White Bean, Sausage and Kale Soup Recipe
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I’m a sucker for meatball soups so this white bean sausage and kale soup had my name written all over it! It’s wholesome comfort food y’all, plus it’s totally easy to make. Fall is soup season in our house. There’s something so cozy about having a pot of soup on the stove as the leaves change color and the air becomes crisp.
It’s been kind of a weird baking week – baking is fun but it’s also a science that requires plenty of testing. Plus I’m terribly stubborn and don’t quit easily. Flops can be a real bummer (particularly when you’ve spent an entire day making a glorious looking cake only to cut into a crumbly disaster. In the midst of my moping and being sprawled out on the sofa, I was flipping through an issue of Food Network Magazine (one of my favorite subscriptions) when I spotted Giada’s “House” Soup and I was like – YEEES!
I had some comparable ingredients in the fridge and after making it twice this week, I couldn’t resist sharing it with you :). I like the idea of using raw sausages instead of cooked because you can slice them into fuss-free meatballs and they infuse the soup with wonderful flavor. And the parmesan – don’t skip it. Hunky husband – loved it! 🙂
Ingredients for Sausage and Kale Soup:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb Raw Johnsonville brats Original Sausages, sliced into 1/2″ thick rings
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large tomato, diced
2 medium carrots, sliced into rings
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 can (15 oz) white beans with their juice (or make your own)
8 cups low sodium chicken broth/stock
4 medium kale leaves, ribs removed and coarsely chopped
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Grated parmesan to garnish and serve
How to Make White Bean Sausage and Kale Soup:
1. Heat a large heavy bottomed pot over med/high heat and add 2 Tbsp olive oil. Use a sharp knife to slice sausage, add to hot oil and saute 5 minutes or until golden brown. I left the sausage skins on because it held the easy “meatballs” together, but you can peel it off if you prefer and just have clumps of sausage meat which would still taste great!
2. Add diced onions and sauté another 3 minutes. Add carrots and tomatoes and sauté another 5 minutes until softened.
3. Add garlic and stir until fragrant (1 min) then add 8 cups chicken broth and bring to a boil.
4. Toss in beans and kale and cook until kale is tender (5 min). Season to taste with salt and pepper (I added 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper) then remove from heat.
White Bean Sausage and Kale Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb Raw Johnsonville brats Original Sausages, sliced into 1/2" thick rings
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 large or 2 medium ripe tomatos, diced
- 2 medium carrots, sliced into rings
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 can, 15 oz white beans with their juice (or make your own)
- 8 cups low sodium chicken broth/stock
- 4 medium kale leaves, ribs removed and coarsely chopped
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
- Grated parmesan to garnish and serve
Instructions
- Heat a large heavy bottomed pot over med/high heat and add 2 Tbsp olive oil. Slice sausages and add to hot oil and saute 5 minutes or until golden brown.
- Add diced onions and sauté another 3 minutes. Add carrots and tomatoes and sauté another 5 minutes until softened.
- Add garlic and stir until fragrant (1 min) then add 8 cups chicken broth and bring to a boil.
- Toss in beans and kale and cook until kale is tender (5 min). Season to taste with salt and pepper (I added 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper) then remove from heat. Serve garnished with parmesan cheese.
Notes
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Enjoy with plenty of grated parmesan and toasted crusty bread. What’s your favorite Fall food?
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Wow! Amazingly delicious! I love that your recipes use items I almost always have on hand. The only thing I subbed was red kidney beans for white beans. This was the perfect soup for an unseasonably cool and rainy Sunday here on the Pacific Northwest coast.
Hello Elizabeth, great to hear from you, and thanks so much for your good feedback and review.We’re so glad you love it!
Delicious!! This soup came out so flavorful and hearty without being too heavy. I will be making this one a lot this winter! Thank you for your wonderful recipes, they always come out amazing!
Thank you so much I truly appreciate that! We love this one!
This soup was absolutely delicious! I will definitely make it again! Thank you Natasha for another winning recipe!
