An ultra creamy bean soup with sausage. This soup isn’t one of those all day simmering affairs. So quick and easy to make, yet hearty and full of flavor. It’s rich and tomatoey, jazzed up with Parmesan and topped with a delicious punchy, red pesto. A knock out 30 minute meal. Serve with a side of crusty bread for a mouthwatering result.
A thick soup with a tiny scent of tomatoes that tastes creamy and savory like a chowder. Chock full of cannellini beans and Italian sausage that blend perfectly into the thick tomatoey broth. It’s very filling and will keep you full, thanks to all the beans.Serve for lunch or for dinner with some crusty bread. Because with all that goodness happening in this soup, a dunker is not just optional, it’s a must.
This is one seriously good bowl of soup made with canned beans, but if you’ve got more time, you could use dry beans.
Some of you may be tempted to skip the red pesto, but don’t leave it out, it totally elevates this soup to the next level.
Let me guide you through the recipe with this step-by-step VIDEO or follow along on YouTube!
Some of you may be tempted to skip the red pesto, but don’t leave it out, it totally elevates this soup to the next level.
Let me guide you through the recipe with this step-by-step VIDEO or follow along on YouTube!
Helpful Tips
- Use canned beans for a 30 minute meal, or dried beans if you’ve got more time. You’ll need about 2 cups dried beans, soak them overnight and cook for 30 minutes, before adding to the soup.
- Make this bean soup with any type of white beans, like cannellini, butter beans or lima beans.
- Add more veggies like baby spinach, kale or chickpeas.
- Instead of Italian sausage, use chicken sausage, kielbasa, shredded chicken or bacon.
- For a vegetarian version, simply keep it meat free and use vegetarian broth.
- You can thin out the soup by adding an extra cup broth.
- Use store-bought or home made red pesto.
Leftovers and Storage for Creamy Bean Soup with Sausage
Bean soup with sausage is a hearty and delicious meal that’s perfect for a cold day. But what if you make too much? Don’t worry, bean soup stores well in both the refrigerator and freezer!
In the refrigerator:
- Allow the soup to cool completely before storing it in an airtight container.
- Bean soup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To reheat, simply place the soup in a saucepan over medium heat and cook until heated through. You may need to add a splash of water to thin out the soup.
In the freezer:
- Allow the soup to cool completely before storing it in a freezer-safe container.
- Be sure to leave at least 1 inch of headspace at the top of the container to allow for expansion.
- Bean soup will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To reheat, thaw the soup overnight in the refrigerator and then reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave.
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Cooking Video
Yield: serves 4-6
Creamy Bean Soup with Sausage
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Total Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
- 450 g/1 lb mild Italian sausage, no casings
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 small onion
- 700 ml/3 cups chicken broth
- 120 ml/½ cup puréed tomatoes
- 80 g/3 oz tomato paste
- 3 cans (360 g/13 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup/200 ml heavy cream
- 40 g/1.5 oz grated Parmesan
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 8 tbsp red pesto, for serving
Spices
- 1 tsp each: salt, black pepper, dried thyme, dried oregano
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- ½ crushed red pepper flakes, more for serving
Instructions
- Get all the prep done before you start cooking: mince the garlic and finely chop the onion. Remove the casings from your sausage. Drain and rinse the beans.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium high. Add sausage, break up the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, and cook until browned and no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and onion, cook until fragrant, for 3 minutes. Stir in spices, and cook for 1 minute more.
- Pour in broth, add puréed tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, then add cannellini beans. Stir, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring every now and then.
- When ready, pour in cream and stir to combine. Turn off the heat and stir in Parmesan. Finish off with some extra black pepper and parsley. Adjust salt to taste.
- Serve with crusty bread. Dollop each bowl with red pesto and some red pepper flakes. Enjoy!
Notes
Calories Per Serving: 614 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Hi, able to do this in an instant pot? Looks delish!
Hi, absolutely!
Set your instant pot to sauté, then add sausage, garlic, onion and spices. Cook for about 5-8 minutes.Turn the instant pot off. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the cream and Parmesan, cover and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Then follow step 4 and 5 as written in the recipe.
Happy cooking!
This soup recipe was absolutely delicious. I added some hot sausage as well, as we like a bit more heat. Also added kale.
Will definately make this again!
yay! I am thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for giving it a try.
I’m excited to make this. Can you tell me what’s in the “red pesto”?
Hi, red pesto is made with sun-dried tomatoes, here’s a link if you would like to make it at home. Hope you love it!
This has become a new favorite! I love how comforting, flavorful, and hearty it is. I add Italian kale and garnish it with roasted chickpeas. Delicious!
Sounds delicious! So happy you’re enjoying this recipe!
Made this tonight- it’s so good! Added extra vegetables (spinach, bell pepper & roasted butternut squash) w/ an additional 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Will definitely keep this recipe on rotation.
Fantastic, that’s really nice to hear! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for giving it a try!
I made this tonight. So good! I used only half lb sausage, and added a few handfuls of spinach. Served with some Irish soda bread because today is St. Patrick’s Day ☘️. They gobbled it up. It’s a keeper.
Amazing, love hearing that! Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try!
I’m making this tonight! I can’t have cream, so unfortunately I’ll be leaving that out and hope this is just as delicious as a brothy soup. I may add just a little ditalini pasta.
fantastic! you can add soy cream for a creamy touch, hope you love it!
Hi! What is a serving size? The calories seem really high for a soup. Thanks!
Hi, Ami, it might seem al lot, but one cup of cannellini beans only, contains 225 calories. We’re adding 3 cans beans. Plus, there’s the sausage, cream and Parmesan. This is a super filling soup, and with the amount of ingredients you can easily serve 6. More if you add extra broth.
Please let me know if you have any more questions. Enjoy the recipe, Anna
Can I use green pesto instead of red?
Hi, I think green pesto would work great here. Enjoy the recipe!
This soup is sooo good! Will most definitely make it more times in the future!
Hi Jamie, that’s wonderful to hear. I’m so happy you liked it!