Bringing you this creamy, rich Sausage, Kale, and White Bean Soup! Herby Italian sausage, kale, smoky paprika, creamy beans and potatoes, and a splash of cream. This is a must-make for soup season!
Sausage, Kale, and White Bean Soup
Featured comment
Fantastic recipe! Made it for my family and they loved it. Ate with some fresh bread. I added some lemon zest and lemon juice and that really gave it a nice zing.
Annilyn
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- Why I Love This Recipe
- Visual Walk-Through of the Recipe
- Video
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Ratings
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This Sausage Kale Soup Is A Dream
This soup is rich, and savory and oh-so satisfying with herby Italian sausage, kale for days, and soft buttery little cannellini.
Everything gets thickened up a little, giving it kind of a stewier feel. We added a little smoky paprika, and a squeeze of lemon juice at the end, and we have not one single regret about any of it!
Except that maybe it is hard to eat soup and type at the same time right now but listen, we are not engineers. Someone else solve that problem, please.
This velvety, cozy little gal is definitely a richer, creamier jaunt from a more traditional zuppa toscana (think more the beloved Olive Garden, maybe less actual Tuscan countryside), but who are we to not take the richer, creamier path?!
There is no bacon in this recipe and you will not miss it, because everything still has a smoky bacon-y kind of taste thanks to the smoked paprika which we fully appreciate! It’s really creamy and a little stewier with the bigger chunks of tender potato and veg, brothy beans, and crumbly sausage, but not too dense. That little extra thickness in there actually makes it AN IDEAL CANDIDATE for soup dippers, which we can never get enough of. Dippers + Us forever.
Like maybe a swoop of parmesan garlic bread if you don’t mind dairy on dairy (we never do). Crispy peppery croutons sound like an actual dream? They are!
Soup on, friends.
How To Make This Sausage Kale Soup
Thanks to easy ingredients and minimal prep, it’s not going to be long before you can start gobbling a bowl of this cozy, creamy, herby goodness.
- Sauté onion and garlic until fragrant, brown the sausage.
- Add the smoked paprika and flour.
- Slowly add broth and stir to thicken.
- Add potatoes and cook until tender.
- Beans, kale, simmer.
- Stir in half and half, some salt and pepp to taste, and a squeeze of lemon juice for brightness.
Looking like something is calling to be dipped through that? You’re right. Assemble the carbs!
Ways To Cook This Soup
Another check in the champion box for this recipe is that there are so many ways for it to make its way to your dinner table depending on your mood.
- If you want to fill up your evening with warm cozy smells, put it on the stovetop.
- If you know the day ahead of you is long and you want to come home to something wonderful, it works in the slow cooker, too.
- Is it suddenly 6:30 pm and your staring-at-the-kitchen-wall break was interrupted when you turned around to find your family staring at you with those “Haalp! Dinner?” eyes? Instant Pot it is!
We know the colder weather is ahead of us. We know the days are getting shorter and the sunshine is sneaking away and the possibility of another complicated season is in the back of our heads. But there are oh-so many good feelings too, as we pull out our favorite sweatshirts and best soft blankets and heaviest pots and deepest ladles. May soup save us all.
Sausage, Kale, and White Bean Soup: FAQs
Can I freeze this soup?
You can! You may need to add a bit more liquid to it if it becomes too thick, but it freezes wonderfully.
How can I make this soup vegetarian-friendly?
You could add in some mild or spicy veggie “meal” crumbles and use veg broth to make it totally vegetarian. Or you could even just omit the meat entirely to make it a white bean/kale soup.
Can this be made gluten-free?
Yes, just omit the flour or replace with cornstarch.
Can this be made in the Instant Pot?
Yes! Sauté your onions, garlic, and sausage in a bit of oil until soft and fragrant. Add in the spices, broth, and potatoes. Seal the lid and set the cook time to 3 minutes with 10 minutes of natural pressure release. Stir in the kale, beans, and heavy cream.
Can this be made in a slow cooker?
Sure can! Follow steps 1-2 on the stove, and then add to a slow cooker with broth and potatoes. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours. Add kale and white beans and let them warm and soften. Then add half and half to finish it off!
Sausage, Kale, and White Bean Soup
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Bringing you this creamy, rich Sausage, Kale, and White Bean Soup! Herby Italian sausage, kale, smoky paprika, creamy beans and potatoes, and a splash of cream. This is a must-make for soup season!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 3–4 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage (mild or hot)
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
- 1–2 tablespoons flour (optional, makes it a bit thicker)
- 5 cups chicken broth
- one 15-ounce can of cannellini beans
- 4 medium potatoes, diced (any kind of potato will work)
- 2 stalks kale, ribs removed, chopped
- 3/4 cup heavy cream (can sub half and half)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
- freshly ground black pepper and lemon juice
Instructions
- Onions, Garlic, and Sausage: Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic; sauté for 10 minutes or until very soft and fragrant. Add the sausage and cook until browned. Drain out excess grease.