Flavorful and delicious, will be making this again. Thank you
Hi Cora, I’m so happy you enjoyed the soup.
Hi Natasha. Thank you for this recipe. I’ve made it 3 times, this last time being a double batch.
How long do you think it lasts in the fridge?
Hi Dan, I would store covered in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. I’m so glad you love the recipe!
This is one of my favorites!
I always rinse the beans so I did this time as well.
What a great find!!
I’m glad that you loved this recipe! Thanks for your fantastic review and I hope you love every recipe that you try.
Love this! I did as written except I rinsed the beans instead of using the water from the can
I have tried a few of your recipes and so far I have not been disappointed. Thank you!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Vesna. I’m all smiles!
This soup is the bomb🙌🏻 My new favorite 😍 thank you for the recipe Natasha😘
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it Galina!
From one Natasha’s kitchen to another this soup is fabulous! I used veg broth with the sausage ( it’s a weird mixing of the meats thing lol) .. also added alot more kale and another can of white beans and added left over butter but squash …thanks for sharing !
Hey, nice name 😉 Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Natasha!! I’m so happy you enjoyed that.
Hi Natasha, The thing I love about your recipes is that they always WORK. They have clear instructions, they are always delicious, they are easy, and the ingredients I have on hand or are easy to find in any grocery store. I tried this delicious soup, Pasta e Fagioli, Zuppa Toscana. My family loved them ALL and I’ve given them to neighbors and friends with rave reviews, as well. They were ALL winners!
Hi Margaret! That’s amazing. Thank you so much for sharing the wonderful feedback. I’m so glad to hear that.
So delicious! My family loved it! The sausage is flavorful and pairs nicely with the kale. Recipe was easy to make and lends itself to variation. We added extra garlic, a little more kale and because we didn’t have the exact beans or fresh tomatoes, we used garbanzo beans, spaghetti sauce and a spoonful of sun dried tomatoes. We omitted the cheese and served with freshly cooked white rice. The second recipe I tried from your collection and another awesome meal!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Ann 🙂
Hi Natasha, can I use generic mild Italian sausage for this recipe?
That should work great!
So this is the third recipe from your site that I have made, and each one has been spectacular. I’ve been in a soup mood as it’s been uncharacteristicly cold lately, and between this, the chicken and dumplings, and beef stew (I’ll be making the lamb stew someday soon as well), I believe I have a solid lineup of warming meals for the cold times to come.
Other than some minor alterations (I used mild italian sausages, and vegetable broth for this soup) I followed the recipe as written. It was very simple to make and so good I couldn’t stop myself from having a second bowl. Also on the skin/no skin for the sausages. I’d recommend removing the skin and forming bite sized balls with the meat. When I make this again I’ll be forming the meat into 1/2″ balls instead of 1″.
I will definitely be using this site as one of my primary recipe resources when I’m looking for something new. I’ve already seen a few that I want to try out sometime in the near future.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this! I agree this recipe is perfect for fall! Thank you for sharing your versions with us!
Hi Natasha, your recipes are all so great and simple! I’m making this soup right now, added potatoes to it and was wondering if adding like a cup of half and half would be a little too much? Thanks in advance!
Hi Galina. I haven’t tried this with half and half before so I can’t say how much to put in. I think it may work. Please let me know how you like it with that change.
Hi so I did add about a cup of half and half and turned out great. By the end of the day the soup was gone. Thank you!
That’s so great! Thank you for the feedback!
So, I just made this yesterday since it’s rainy season here and needed some comfort food.
But I only had bacon on hand, so I made it with that. It was still delicious!
Thank you for the recipe again!
You are so welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!
This soup is delicious! My hubby loved it so much and so did my kids. Instead of beans I added lentils because my kids not big fan of beans and it turn out very yummy and healthy.
I’m happy to hear your family enjoys the recipe as much as mine does! Thanks for sharing your great review Natasha!
Thank you for this recipe! Soup is delicious!!!
Thank you or this recipe ! Soup is delicious!!!!
My pleasure! Thanks for sharing! 😀
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made this soup and is still a hit and well loved by my family.
