Italian White Bean Soup

Italians White Bean Soup is a hearty flavorful soup that is simple to make with just a few ingredients.

The chill of winter continues, and the recipes around here consist of something simmering on the stovetop most days. But not every day do I have the time to slow-cook a soup or watch another risotto closely. There are times when I need to get dinner on the table but I don’t want to sacrifice the quality of the meal for convenience. After all, it is a meal; each is important no matter what the days have in store for us.

This Italian White Bean Soup is one of those recipes that is deceptively simple as it is just that. A delicious, flavorful, and satisfying soup that can be made in minutes. Well, that is, if you have cooked white beans on hand. You can use canned Cannellini beans as a shortcut or pre-boiled beans.

This soup is delicious on its own but even more so when paired with a hunk of fresh bread. Try this No Knead Artisan Loaf or a slice of Sourdough Focaccia.

Ingredients

Italian Sausage- I like to use mild Italian sausage for this recipe but you can spice it up by using spicy Italian sausage if you like a kick.

White Beans- I like to use Cannellini beans but you can also use Northern white beans for this recipe.

Kale- I like using curly kale for this recipe. It works well for soups as it stands up to simmering and reheating without getting overly mushy.

Bay Leaf- a nice addition to this soup blend. I use dried but fresh is good too.

Garlic- Fresh cloves work best for this recipe, be sure to mince them finely.

Italian Seasoning- I like to use dried Italian seasoning for this soup as the dried works to perfectly season the soup however, you can use fresh. Just use the rule of 3 to 1. Dried herbs are much stronger than fresh ones. So you will need 3x the number of fresh herbs called for. Which equates to roughly 4.5 tsp of fresh Italian herbs for the 1.5 tsp called for in this recipe.

Chicken Stock- Good quality stock is essential for good soups. I prefer homemade chicken stock or bone broth however, store-bought will work fine. Be sure to use a good quality stock, it makes all the difference.

Tools

Soup Pot

What You Will Need To Make It

1 lb mild Italian sausage

5 cups of fresh chopped kale

1 bay leaf

3 cups cooked Cannellini beans (about 1 cup dried)

2 garlic cloves

1.5 tsp dried Italian seasoning

7 cups of chicken stock

crack black pepper

Directions

Begin by cooking the beans according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In a large pot begin browning the Italian sausage. Use a wooden spoon to break it up as it cooks.

Add the kale before the sausage finishes cooking. Mince the garlic cloves finely and add to the pot along with a few cracks of ground black pepper. Allow the kale and sausage to cook together until the sausage is completely browned.

Add the cooked beans to the pot and pour in the stock.

Place a bay leaf in and allow the pot to simmer for about 10 minutes with the lid on. The soup is ready after simmering.

Serve alone with a slice of freshly baked bread. Like this No Knead Artisan Loaf or Sourdough Focaccia.

Cooking Notes

• Cooking the kale with the sausage will help get out the bitterness in the kale.
• If not using chopped prepackaged kale, be sure to chop the kale into smaller pieces and wash thoroughly before beginning.
• Use a good quality chicken stock
• This recipe does not call for salt as the Italian sausage is quite salty, however, depending on whether you use store-bought or homemade stock. You may find you need to add 1/2 tsp of salt or so. Taste test and add if necessary.
• If using Italian sausage in casing, slice the casing open and remove the meat before cooking.
• The recipe calls for Cannellini beans but you can substitute for great northern beans.

Substitutions

• You can use great northern beans in place of Cannellini beans.
• For an added kick you can use spicy Italian sausage.
• You can use spinach in place of kale. If you do so I would suggest not adding the spinach until the very last step otherwise it will overcook. Add it just before the last simmer part of the recipe instructions when you add the bay leaf.
• Vegetable stock will work in place of chicken stock for this recipe.

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