- Spices: Add the smoked paprika and flour; sauté for one minute.
- Veggies: Add broth, a little at a time. Add potatoes; bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add kale and white beans and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
- Finish: Add half and half, salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. VOILA!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: sausage soup, sausage and kale soup, sausage and bean soup
More Creamy Soups To Carry You Through Soup Season
- Ang’s Creamy Tortellini Soup (creamy and cozy)
- Creamy Mushroom Soup (earthy mushrooms in a velvetty broth? yes!!)
- Basic + Awesome Creamy Potato Soup (a yummy classic)
- Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup (so good with or without chicken added in)
Time To Show You Off!
Filed Under: All Recipes Dinner Fall Instant Pot Kale Legume Main Dishes Meat and Chicken Soups Stovetop The Soup Series
October 11, 2021
Created By The POY Team
Lindsay Ostrom
Recipe Developer
Emily Caruso
Videographer
Eman Kemp
Editorial
Rita Boersma
Writer
I love that there are so many ways to make this soup! I usually do stove top, but there are days when that’s just never going to happen and you need a flexible recipe.
Agreed, Janet! Hope you enjoy!
Fantastic recipe! Made it for my family and they loved it. Ate with some fresh bread. I added some lemon zest and lemon juice and that really gave it a nice zing.
So glad it was a hit!
Made this tonight with lean ground pork and Italian seasoning, and used light cream cheese instead of cream. It was delicious! So glad there are leftovers. Thank you Pinch of Yum for posting!
I plan on making this but I wish more recipe blogs would provide the amount of each serving. We either have to guess or measure out a pot of soup to decipher a serving size. Very frustrating.
This looks so warm and comforting, yet easy to make! Been loving your soup series, I can’t wait to try this recipe for myself.
Enjoy, Jessica!
I made this recently, omitting the heavy cream. Instead, I kept out one cup of broth and pureed one-half can of (drained, rinsed) cannelini beans in that. I also added the rest of the whole beans to the soup. The flavor and texture were perfect! This is a new favorite!
I wasn’t sure how I’d like this, but was looking for something different. It was absolutely delicious! Even my child loved it. I did add carrots & used Italian turkey sausage. I will try a few variations based off comments next time just for fun. Highly recommend!
The soup was delicious. I didn’t have heavy cream so I left it out. I will add it next time I make it! Thank you for the recipe…
You’re welcome, Nati! Glad you enjoyed it!
This looks amazing! Do you have directions for the slow cooker? If not, I’ll be making it on the stove, looks so good! Thanks!
Hi Emily! We don’t have slow cooker instructions at the moment. Enjoy!
This looks amazing! Can you make suggestions for making it gluten and dairy free? Can’t wait to try it!
Hello Jeanne! You can add 2 tbsp. of cornstarch or white rice flour to cold non-dairy substitute such as coconut or oat milk and add it at the end, let it simmer a little until it is thickened to your desire. If it is not thick enough, add a little more cornstarch or white rice flour a tsp at a time to a couple tbsp. of cold non-dairy substitute and repeat the simmering process. It should only take a few minutes to thicken.
Thanks for the guidance, Emily!
Hi Jeanne! You could leave out the flour and cream, and it’d still be delicious! If you wanted a substitute for the flour, a gluten free flour blend would probably work well! For a cream substitute, you could try a non-dairy milk or cashew cream.
Thanks so much for all the suggestions! I’m using the original recipe, but was thinking of making it for another family who is gluten and dairy (and nut) free. Thanks again for sharing!
I’m trying in the slow cooker today, based off directions for a similar recipe I found. I am cooking everything besides the cream and kale for 6-8 hours on low. Then will add the kale for 45 min or so, and stir in the cream and lemon juice at the very end. In the crockpot right now, so we’ll see! 😀
Update, it turned out fabulously as described in my comment above!
I love the idea of this soup, but I have a question. Is there anything I can use to replace the potatoes? Potatoes make my blood sugars spike and if I can avoid it, I do. Thank you.
I’m adding some cauliflower to mine! I did include potato, just not as many so I could use up some cauliflower sitting in my fridge.
You could try cauliflower!
Can you freeze this?
You can! You may need to add a bit more liquid to it if it becomes too thick, but it freezes wonderfully.
Soooo good!! Added some carrots just because I had them and some Parmesan on top once finished cooking. My husband said “I’m not usually a soup guy but man that’s good”! Thank you!!!
So glad to hear it, Sarah!
Yummy! Your Instant Pot recipe doesn’t include beans- could I use dry beans? Thanks!
