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Bowl of white bean and sausage soup in a brown soup dish on a blue plate

White Bean and Sausage Sop

Tender white beans cooked with mild Italian sausage and carrots with a secret ingredient that takes any soup or stew to a new level.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: dinner, Main Course, Soups/Stews/Comfort Food
Cuisine: Amercian
Keyword: bean soup, comfort food, easy dinner
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4
Author: Laura Franco

Ingredients 

  • 1 lbs. mild Italian Sausage
  • 2 15-oz. cans of white beans
  • 32 oz. chicken broth
  • 1/2 onion (1/2 cup diced)
  • 1 carrot (3/4 cup diced)
  • 1 small piece of parmesan cheese rind
  • 2-3 sprigs fresh oregano
  • 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions

  • Dice the onions and carrots and set them aside.
  • Brown the sausage in a stove-top soup pot.
  • Remove the sasage with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl lined with a paper towel to soak up any excess greese.
  • Pour or spoon off all but 1 tablespoon of the sausage greese from the soup pot.
  • Add the onions and carrots to the soup pot and cook for 3-4 minutes.
  • Add the chicken broth, scraping the dark bits off the bottom of the pot (This is called deglazing).
  • Rinse the beans in cool water until all of the bean liquid turns clear.
  • Remove 1/2 cup of the beans, place them in a bowl and mash them with a fork until you have a paste.
  • Add the bean paste and the beans to the soup pot.
  • Add the parmesan cheese rind and fresh herbs.
  • Bring the soup to a boil for 1 mintue. Reduce it to a simmer (uncovered) for 25-30 minutes.
  • Before serving, remove the fresh herb stems and parmensan rind.
  • Mash the soup 2-3 times with the back of the soup ladle.
  • Stir and serve.

Notes

Krazy Kitchen Mom Tips:
  • I do not recommend adding any additional salt to this recipe. The parmesan cheese rind gives it all the saltiness it needs.
  • Secret Ingredient - Parmesan cheese rind - I prefer to buy my cheese in blogs, rather than pre-shredded or grated. I recommend cutting off the rinds from cheese like parmesan, gruyere, and other hard cheeses and storing them in labeled zip-top bags in the freezer. They give soups and stews amazingly deep flavors that taste like they've been simmering for hours.
  • If you don't have a slice of parmesan cheese rind, substitute with 1 tbsp of finely grated parmesan cheese.
  • Be sure to simmer the soup for the full 20-30 minutes and smash the beans with the back of the spatula before serving. The smashed beans add an extra creaminess without adding any dairy.
  • Make this soup a meal by serving it with a loaf of crusty bread and sliced apples and pears.