This Tuscan White Bean & Sausage Spinach Soup will definitely warm you up on a cold day. With the flavors of Tuscany, you can’t help but fall in love with this soup! Serve this with some crusty bread!
I have been craving my Tuscan White Bean & Sausage Spinach Soup forever but for one reason or another, I didn’t make it. Well, it wasn’t until I was at Sam’s Club the one weekend did it dawn on me to buy the stuff to make it.
See they were giving away free samples of food which means every person on the planet HAD to get that piece of cheese or slice of meat. HAD to I tell ya <insert sarcasm here – this bothers me as it’s an annoyance how people flock to the stuff>. It’s like “OMG my day is now complete if hold up the aisles for those that are there just to shop so they can get that free sample of 1/8th of a quarter slice of a muffin”! And then god forbid you say “Excuse me, I’m just trying to get through here.” You think you just told them that their baby was ugly and their mother walked the streets for the looks you get. Trust me, if there is such a thing as shopping cart rage I could have it.
Once I got home, out came the big soup pot and I got to prepping to make this. This soup is super easy to make and is done pretty fast. I make this with both spinach and kale – either together or separately. If you use kale cook it for about an additional 10 minutes or until the kale is tender. This soup is comforting and right now with it going down to 1F here in Pittsburgh, it’s PERFECT on a night like this! As I’m typing this up I have a big bowl in front of me with some garlic bread. Seriously when you make this soup make yourself some garlic bread. It’s the best compliment to the soup!
It’s funny because as I was making this Mr. Fantabulous wandered out to the kitchen to see what I was doing (or which translates to ‘Honey I’m hungry – what’cha got?’). He saw the pot of soup and the beans and got super excited. He thought it was my Pasta e fagioli which he LOVES! Now you have to understand something about this man. He will only ever eat soup when he’s sick or if it’s the Pasta e fagioli. Sadly I had to break his heart and tell him no that it was my Tuscan bean soup. Immediately I got the “I don’t like that. What is it?” LOL
So I tell him … beans, spinach (I didn’t use kale in this batch), carrots, onions, chicken sausage and… He stopped me to say “I don’t like sausage.” I said “This comes from the man who said he doesn’t like bacon yet eats it every single weekend for breakfast. You’ll like this now go play (meaning his guitar).” LOL Off he went and in about 30 minutes the soup was ready. As it was simmering I hurried up and made a loaf of garlic bread, broiled it, and plated. Since he had his headphones on I flickered the lights to get his attention. Well, he must have been starving as he almost never stops playing immediately and comes to the kitchen. Out he came and down he sat in front of his bowl. Normally I wait for him but no way man, I needed this soup in my belly! As I was shoveling it in I would watch him out of the side of my eye. One bite.. nothing. Two bites.. nothing. Three bites and FINALLY an ‘Mmmm this is really good! Is there cheese in here? Man, this is awesome!’
Honestly, he could have told me the secrets of the world and I wouldn’t have heard him as I zoned out after that and dived in face first to this soup. Garlic bread in one hand, spoon in the other. Since I first made this soup I’ve made it 2 more times. Once with kale which is equally as delicious and the last time with both spinach and kale. Seriously this is awesome and so delicious. The chicken sausage makes this dish though you could use other sausage but I wanted to cut the fat and increase the protein. It’s packed with protein, nutrients, antioxidants so much more healthy stuff.
So if it’s butt cold where you are or you love soup, make this. You will fall in love!
PrintTuscan White Bean & Sausage Spinach Soup
This Tuscan White Bean & Sausage Spinach Soup will definitely warm you up on a cold day. With the flavors of Tuscany, you can’t help but fall in love with this soup! Serve this with some crusty bread!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken sausage (fully or partially cooked), sliced into 1/2” rounds
- 3/4 cup yellow onion, chopped small
- 3 carrots, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup ground pecorino cheese
- 4 cups chicken stock, low sodium – divided
- 2 15ounce cans of cannelloni beans, undrained
- 1/2 cup marinara (or tomato) sauce (or 2 plum tomatoes chopped)
- 4 cups loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped, or 4 cups kale, stems and center ribs discarded and leaves coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Heat a large heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
- Add in the oil.
- Once the oil shimmers add in the sausage.
- Cook 5-6 minutes on one side, flip and continue cooking an additional 5 minutes or until the sausage browns.
- Remove the sausage from the pot and set aside.
- To the pot with the oil add in the onion and carrots cooking for 7 minutes or until the onions are starting to turn translucent and soft.
- Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute stirring.
- Add in 1/2 cup of the stock, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper stirring.
- Bring to a steady boil and cook for about 10 minutes or until the carrots are fork tender.
- Add in the beans with its juice, the sausage, the rest of the stock, oregano, paprika and marinara sauce giving it a gentle stir.
- Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer 15 minutes.
- In batches add in the spinach and simmer 5 more minutes. If using kale, add now but cook for 12-15 minutes or until tender.
- Remove from the heat and add in the cheese.
- Taste for seasoning.
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