Tuscan White Bean Soup

This Tuscan White Bean Soup is made with sautéed carrots, onion and celery plus white beans, Italian sausage and kale in a flavourful, creamy tomato-flavoured broth. It is a cozy, hearty meal that’s perfect with some crusty bread for dunking! I love using Canadian beans in this White Bean Soup because they are economical and provide great bang-for-your-buck nutrition-wise. Our kids love them and I know they’re getting everything they need for a busy week!

Blogger Partner: Ashley of The Recipe Rebel

Ashley is a high school teacher turned food blogger who loves finding new ways to get dinner on the table -- with as few dishes as possible! She's big on easy, nourishing meals and believes that there's always room in a recipe for your own creative twist.

Prep Time:
15 minutes
Cook Time:
25 minutes
Total Time:
40 minutes
Yield:
6

Ingredients

¾ lb ground Italian sausage (375 grams) mild or spicy

3 large carrots (peeled and sliced)

2 ribs celery (sliced)

1 medium onion (finely chopped)

3 tablespoons tomato paste

4 cloves garlic (finely minced)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried parsley

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional — will add spice)

5 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 cans white kidney beans (540 ml or 19 oz each)

2 cups fresh, chopped kale

½ cup heavy cream or evaporated milk

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 teaspoon granulated sugar optional

Instructions

  1. Heat a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the sausage and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned.
  3. Add carrots, celery and onion and cook over medium-high heat until onion is softened and beginning to brown, about 4-5 minutes. (if there’s still a lot of excess fat after this point, you can dab some up with a paper towel if you prefer)
  4. Add the tomato paste, garlic, salt, thyme, oregano, parsley, pepper and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute.
  5. Add broth and scrape the bottom of the pan to release any stuck on bits.
  6. Drain and rinse the beans. Add them to the soup and bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer until vegetables are tender.
  7. Stir in kale, cream and parmesan. Taste and add sugar if needed (it balances out the acidity of the tomato paste) and serve.

Notes

Ingredients and Substitutions:

  • Italian sausage: Italian sausage adds a ton of flavor! Feel free to swap for Italian turkey or chicken sausage for a lighter option or omit for a meatless version.
  • Tomato paste: I love the flavor tomato paste adds (faintly but not overly tomato-y), but you can skip if you prefer or if you have allergies.
  • Chicken broth: I always choose low or no-sodium broth and add salt as needed. Feel free to swap this for vegetable broth if desired.
  • Kale: Kale is loaded with nutrition, but if you don’t enjoy it you can easily swap for spinach — just be sure to stir it in before serving.
  • Cream or milk: Cream adds a touch of richness without being overpowering. For a lighter option, you can use evaporated milk. If you prefer, you can stir in 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with the milk for a thicker soup.

Make it vegetarian: to make this soup vegetarian, skip the sausage and sauté the veggies in oil. Choose vegetable broth over chicken broth and choose a vegetarian cheese (or omit).

Make it dairy-free: You can omit the cream and cheese or add in non-dairy options.

Nutrition

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