I’m wondering if I could substitute the kale with another leafy green, I’m not sure I can find kale back in Eastern Europe. Would like to make it for my relatives there when we go.
Hi Ildi, I think kale works best and I haven’t tested any other greens but I think spinach may work, although the texture wouldn’t be as nice as kale and it would cook faster. If you experiment with something different, let me know! 🙂
I used Swiss chard, it was delicious, even picky hubby ate it.
Yum, I’m happy to hear you both enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing Yana 🙂
Any hearty green would stand up to this soup. Try beet, chard, dandelion or basically any other green you can find.
If I am making the soup a couple days in advance should I hold out the kale and lightly saute it and add it the day I plan to serve it?
Hi Mike, leftovers of this soup were still good on day 2 (and it usually gets eaten before sitting longer than that) 🙂 But I do think it would be ok to make the entire soup 2 days in advance then refrigerate without having to add the kale later.
Made this tonight, and so tasty! This recipe is a keeper.
Thank you Venus, I’m glad you liked it 😀.
Just wanted to let you know that this recipe is still going strong in my home! I’ve made it countless times. I love your site. It’s my go to for when I need meal ideas and inspiration. Thank you for sharing your recipes. ☺
That’s when you know it’s good! Thank you for sharing this with us.
Natasha thank you for imagination of ‘simple food ‘. I have tried: Zuppa
Toscana, White bean kale sausage, Greek Salad and English cumber, tomatoes, red onion. Love them all and have passed your web sight to friends. Would like more Mediterranean dishes. For I. On that type in f eating.
You’re so very welcome. I’m happy to hear you are enjoying my recipes. Thank you for the great reviews! I really appreciate that you have shared my website with friends. That’s awesome!
Do you think it would be Okay to add potatoes into the soup?
Yes, I think that would work fine 🙂
This turned out really good! Thank you
I’m glad you liked it Natallia and you are welcome 😀.
Hi Natasha. I’m following you for a long time now, but this is my first comment… And first of all I have a big Thanks for you! second, I have a question : can I use here breakfast sausages… Don’t have time to read all the comments… You know how it is with babies… Thanks again. Your blog is really helpful
HI Michelle :). You can use breakfast sausage. I think that would taste great!
This soup looks amazing, i love beans in everything!! Talk about beans, do you know how to make чанахи? I really want a recipe!
Is it similar to a stew?
Hi! Would I be able to use better than bullion as chicken broth? Thanks in advance!
Sorry for the late reply. Yes, absolutely! I always use it except when I made this soup I was out and didn’t want to go to Costco so I bought broth at a closer store. It is generally always interchangeable, well I do it anyways 🙂
Another wonderful recipe, definitely a keeper. I had to improvise a little: used the black-eyed peas and, because I am a cheapskate, used the beet greens from the beets that I used for the awesome borsch recipe last week:) Came out great. My sausage was Premio Mild Italian, next time I am thinking something spicier, like Andouille or jost Hot Italian.
Mmmm I think hot sausage would be so good! Our son isn’t too keen on spicy foods so we usually just cook spicy foods for my hubby and I. 🙂
This is seriously one of the best soups !!!!! YummThank you for the recipe !!!!:))))
You are welcome Alina and thank you for such a great review 😀 .
Thank you so much for another great recipe. It reminds me of zuppa Toscana – so good:)
You are welcome Alina 😊, I’m glad you like the recipe.
I made this soup yesterday and just had a bowl for lunch. It’s so good! Even better today. I just love the simplicity of your recipes. The trend in the world seems to be overcomplicating recipes. If anyone ever tells you to do that, tell them to go jump off a bridge 🙂
Ha ha. Will do! ;). You’re funny. I agree though; real people cook normal food, so I try to keep it normal and simple all while being delicious. Thank you for the awesome review!
This soup is SO good. It is definitely a keeper! I look forward to making it again 👌
I’m so happy you liked it! Thank you Lesya 🙂
where did you get organic low sodium chicken broth?thank you
Inna, we buy it at Costco, but it should be available in stores like Fred Meyer and other grocery stores, just in smaller jars. Hope this helps :).
