A sale on Italian Sausage started it all. Not long ago, I was flipping through my phone for dinner ideas. I probably do that about seventeen times a day. That time I ran into a white bean and spinach soup recipe and thought it sounded good.
Beans are a nutritional workhorse and cheap to boot. And my two favorite things about making soup are 1.) Only one pot to wash and 2.) Cook once, eat twice because soup’s always better the next day!
A couple of weeks later I was zipping through a neighborhood grocery store for a few items and spotted a great deal on Italian sausage. A light bulb went off in my head! No wonder. My head is always dancing with thoughts of food, pictures of food, descriptions of food, and recipe ideas.
Wait! How about a marriage of Italian sausage, beans, spinach, and Parmesan? Bellisimo! I couldn’t wait to scurry home and give it a try.
If You Want Quick Flavorful Soup That Tastes Like It Simmered All Day
You’ve come to the right place! Let’s run to the store. Grab a package of bulk Italian sausage and head to the canned goods aisle for a can of petite diced tomatoes and some white beans! I prefer navy beans because they’re smaller, but Great Northern Beans or other white beans will work just fine.
Make a quick visit to the produce section and grab a bag of fresh spinach. If you don’t have a sweet onion or garlic at home, you’ll need those too!
Next, stop in the soup aisle! Pick up some Better Than Bouillon chicken base and a package of Knorr Vegetarian Vegetable Bouillon cubes. Please make these items a staple in your pantry! They’re fabulous products and both add incredible flavor to your homemade soups!
A topping of grated Parmesan is totally up to you but skipping it is like a kiss without a hug. And I’m talking grated Parmesan here and not the yucky powdered kind like at the pizza place. You know you want it. Last stop, the cheese section!
Plop that sausage in a tall stockpot. Brown it a bit and break it up. When it loses its pinkness, add the onion and garlic. Let that all saute a bit until the onions get soft and fragrant.
Italian Sausage And White Beans Combine In This Flavorful Soup
Once the onion and garlic get soft and fragrant and the sausage gets a little tinge of brown, drain, and rinse the beans and add them to the pot. Next, dump in the can of un-drained petite diced tomatoes for more color and Mediterranean flavor.
Finally, add the water along with the chicken base, pepper, and vegetable bouillon cubes. Simmer for a few minutes and stir to make sure the base and the bouillon are dissolved completely.
Add The Spinach And Now It’s Five Minutes Until Soup
Chop the spinach coarsely and add to the soup for the last five minutes, just long enough for it to wilt and get tender. What great color it adds!
That’s it! Less than 30 minutes after dropping your grocery bags on the counter, ladle yourself a steaming bowl of soup, top it with a handful of grated Parmesan and sit down to enjoy it.
Garlic toast is a perfect accompaniment to this yummy soup! While you’ve got the oven on, why not stir up a batch of busy day lemon bars for dessert?! You don’t even need to get out your mixer!!
Italian Sausage and White Bean Soup
This hearty, flavorful soup tastes like it simmered all day but it's ready in 30 minutes so it's perfect for a weeknight meal! Brimming with tasty sausage, creamy white beans, spinach, and tomatoes for a taste of Tuscany!
Ingredients
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
- 1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
- 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, pressed
- 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes, do not drain
- 3 15 ounce cans navy beans or Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 to 3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
- 3 or 4 large cubes Knorr Vegetarian vegetable bouillon
- 2 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken base
- 12 cups water
- 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper or more to taste
- 5 ounce carton shredded fresh Parmesan for topping (optional but I hope you do!)
Instructions
- Brown and break up sausage in a stock pot. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is soft and translucent. Add water, bouillon cubes, pepper, chicken base, tomatoes, and drained beans. Simmer for 10 or 15 minutes. Add spinach, simmer for about 5 minutes more or until spinach is wilted and tender.
- Ladle into bowls and top with 1-2 Tablespoons of shredded Parmesan. Serve with garlic toast.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 395Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 923mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 15gSugar: 3gProtein: 24g
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Just made this but left out the spinach. Even my husband liked it and he is a picky eater. Will definitely be making this again.
Great!! I’m so glad to hear that!
Hello, just wanted to say, I loved this blog post. It was helpful.
Keep on posting!
<3 Thank you!
Could you make this using broth instead of the bouillon?
what kind of broth?
Chicken or veggie?
I used Better Than Bouillon Chicken base for my broth. Veggie might be good too though!
Chicken! Better Than Bouillon has a ham base now that might be good too!
Try it! It might not have the depth and richness but t would probably still taste good!
I made this and love it! Except I made too much. Can I freeze it once it’s cooked?
Yes, it should freeze just fine. It does keep a few days in the refrigerator and tastes even better the second or third day! So tickled you enjoyed it! My friend Cindy adds tortellini and LOVES it that way!