Sausage and white bean soup is hearty, filling and oh so tasty! Filled with orzo, veggies and lots of flavor, it's the perfect cold weather soup to warm you up.
My family just loves soup! Our favorite soups include this Hearty Lentil Soup, and this Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup. When we need something extra hearty, we go for this sausage white bean soup!
One of my favorite easy ways to add extra flavor to a soup recipe is to use Italian sausage. There is just something about the seasonings in the Italian sausage...I think it's fennel that really gets me. It's unusual and a really nice pop of flavor!
In this soup, the sausage, white beans and orzo make this soup super hearty and filling. But not to worry, there are plenty of veggies hiding in there as well 😉
Reasons you’ll ♡ this sausage and white bean soup
Recipe Video
Wondering how this soup all comes together? Watch the 1-minute video below to see how easy it is to make! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
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Ingredient talk
For this white bean soup, you'll need:
- Italian sausage- you can go spicy or go mild on this one! Short cut tip- purchase the sausage meat that is not in the casing to save time when prepping.
- White beans- you can use cannellini, great northern or navy beans. Make sure you start with cooked beans
- Orzo- which is the small rice-shaped pasta. You could swap for other types of pasta but measurements may not be equivalent and cook times would need to be adjusted
- Veggies- onions, celery, carrot and garlic. Chop very small as we have a short cook time for this soup.
- White wine- just adds another dimension to this soup. We simmer off all alcohol before adding the stock. You can leave it out but your soup may be lacking a layer of flavor.
- Stock- use veggie, chicken or bone broth!
- Bay leaf - for little extra flavor.
Tips for perfect soup
Can I make this soup in the Instant Pot?
I bet you could! I would try the cook time listed for this soup, which uses low pressure to prevent over cooking the orzo. Let me know in the comments below if you give this a try!
Can I freeze this soup?
If you plan to freeze the soup, I advise leaving the orzo separate, as it does not freeze/thaw well.
What should I serve with this?
I think of this soup as a pretty complete meal in and of itself. With that being said, I wouldn't say no to a crusty baguette for dipping. A side salad like this Staple Kale Salad is also a delish option!
More soup recipes!
- Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup
- Italian Sausage Soup with Farro
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Hearty Vegetable Soup
- Healthier Beef & Barley Soup
This post was originally published in 2015. It has been tweaked, rephotographed and republished in 2020.
Sausage and White Bean Soup
Ingredients
Soup
- 400 g spicy Italian sausage (close to 1 lb; 4 sausages. Remove casings if they have them and cut into ½ inch pieces)
- 1 onion (diced)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- ¼ cup white wine
- 2 carrots (finely chopped)
- 2 stalks celery (finely chopped)
- 5-6 cups chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup orzo
- 1 can white beans (drained + rinsed; cannellini, great northern, or navy beans)
- 1 teaspoon salt
To serve:
- Chopped parsley to garnish
Instructions
Soup
- Heat a medium pot over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook until browned and cooked through. Set aside on a paper-towel lined plate while other ingredients cook.
- Remove all but 1 tbsp of grease from the pot. Add the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes, until translucent and cooked through. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so, until fragrant.
- Add the wine, cook for one minute, scraping up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the sausage, carrots, celery, chicken stock, bay leaf, white beans and orzo. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until orzo is cooked through, roughly 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf prior to serving.
Storage
- This soup can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- This soup does not freeze well due to the orzo, however without the orzo it freezes amazingly well. You could freeze without the orzo, then add it in fresh when re-heating.
