Sausage and White Bean Soup

Name: Sausage and White Bean Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 400 g spicy Italian sausage ((close to 1 lb; 4 sausages. Remove casings if they have them and cut into 1/2 inch pieces)); 1 onion ((diced)); 2 garlic cloves ((minced)); 1/4 cup white wine; 2 carrots ((finely chopped)); 2 stalks celery ((finely chopped)); 5-6 cups chicken stock; 1 bay leaf; 1/2 cup orzo; 1 can white beans ((drained + rinsed; cannellini, great northern, or navy beans)); 1 teaspoon salt; Chopped parsley (to garnish)

February 24, 2020 by Denise 34 Comments

Home / Dinner / One Pot Meals / Sausage and White Bean Soup

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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 and 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

it’s a total flavor bomb and is so delicious!
it’s hearty and packed with protein to leave you feeling full
it cooks up in one pot quickly

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

Veggies– Make sure that you chop them very finely as we have a short cook time.
Sausages– if you can find sausage meat that is not in the casing, choose this. If you can only find sausage in a casing, that’s OK, simply cut the casing off and chop the sausage into 1/2 inch pieces.
Storage– the orzo in this soup does not keep as well as other soup recipes. It is fine to keep in the fridge for 2-3 days after cooking but I do not advise freezing (the orzo disintegrates). Alternatively you could freeze without the orzo and add it when you reheat (it cooks through very quickly)
Wine– I am not picky when it comes to the wine I use in soups. This recipe was tested with a cooking wine, but if you want to level it up, check out one of these 5 Best White Wines for Cooking

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!

This post was originally published in 2015. It has been tweaked, rephotographed and republished in 2020.

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5 from 3 votes