White Bean, Sausage and Kale Soup is one of my favorite comfort foods! With creamy white beans, tender kale, and spicy sausage, it's a one pot meal with very little prep time, and a total time of less than an hour. Perfect for a busy weeknight or a lazy Sunday afternoon.
When you want to fill your home with a savory aroma that gets your mouth watering, this white bean soup is just the way to do it.
Ingredients you need for White Bean, Sausage and Kale Soup
The components of this soup recipe offer endless options. I recommend making it the first time as written it because, I promise, it's excellent. But when you make it again, you may want to use Italian sausage (or hot Italian sausage) instead of kielbasa, or other white beans, like Great Northern beans instead of Cannellini Beans (my favorite), or toss in more veggies. And instead of drizzling with olive oil, you may want to sprinkle on parmesan cheese instead. Make it your own!
Canned beans work well in this White Bean, Sausage and Kale Soup. But if you're up for it, how about cooking your own dry beans? They're economical and have a terrific texture.
I love to salt soak beans, cook them in the slow cooker, and bag them into 3-cup portions to store in the freezer. (You can find my method in this Tuscan White Bean Soup post). They freeze beautifully and come in handy for all kinds of recipes.
How to Make White Bean, Sausage and Kale Soup
Step 1: Brown kielbasa in olive oil in a soup pot; remove with a slotted spoon. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.
Step 2: Cook onion and carrot until softened; add garlic and stir 1 minute more.
Step 3: Add stock, crushed red pepper, thyme, bay leaf, and diced tomatoes with juice. Bring to boil. Stir in kale and cover. Let simmer 5 to 10 minutes, until kale is tender. Return sausage to soup; cook and stir until heated through.
Step 4: Stir in lemon juice. Serve finished with olive oil.
Recipe Video
White Bean, Sausage and Kale Soup
Ingredients
- 2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans or 3 cups cooked cannellini or Great Northern beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 12 ounces kielbasa or other smoked sausage, sliced ¼-inch thick
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 medium carrots diced, peeled if desired
- 5 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
- fine sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 8 cups chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 large bunch kale lacinato kale or curly kale, coarsely chopped, about 7 ounces
- 1 lemon juiced
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add sausage; cook and stir until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer sausage to clean plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat.
- Add onion and carrots to soup pot; season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until onion softens and is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute more.
- Add chicken stock, red pepper flakes, thyme, bay leaf, tomatoes with juice, and beans. Bring to boil, reduce heat. Stir in kale and cover; cook 5 to 10 minutes until kale is tender. Return sausage to soup; cook and stir until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in lemon juice; season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into serving bowls and serve finished with a swirl of olive oil.
I feel like I’m missing a step. Why does the cook time say 1 hr 30 min when the steps call for only about 20 minutes? And when do you put the sausage back in?
You're absolutely right, Katy! Thank you for asking about both of these - I've corrected the recipe. You should return the sausage to the soup at the end of step 3. The original cook time included cooking dry beans, but I updated the recipe using beans that are already cooked (either canned or home cooked).
I think the whole world want a cozy, nourishing and delicious comfort food right now. This beautiful soup checks all the boxes! And YUM! Stay well! 🙂 ~Valentina
I agree, Valentina! Thank you. xo
I love cooking beans from scratch, and there are so many beautiful varieties. Before my daughters left home, I made sure they knew how to cook beans, and they still do. They're so economical, as well. This is really crazy. I had to cancel a trip to visit my 92 year old mother for her birthday. I already lost almost $700. on the hotel cancellation, and to call capital one and deal with the flights supposedly takes hours of waiting time. pure craziness.
I'm so sorry you had to cancel your trip, Mimi. I feel really bad for your mom too. Such a difficult time...
And what you say about beans is so true - economical, delicious, and so versatile. 🙂
I love sausage in soup! Just a little bit of sausage goes a long way in terms of flavoring the entire soup. I'm totally on board with this recipe, Marissa! It sounds delicious. And our days are still a little chilly here in upstate New York, so a good bowl of soup for lunch would be quite welcomed!
So true, David. It just takes a little bit of sausage to give soup SO much flavor! Stay warm there in upstate NY!
I am in need of any and all heart-warming soups and meals right now, Marissa! It feels like such a crazy time we're living in. This would be just the ticket to calm the nerves 😉 Delicious!
I agree, Katherine! Thank you, my friend!
I absolutely adore the flavours in this beautiful soup - what a lovely combination! This is my kind of comfort food.
Thank you so much, Alexandra!
I absolutely love a good, cozy white bean soup and this one looks seriously delicious!!! I love the kale and sausage in here!! Comforting and hearty, but nutritious at the same time! Doesn't get any better than that! I can just imagine how delicious this makes your house smell too!!! It's supposed to be icky and rainy all weekend, so I'm thinking this would hit the spot! Pinned! I'm excited to try this!
Thanks, Cheyanne! It's supposed to snow here this weekend, so, yes! Comforting hearty soups are on the menu.
I am so hungry right now and need some of this soup! 🙂
Wish I could send some your way, Melissa!