green beans or kale. All are great, making it suitable to clean up your refrigerator and add lots of veggie power.
- Bulk it up with pastas like ditalini, orzo, mini shells, elbow or acini de pepe. We can see some cheesy tortellini going great in this Italian soup.
- Use fresh herbs instead of Italian seasoning. Fresh oregano, basil and any other Italian fresh herbs are great to use for fresh, zesty flavors.
- Add a splash of red wine along with the tomatoes for a bolder flavor.
- Make it creamy. It’s delicious. Mix in a splash of heavy cream or half-and-half.
- Make it more tomatoee by adding tomato paste or tomato sauce.
Leftovers and Storage
Like any other soup or stew, this soup is marvelous as leftovers. Simply store it in air tight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
To freeze Italian Sausage Soup, store it in portion controlled, air-tight containers for 2 to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through.
There you go, you seriously don’t need to wait for next winter for the soup pot to simmer in your house. This is quick and easy soup to make, but the flavors come together beautifully with just the right amount of seasonings and ingredients.
When looking to cook with Italian sausage, make this hearty and comforting dinner in a bowl. Yes, we make it even in hot Florida summers. Happy sipping…
Italian Sausage Soup, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
Try these other great soup recipes!
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
New England Clam Chowder
Egg Roll Soup
Jambalaya Soup
Ham Bone Soup
Meatball Minestrone
Avgolemono Soup
Sancocho
Ribollita
Italian Sausage Soup
This easy Italian Sausage Soup with white beans and veggies is a cozy pot perfect for chilly nights, but we love it all year long!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed (or ground Italian sausage)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 cans Cannellini beans, not drained
- 1 can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
- 4-5 sprigs of thyme
- 2 inch parmesan cheese rind (optional)
- pepper to taste
- salt to taste
- parsley, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or soup pot over medium high heat and add the sausage to the pot. Cook it for about 7-8 minutes, or until no longer pink and starting to brown up. Break into crumbles with a wooden spoon.
- Add onion, carrots and celery to the pot. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and the vegetables are soft, 6-8 minutes.
- Add garlic and Italian seasoning and cook for a minute, stirring. Add cannellini beans along with canning liquid and diced tomatoes, stir well.
- Add in chicken stock, black pepper, red chili flakes, cheese rind and thyme sprigs.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15-20 minutes (you can simmer more, like 30 minutes, if you have time). Stir occasionally.
- Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to your taste. Most of the cheese rind melts in the pot, adding tons of flavor. Discard any remnants if still there.
- Garnish with parsley, and serve immediately.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 394Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 75mgSodium 906mgCarbohydrates 33gFiber 7gSugar 5gProtein 32g
Nutrition information calculated by Nutritionix.
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