This Italian sausage spinach soup comes together easily all in one pot and is wonderfully hearty. It’s loaded with chunks of Italian sausage, creamy white beans, and lots of hearty vegetables to keep you full for hours. Ready in just 30 minutes, it’s fast enough for a busy weeknight or to prep ahead of time for easy lunches all week! {gluten-free friendly}
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Italian Sausage Soup with Spinach and White Beans
As soon as the temperature starts to drop, we’re officially in soup season. You can’t beat cozying up with a big bowl of steamy soup on a cold day!
This Italian sausage spinach soup is super comforting and incredibly hearty. Made with simple and healthy ingredients, it’s super easy to make, and the whole family will love it! Serve it with some crusty bread to mop up all of that delicious sauce.
If you’re looking for more recipes with sausage, be sure to check out my Turkey Sausage and Kale Soup and Crockpot Cabbage and Sausage Recipe.
Why We Love This Sausage Spinach Soup Recipe
- One pot recipe: I am a lover of all one-pot meals. Super easy prep and clean up is a breeze!
- High in protein: One bowl of this soup contains a whopping 27g of protein thanks to the sausage and the beans, which makes it super filling and satisfying.
- Loaded with veggies: This delicious has no shortage of fiber and nutrient-rich vegetables. With spinach, carrots and onions, it’s the perfect tasty way to meet your daily produce requirements!
- Family-friendly: It’s incredibly flavorful and a hit with both kids and adults!
- Make ahead: Soup is a great make ahead meal option and it freezes well too. It also uses mostly pantry staples, so it’s easy to throw together at the last minute.
Ingredient Notes
- Olive oil
- Italian sausage: Use ground sausage or remove the casing from whole sausage links and break up using a spoon when cooking. I like to use ground turkey sausage or another lean variety to keep this soup from being too heavy.
- Vegetables: I use garlic, onion, and carrots.
- Chicken broth: Look for a sodium-free chicken stock. Vegetable broth works great, too.
- Tomato sauce: I typically use the canned variety, but you can use homemade if you have some on hand.
- Pasta: If you can, try using whole-grain or fiber-fortified pasta for a healthier option. If necessary, you can also sub in a gluten-free pasta as well.
- Pasta sauce: Look for a lower sodium pasta sauce if possible. We used the kind in the jar.
- Cannellini beans: Choose no salt-added cannellini or white beans. Great Northern beans are a good option and easy to find in most grocery stores. Drain and rinse them well to further reduce sodium.
- Frozen or fresh spinach: I prefer to use baby spinach when using fresh. This recipe can be a great way to use up spinach that’s about to go bad! You can also use Swiss chard, kale, or another green.
- Salt and pepper
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1 – Heat oil in a large sauce pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and carrots and cook until onions are fragrant and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic in the last minute of cooking.
Step 2 – Add in ground sausage and cook until no longer pink, breaking it up with a spoon, for about 5 minutes. Drain off any fat.
Step 3 – Add in the tomato sauce and broth and stir. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover, and reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 4 – Add in the pasta, spinach and beans and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until pasta is cooked.
Expert Tips
- If you can find it, use ground sausage to cut down on prep time and avoid having to remove the casing from the sausage.
- I recommend using frozen spinach cubes or a block of frozen spinach in this soup. It’s very finely chopped and subtle so it works well even for family members who don’t love vegetables.
- If the soup has been sitting for a while, you may need to add extra broth since the pasta absorbs some of the liquid and thickens up the soup. If you’ll be making it far in advance, you may wish to cook the pasta separately and add it in right before serving.
Recipe FAQs
We like using spicy Italian sausage because it adds a nice kick of flavor and just the right amount of heat. If you don’t like spicy food, you can sub in a milder sausage such as regular Italian or another preferred sausage. Even turkey or chicken sausage would work!
It’s best to use elbow or another small pasta such as ditali or small pasta shells. I like to use whole grain pasta for some extra goodness, or you can use gluten-free if you have an intolerance.
Yes! To do so, brown the sausage in a pan. Add the sausage and the rest of ingredients (except the pasta) to your slow cooker and cook on the “low” setting for 6-8 hours. Add pasta the last 15 minutes of cooking and turn the heat to “high.” Serve warm.
How to Store
Refrigerator: Allow the soup cool to room temperature and then place in an airtight container. It will keep well in fridge for up to four days.
To freeze: This soup is such a great freezer meal! Once it has cooled, transfer it to an airtight container and it will keep frozen for up to three months. Thaw the soup in the fridge overnight before reheating.
To reheat: Place a portion of chilled soup in a pot on the stove top and cook over low heat. Slowly heat the soup through, while stirring every once in a while. Don’t reheat at too high of a heat, as the soup may stick to the bottom of the pan. You just need to warm it through.
You may also wish to add some extra broth to thin it out as it tends to thicken up the longer it sits.
Serving suggestions
This sausage and white bean soup is delicious on its own but also tastes amazing served with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
Turn it into a complete meal by adding a hunk of crusty bread on the side and a veggie-heavy side salad like these options:
- Kale Salad with Cranberries
- Cruciferous Crunch Salad
- Tossed Green Salad
- Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons
Recipe Variations
- Add potatoes: Instead of pasta, feel free to simmer diced potato cubes in the broth. They make this hearty soup extra satisfying and are an easy gluten-free option if required.
- Spike it up: Add a teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the broth to bring out the heat. You can also use hot Italian sausage!
- Make sausage tortellini soup: Instead of regular pasta, try using dried cheese tortellini and let it plump up in the hearty broth. So good!
- Use ground beef: If you don’t have sausage on hand or prefer a milder flavor, use regular ground beef or turkey and add 1-2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning for an herby flavor.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- No Ricotta Lasagna
- Sausage Tray Bake
- 3-Ingredient Tomato Soup
- Lazy Lasagna Soup
- Eggplant Parmesan without Egg
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Hearty Italian Sausage Spinach Soup
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb Italian sausage, casing removed (or purchase ground sausage)
- 3 cups tomato sauce
- 4-5 cups no salt-added chicken broth
- 1 cup whole-grain elbow pasta uncooked (or other preferred pasta)
- Half a box frozen spinach (or about 6 cups fresh)
- 1 can (19 oz) no-salt added cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add onions and carrots and cook until onions are fragrant and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic in the last minute of cooking.
- Add in ground sausage and cook until no longer pink, breaking it up with a spoon, for about 5 minutes. Drain off any fat.
- Add in the tomato sauce and broth and stir. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover, and reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add in the pasta, spinach and beans and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until pasta is cooked. Serve warm.
Notes
- If you can find it, use ground sausage to cut down on prep time and avoid having to remove the casing from the sausage.
- I recommend using frozen spinach cubes or a block of frozen spinach in this soup. It’s very finely chopped and subtle so it works well even for family members who don’t love vegetables.
- If the soup has been sitting for a while, you may need to add extra broth since the pasta absorbs some of the liquid and thickens up the soup.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in September 2020 and was updated in October 2024 to include more helpful tips and photos.
Love this recipe! It’s simple, tasty and high protein! I’ve made it several times and it’s always good and provides good leftovers!
Thanks Elysia!
So happy you’ve been enjoying the recipe! We love this one too :)