Description
A hearty and delicious soup made with white beans, Italian sausage, and fresh vegetables.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups dried white beans
- 6 cups chicken broth, plus added water as needed
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried marjoram (or oregano)
- 1 tsp ground fennel
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 19 oz. pkg. Italian Sausage
- 2 cups diced zucchini
- fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tsp hot pepper flakes (or less)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (or less)
Instructions
- Soak dried beans overnight, or all day while you’re at work.
- Drain soaked beans, rinse, and remove any loose skins or broken pieces.
- Place beans in soup pot with chicken stock, chopped onion, dried basil, dried marjoram or oregano, ground fennel, and minced garlic and cook at a low simmer about one hour, or until beans are starting to get tender. Check by tasting.
- While beans cook, preheat oven or toaster oven to 400F/200C. Roast turkey sausage about 25-35 minutes, until well browned and firm, or heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan and brown sausage well on all sides.
- Remove sausages from roasting pan or frying pan, then deglaze pan with 1/2 cup water, scraping off the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and add to soup.
- Cut sausage in half lengthwise, and then into slices and add to soup.
- Continue to simmer on low, adding a little water if the soup is starting to get too thick.
- Wash zucchini, trim both ends, cut in half lengthwise and then into 1/2 inch slices.
- When beans are soft and close to being done, add chopped zucchini, black pepper, and hot pepper flakes and simmer 30-45 minutes more.
- When beans are fully softened and cooked, add chopped fresh basil or frozen basil and cook 5 minutes more.
- Serve the White Bean Sausage Soup hot. This will keep for several days in the refrigerator and also freezes well.
Notes
- Soak beans overnight for best results.
- Adjust the amount of hot pepper flakes based on your spice preference.
- Feel free to substitute fresh basil with dried if needed.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: soup
- Method: simmering
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 10g
- Protein: 20g
- Cholesterol: 50mg