Yeeeessssss girl! This recipe was bomb. I absolutely loved it. The flavor factor was truly great. I was so excited when you posted this new soup.
Its refreshing. Served with some nice crusty bread!
I’m so thankful for your blog. One of my favs.
My husband is Russian and I’m African american. I didn’t know the first thing about an Slavic cuisine!
I knew he missed home. I knew he missed soups and cabbage and his mama’s dishes LOL. I write his mother on VK and Google translate’s assistance but recipes really don’t transfer well when her measuring cups are actually her eyes.
So when I found your blog and another girl’s I could finally fulfill his nostalgic cravings.
I hope you do more videos. But I know you busy!! Keep up the hard and very much appreciated work!
Saadi, thank you for such a sweet comment, I hope you’ll find many more favorites on the site :). I have few videos coming soon.
Made this soup two times already!!! Everyone loves it & it’s sooo easy to make!! I told all my sisters about it! Thank you so much for such an amazing recipe & for all the rest of your amazing creations! 🙂 God bless you!!!
Nataliya, I’m so happy you enjoyed it, thank you for your sweet comment :).
Hi Natasha,
My husband doesn’t eat pork so I used chicken sausages from Sprouts instead. They were difficult to slice and came out messy… Any tips to slice sausage and cook them like the medallions you have?
Besides my little substitution faux pas, it’s delicious!
Did you use a sharp knife? You might try a serrated knife for easier slicing. I hope that helps 🙂
I used my sharp knife and a serrated one as well… The serrated slices came out worse. Maybe it’s the casings.
But does it really matter how they look when it tastes so good? I have a burnt tongue as evidence because I was too impatient to wait for it to cool.
Very true! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I use kitchen scissors to cut sausage:)
WoW is this soup AMAZING!!! Super easy & fast to make. I made this soup 2 times back to back!! I know, that’s how much we loved it. My little ones were not a fan of the beans, so I substituted pasta 2nd time- super delish!! 5 stars.
Thank you for such a great review. I’m so happy that you loved this soup :D.
Natasha,
Made this soup for dinner tonight, and it was absolutely delicious!!!! Thanks for all your awesome recipes!!!! Definitely will be making this soup again!!!!!
chrystia, thank you for such a great review, I’m so glad you enjoyed it :).
I LOVE fall soups. They just make the day that much more delicious. Don’t you agree? I can’t wait to add this to my weekly wrap up of fall soups <3
I couldn’t agree with you more Trisha :D.
I’m with you…I love meatball soup recipes! I also love the combination of sausage and beans! Pinned!
Thank you so much for pinning Trisha! 🙂
I love soup:) it’s so warming and comforting as the days cool off.
One of favorite fall recipes is a slab apple pie.
HI Inna! Me too. It’s the perfect meal. 🙂 P.S. I saw you left a link to your etsy shop but when I clicked on it, it said the link was not available. Maybe there was a typo? I’d love to check it out. 🙂
Natasha I made this soup for dinner tonight, and everyone could not stop saying how good it is. My family absolutely LOVED it. ( I also added 4 potatoes), and it was yammy.
Thank you for your recipes they are always, always perfect. I have tried a ton of your recipes and was never disappointed.
I do love the idea of adding potatoes to make it heartier. Thanks for sharing and I’m so happy you all loved the recipe 🙂
I asked my husband to make this soup today, cause he cooks on Saturdays, and oh boy was it good, the pot was almost gone at the end of the day! I will have to make it my self this week again!
Lyuda, thank you for such a great review, looks like your husband is quite a cook :). I’m so happy you both liked it.
Natasha –
This soup is not only comforting, but it’s also very nutritious. Thank you so much for your great ideas. When you have time, please post a good lentil soup recipe as well :-). Thank you and God Bless.
Thanks so much for the suggestion! 🙂
This looks delicious.
I’m waiting for the weather to chill so I can make it for my family!
Thank you dear :). I hope your family loves it! 🙂