Italian White Bean Soup with Tuscan Kale and Sausage

A healthy, delicious recipe for Italian White Bean Soup, also known as Tuscan Kale White Bean Soup, made with Cannellini beans, lacinato kale, vegetables, and Italian sausage.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings people

Calories 460kcal

Author Rebecca Taig

Ingredients

1½ tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound ground spicy Italian sausage
1 yellow onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt, more or less to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 (15-ounce cans) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
48 ounces (6 cups) chicken broth
1 (15-ounce can) fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 parmesan rind, cut from a block of parmesan cheese
½ lemon, juiced
3 cups Tuscan kale, stems removed

Instructions

Brown the sausage. Heat a large Dutch oven or large pot with a lid, over medium-high heat. Once hot, add ½ tablespoon of olive oil to the bottom of the pot and the Italian sausage. Cook the sausage until it is no longer pink, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it browns.
(I do not drain the grease, but you can transfer the ground sausage to a small bowl and drain any excess grease if needed while reserving some for the vegetables, then return the sausage to the pot. )
Sauté the vegetables. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pot with the finely diced onion, carrots, and celery. Add a pinch of salt to the pot. Continue to cook for 6-8 minutes until the onion becomes translucent.
Bloom the spices. Add the minced garlic, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until the spices are fragrant.
Add remaining ingredients. Add the fire-roasted diced tomatoes, cannellini beans, chicken broth, and parmesan rind, to the pot.
Boil and then simmer. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and let the soup simmer for 25 minutes while stirring occasionally.
Add the kale and lemon juice. Toss in the kale and lemon juice, and stir until combined. Let the soup simmer uncovered for 5 minutes until the kale has wilted. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.

Notes

Parmesan Rind: Remove the parmesan rind prior to serving.

To Store: Store any leftover Tuscan bean soup in an airtight container. You can also store the leftover soup in the same pot it was made in. Refrigerate for 4-5 days.

To Reheat: You can reheat the soup in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Vegetarian or Vegan: Leave out the sausage and parmesan rind and swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock.

Add Cream: If you want to make a creamy soup, scale back 1 cup of broth and add 1 cup of heavy cream of full-fat coconut milk. You can also blend an extra can of creamy cannellini beans in a food processor and then add it to the stock. The gives a rich creamy texture without adding dairy.

Fresh Herbs: A lot of Italian soups use fresh minced rosemary or fresh thyme which can be substituted for dried spices. Another option is dried Italian seasoning in place of the dried thyme and dried oregano.

Nutrition