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This easy WHITE BEAN SOUP with smoked sausage is an easy dinner recipe that only needs a handful of simple ingredients, is full of flavor, and always has everyone asking for seconds! The perfect hearty comfort dish you’ll want to make all year-round.

It’s cold outside and we’re warming up in the kitchen with all of our favorite soups like Slow Cooker Taco Soup, Lasagna Soup, Roasted Tomato Soup and French Onion Soup.

a bowl of bean soup with a spoon and bread

Why We Love White Bean Soup

This white bean soup is light, but hearty and loaded with creamy white beans, smoked sausage, fresh vegetables, and herbs!  This is a wonderful healthy dinner to make a part of your dinner rotation!

I don’t know about you, but I love a little smoky flavor in my food! It’s one of the reasons why I love this soup – a pinch of paprika and smoked sausage provide the perfect touch of savory, smoky flavor that is absolutely mouthwatering! 

Healthy, filling, and SO delicious. What more could you ask for in a soup? I’ve been making this soup recipe for years, and every time I do, I know the whole family’s going to be happy. It’s just one of those comfort dishes that you never get sick of! After you make a big batch of this smoky, flavorful soup, you’ll see what I mean.

bean soup on a spoon over a bowl of soup

Ingredients Needed To Make This Bean Soup

  • olive oil
  • smoked sausage, sliced into medallions
  • carrots, sliced or diced
  • garlic
  • dried oregano
  • ground black pepper
  • fresh thyme
  • Great Northern Beans
  • chicken stock
  • fresh spinach
  • smoked paprika
  • shredded Parmesan or Asiago cheese (optional)

how to make bean soup photo collage

How To Make Easy White Bean Soup

(this is an overview of the recipe. The full printable recipe is at the end of this post.

The prep time for this recipe is only 30 minutes, and the cooking time is an additional 30. That gives you the perfect amount of time to slice up and warm some French bread on the side

  1. Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Brown the sausage slices, then remove and set aside.
  2. Sauté carrots, garlic, oregano, pepper, and thyme in the same pan for a few minutes.
  3. Add the sausage back in, along with any juices. Stir in beans and broth, lightly mash some beans to thicken, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
  4. Season with salt and smoked paprika. Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes.
  5. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted. Serve with Parmesan or Asiago cheese.
two bowls of bean soup with crusty bread on the side

Cannellini Beans or Great Northern Beans

You can use either Cannellini beans (aka white kidney beans) or Great Northern Beans for this white bean soup recipe.  Both beans are white and have a similar taste.

Cannellini Beans are the largest white beans and have a traditional kidney bean shape, with an earthy nutty flavor to them.  While Great Northern Beans are a little smaller and firmer. They have a delicate nutty flavor and tend to take on the flavor of whatever they are cooked with, like the smoked sausage in this white bean soup recipe.

ladle full of bean soup over the pot of soup

Storage Suggestions

How long will this soup stay fresh? In an airtight container in the fridge, this smokey soup will stay fresh for 3-4 days. While it can be easily reheated in the microwave, I prefer using the stovetop to heat it back up! It’s an easy way to make sure the beans and carrots don’t become too mushy, which can sometimes happen in the microwave. 

Can this soup be frozen? Yes, it most certainly can be frozen! It’ll stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months if placed in an airtight container. When you’re ready to serve it, you can put the frozen soup right back into the pot and reheat on low until it’s thawed out. Then, just increase the heat and stir often until it’s ready. 

Substitutions and Variations

  • Swap out the smoked sausage for smoked turkey sausage, bacon, or ground Italian sausage.
  • Skip the meat and add more veggies to make this white bean soup vegetarian.
  • Add more veggies, like celery, shallots, zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms kale
  • For a thicker soup, puree about 1 cup of the beans. Simply pour about 1 cup of beans (with its liquid) into a blender and purée until smooth. 
  • Add a little heat with a pinch of red pepper flakes
  • For a creamier soup add 1/3 cup of heavy cream or half and half
bean soup in bowl

What To Serve With White Bean Soup

two white bowls full of bean soup

Originally post October 2013. UPDATED February 2021. We spiffed up this post with more info and better pictures! No changes to the original recipe.

bean soup in bowl

White Bean Soup

Yield: 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

This easy WHITE BEAN SOUP with smoked sausage is an easy dinner recipe that only needs a handful of simple ingredients, is full of flavor, and always has everyone asking for seconds! The perfect hearty comfort dish you'll want to make all year-round.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 13 ounces smoked sausage, sliced into medallions
  • 1 cup carrot, sliced or diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 2 (15.8 ounce) cans [BUSH’S® Great Northern Beans, drained
  • 2-3 cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped or 12 ounces frozen, thawed and squeezed to drain
  • pinch of Smoked paprika
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan or Asiago cheese (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 4-quart saucepan or dutch-oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage medallions and cook, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer sausage to a plate.
  2. Heat remaining oil in same pan. Cook carrots, garlic, oregano, black pepper and thyme sprigs about 5 minutes; stir often.
  3. Return sausage (and any juices) to pan. Add beans and broth and cook on medium-low heat, crushing a few beans with the back of a spoon to thicken sauce, until slightly thickened, 8-10 minutes.
  4. Season with salt and smoked paprika. Cover and simmer 30 minutes over low heat.
  5. Add spinach and cook just until wilted, about 2 minutes.
  6. Serve topped with cheese, if desired.

Notes

  • for a thicker broth, pour one cup of beans (with its liquid) into a blender and purée until smooth. Add with remaining beans in step 3.
  • use less broth if you prefer it to be 'more stew-like' and more broth if you prefer it to be more 'soup like' 

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 423Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 1090mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 22g

Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin, and freshness of ingredients used.

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© TidyMom
Cuisine: American / Category: Main Dish
a bowl of soup with a spoon full of soup

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