Italian White Bean Soup with Kale (Print Version)

Hearty Italian soup with spicy sausage, white beans, kale, and roasted garlic for rustic comfort in every bowl.

# Ingredient List:

→ 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, stems removed, leaves chopped

→ Beans

08 - 2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini 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

# Cooking Directions:

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 and mash into paste.
02 - Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking into pieces with spoon, cook 6-8 minutes until browned and cooked through. Remove with slotted spoon.
03 - Add remaining olive oil to pot, then add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté 6 minutes until softened.
04 - Stir in roasted garlic paste, thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook 1 minute until fragrant.
05 - Add beans, cooked sausage, chicken broth, and water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered 15 minutes.
06 - Stir in chopped kale and simmer 10-12 minutes until tender but vibrant.
07 - Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve hot, garnished with Parmesan, olive oil drizzle, and crusty bread.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than you'd expect: forty minutes from stovetop to bowl, mostly hands-off simmering.
  • The roasted garlic transforms everything: it's sweet, mellow, and makes the whole soup taste like it's been cooking for hours.
  • One pot means one mess: your Dutch oven does all the work while you can actually sit down for a minute.
  • It freezes beautifully: make a double batch and you'll have weeknight dinners solved for weeks.
02 -
  • Don't skip roasting the garlic: I tried making this with raw garlic once in a rush and it was sharp and one-dimensional compared to the roasted version's sweet complexity.
  • Rinse your beans: The starchy canning liquid will make your soup cloudy and the beans will turn to mush—a quick rinse changes everything.
  • Taste before you serve: This soup is forgiving but needs that final seasoning adjustment when you can actually taste all the components together.
03 -
  • Break your sausage into small pieces: Bite-sized pieces cook faster and distribute better through the soup than larger chunks.
  • Don't crowd your pot when browning the sausage: Give it space to actually brown instead of steam, which takes an extra minute but makes a huge difference in flavor.
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