Italian White Bean Soup with Kale and Sausage (Printable)

Hearty soup with Italian sausage, white beans, kale, and roasted garlic for a comforting meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meats

01 - 1 lb spicy Italian sausage, casings removed

→ Vegetables

02 - 2 tbsp olive oil
03 - 1 large yellow onion, diced
04 - 2 medium carrots, diced
05 - 2 celery stalks, diced
06 - 6 cloves garlic, peeled
07 - 1 bunch Tuscan kale (about 6 oz), stems removed, leaves chopped

→ Beans

08 - 2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans or Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

→ Liquids

09 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
10 - 1 cup water

→ Herbs & Seasonings

11 - 1 tsp dried thyme
12 - 1 tsp dried oregano
13 - 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
14 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Garnish

15 - Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
16 - Extra virgin olive oil
17 - Crusty bread for serving

# How to make it:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Place garlic cloves on foil, drizzle with olive oil, wrap, and roast for 20 minutes until soft and golden. Cool, then mash into paste.
02 - Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking apart with spoon, and cook until browned and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside.
03 - Add remaining olive oil to pot, then add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté until softened, approximately 6 minutes.
04 - Stir in mashed roasted garlic, thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
05 - Add beans, cooked sausage, chicken broth, and water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
06 - Stir in chopped kale and continue simmering for 10-12 minutes until kale is tender but vibrant.
07 - Taste soup and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as desired.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with Parmesan cheese, drizzle of olive oil, and crusty bread if desired.

# Recipe Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like you've been simmering it all day even though it's ready in under an hour, which means you can actually eat dinner before nine o'clock.
  • The roasted garlic becomes this silky secret ingredient that makes people ask what makes it taste so good, and you get to smile mysteriously while you ladle.
  • It's naturally gluten-free and satisfying enough to be a complete meal, so you're not scrambling for sides while your guests are already reaching for thirds.
02 -
  • Don't skip roasting the garlic—I learned this the hard way by trying to rush with minced raw garlic, and it tastes sharp and aggressive instead of the mellow sweetness that makes this soup special.
  • Rinsing your canned beans actually changes the texture of the broth; I ignored this once and ended up with something that felt gluey rather than clean and brothy.
03 -
  • Toast that crusty bread lightly under the broiler so it gets crispy edges instead of dissolving into mush the moment it touches the hot broth.
  • Save the Parmesan rind from your block of cheese and add it while the soup simmers—it dissolves into umami gold, and you can fish it out before serving.
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