Tuscan White Bean Soup (Printable)

A hearty blend of Italian sausage, white beans, and fresh vegetables in a fragrant Tuscan broth.

# What You Need:

→ Meats

01 - 1 pound Italian sausage (mild or spicy), casings removed

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 medium carrots, diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 medium zucchini, diced
07 - 4 cups baby spinach
08 - 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes, undrained

→ Beans

09 - 2 cans (14 ounces each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

→ Broth & Liquids

10 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

→ Herbs & Spices

11 - 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
12 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
13 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
14 - 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
15 - ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
16 - Salt and black pepper to taste

→ Garnish

17 - Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
18 - Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

# How-To Steps:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add Italian sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned and cooked through, approximately 6–8 minutes. Remove excess fat if necessary.
02 - Add onion, carrots, and celery to the pot. Sauté until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add diced zucchini and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in diced tomatoes with their juices, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and red pepper flakes if using. Cook for 2 minutes.
04 - Add cannellini beans and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
05 - Stir in baby spinach and simmer for 2–3 minutes until wilted. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
06 - Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley if desired. Serve hot with crusty bread.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The sausage does most of the flavor work while you're still in your apron, making dinner feel effortless.
  • It's the kind of soup that tastes even better the next day, when the beans have absorbed all those herb-infused flavors.
  • One pot means one cleanup, and honestly, that's become my favorite kitchen shortcut.
02 -
  • Draining and rinsing your canned beans is the difference between soup that tastes fresh and soup that tastes like tin—I learned this the hard way by skipping this step once.
  • Low-sodium broth matters more than you'd think because regular broth can turn the finished soup into something one-dimensional and overly salty by the time the simmering is done.
03 -
  • Toast your dried herbs briefly in the hot oil before adding vegetables to unlock their deeper, more complex flavors.
  • The sausage doesn't need to be cooked completely alone—you can add your vegetables at the 5-minute mark if you're in a hurry, and they'll cook together beautifully.
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