Made this in Instant Pot tonight and it was perfect! My husband and I loved this cozier, stew-ier version of one of our favorite Olive Garden soups. We used hot Italian sausage, and it added just the right amount of heat! Especially enjoyed the addition of the cannellini beans. Your recipes never disappoint 🙂
Hi Tifani,
I’m guessing that you followed the recipe for the first two steps, but then how long did you pressure cook it in your instant pot? I was going to make this soup this week and in the instant pot would make it simpler. Best,
Was delicious! Did some tweaks;
1. Made a roux with butter and flour and milk to have thickened sauce w/ out cream to decrease calories (Plus did not have cream).
2. Added more Kale. 3. Added turkey sausage. With all changes was delicious and less calories; but I am sure making as it is would have been great too.
Glad to hear it was a hit! Thanks for the comment, Tifani!
This recipe looks great! Wondering if it would be good using ground chicken instead of sausage?
Absolutely!
I made this tonight for my family. The perfect soup on a cool Alaskan fall night. Couldn’t find the beans (did I mention I live in Alaska?) so I used great Northern beans. Otherwise, I made as written.
Oh.. My.. Gosh. It’s so very very very very good. Even as a family who doesn’t love Kale, we loved this soup.
We’ll definitely be adding this to our soup rotation.
So glad it was a hit!
So good! I used one russet potato with the skin on and 12oz of cauliflower for the rest of the potatoes to vary the veggies a bit and balance the carbs. We also upped the kale to use up what we had on hand, and added some sliced grape tomatoes for garnish to use those up as well. AND because I only had 12oz turkey sausage, I used 4oz of a cooked chopped chicken breast to make up for the rest of the protein.
The story here is that the recipe is a great base for what you have on hand! Will definitely be saving this one!
Great idea to add sub in cauliflower!
Lightlife makes a vegan sausage that tastes amazing and you brown and crumble it just like the real deal. Sold nationally in grocery stores, usually in the produce section next to tofu.
Love this recommendation. Thanks!
This is a real winner! It really warms the soul. So easy & delicious!
Thanks so much for the review, Jen!
Loved this soup and adding it to my winter rotation. Really loved the smoked paprika, you shouldn’t make it an optional ingredient, it added extra depth to the flavor. Used Half and Half instead of heavy cream to cut some calories out and didn’t add the lemon because I wasn’t sure how it would act with the cream and I didn’t want to risk ruining it! Next time I’m going to add two cans of the beans instead of one to make it more of a bean soup, but its a really delicious recipe!
Thanks so much for the feedback, Jill! We’re so glad you enjoyed the soup!
Made this tonight! Easy and delicious. Made just as the recipe said except subbed spinach for the kale.
Just my personal preference.
So glad you enjoyed it!
I made this today, and it is delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Looking forward to warm, homemade lunches all week. I added nearly the whole bunch of kale, since I love it, and the soup still seemed a good balance of veggies and sausage.
So glad you enjoyed it, Alice!
Veganized this w vegan sausage, oat based creamer, and veggie stock. Added some mushrooms to the onion sauté as well Bc I love them so. Absolutely delish. Smoked paprika is fabulous in this dish.
So glad you were able to make this soup vegan!
We made this delicious soup for a dinner party last night and everyone wanted the recipe! We used baby red potatoes. It’s a keeper for the cooler season 💛
Going to make this but with vegan sausage, soy milk, and veggie broth! Making peruano beans in the instantpot tonight and plan on using them in this recipe. If anyone is interested in the end result I’ll let you know! Or if anyone has tips for veganizing the recipe let me know!
Soup-er good! Added some cayenne flakes because I had sweet Italian sausage and it was delish! Thanks Lindsay!
You’re so welcome, Sarah! Glad you enjoyed it!
I made this last night and it’s a new favorite! I had one go-to soup recipe last year that I made a lot but I think this might replace it! So much flavor and not too hard to make. My husband had thirds 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
Glad to hear it was a hit, Gretchen!
So much yum! Veganized it with veg broth, cashew cream, and Lightlife sausage. Cozy, comforting, and hearty!
Glad to hear it, Jessa!
Do you drain the beans?
Yes, drain the beans!
This soup 🙌
So delicious and my hubby and I loved it.
Made with sweet potato, vegan sausage and coconut milk.
A definite keeper.
Thank you 🙏
One of my favorite soups I’ve ever made – and I make a LOT of soup, so that’s saying a lot! My only modification was I used 1.5 lbs of ground sausage and also subbed a bag of spinach for kale. This was so simple yet had so much flavor. Definitely a new household favorite!
So glad you enjoyed it, Anna!
Hello,
How long would you put it in the instant pot if frozen?
Thank you and love your blog!
Maybe a minute or two longer!