This homemade Italian sausage spinach soup is one of those rare recipes that has it all – ready in 30 minutes, easy one pot recipe, loaded with veggies and fiber, plus it contains 27 grams of protein per serving. You will 100% be making this one on repeat! {Gluten-free friendly}
Table of Contents
Italian Sausage Soup with Spinach and White Beans
It’s official – we’re in the heart of soup season! Soups actually make the perfect meal since they often contain protein, grains/starches, and veggies, plus all the broth provides a lasting sense of fullness.
And this recipe in particular? Family-approved! My kids love sopping up the tomato broth with crusty bread, and honestly, they don’t even notice they’re eating lots of veggies and greens!
This is one of my favorite high-protein soup recipes, and is on repeat in our meal planning rotation.
If you’re looking for more recipes with sausage, be sure to check out my Turkey Sausage Kale Soup and Crockpot Cabbage and Sausage Recipe.
Before You Make This Sausage Spinach Soup
This is a super simple recipe and you can easily use pantry staples, so please don’t overthink it!
If you can find it, use ground sausage to cut down on prep time and avoid having to remove the casing from the sausage. We usually use turkey sausage to keep things a little leaner.
I recommend looking for whole-grain or fiber-enriched pasta to increase the fiber. This is a super easy way to make a simple meal even more satiating!
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.
Key Ingredient Notes
- Italian sausage: Use ground sausage or remove the casing from whole sausage links and break up using a spoon when cooking.
- Dry pasta: Feel free to use your favorite pasta shape and brand. This is an easy way to accommodate dietary preferences, like using gluten-free pasta.
- 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 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.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Step 1 – Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and carrots and sauté until the onions are soft, fragrant, and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Add the garlic during the final minute of cooking, stirring constantly so it becomes fragrant without burning.
- Step 2 – Add the ground sausage to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon as it browns, until no pink remains. If there’s excess grease, carefully drain it off to keep the soup from becoming too oily.
- Step 3 – Pour in the tomato sauce and broth, stirring to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let it simmer for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
- Step 4 – Stir in the pasta, spinach, and beans. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning as needed—adding extra salt, pepper, or spices to suit your preference.
Slow Cooker Version
Want to let this soup cook low and slow all day? There are just a couple of little changes to make.
First, 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 stovetop 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.
For quicker reheating, you can always pop it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.
Feel free to add extra broth to thin it out as it tends to thicken up the longer it sits.
Serving Suggestions
For serving, I like to add some freshly grated parmesan cheese and some herbs, like basil or parsley. They really make everything pop!
To make it into a more robust meal, feel free to add a hunk of crusty bread on the side and a veggie-heavy side salad like my favorite Kale Salad with Cranberries or a healthier Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons.
Both are great choices, but again, this is a meal in a bowl. No extra sides necessary!
Recipe Variations
- Add potatoes: Instead of pasta, feel free to simmer diced red potatoes cubes in the broth.
- Spike it up: Add a teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the broth or substitute spicy Italian sausage.
- Change up the greens: Instead of spinach, feel free to use baby kale, Swiss chard, or collard greens. Any type of leafy green will do!
- 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 Healthy Soup Recipes
- 3-Ingredient Tomato Soup
- Lazy Lasagna Soup
- Hearty Italian White Bean Soup
- Beef Alphabet Soup
- Healthy Crockpot Stuffed Pepper Soup
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
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 reduced-sodium 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. The text and formatting were updated again in February 2026.
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 :)