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A white bowl filled with creamy bean soup with Italian sausage, white beans, spinach, and red pepper flakes.
Daniel

Creamy Bean Soup with Italian Sausage

A hearty, comforting soup where spicy Italian sausage meets creamy white beans in a rich, velvety broth that tastes like it simmered all day.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner, lunch, Soup
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Soup Base
  • 1 lb mild or hot Italian sausage, casings removed use spicy if you like heat
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 15-oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed or 3 cups cooked
  • 4 cups chicken broth low sodium preferred
  • 0.5 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped or 1 tsp dried
  • 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes optional, for extra heat
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for finishing
  • 0.25 cup Parmesan cheese, grated for serving

Equipment

  • Large Dutch oven or heavy pot
  • Wooden Spoon
  • Immersion blender or potato masher

Method
 

Brown the Sausage
  1. Heat your Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, breaking it into small chunks with your wooden spoon. Cook until well browned and crispy in spots, about 6-8 minutes. Add the diced onion and cook until softened and translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Build the Soup
  1. Add 1 can of beans (about 1.5 cups) plus all the broth. Use your spoon to roughly mash the beans against the side of the pot - this creates the creamy base. Stir in the rosemary and red pepper flakes if using. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
  2. Add the remaining whole beans and simmer 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the heavy cream. For a smoother soup, partially blend with an immersion blender, leaving some texture. Or mash about a third of the beans with a potato masher right in the pot.
Serve
  1. Ladle into bowls and drizzle with good olive oil. Top with grated Parmesan and extra black pepper. Serve with crusty bread for dipping.

Notes

For a lighter version, substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream or use all broth and blend more beans for creaminess. The soup thickens considerably as it sits - thin with extra broth when reheating. Make ahead through step 3 and refrigerate up to 3 days; finish with cream when reheating.