Sausage Kale White Bean Soup

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Nov 07, 2025

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Sausage Kale White Bean Soup is hearty, comforting, and full of veggies and protein. It’s a one pot meal for the stove, slow cooker, or Instant Pot.

Sausage kale white bean soup in a bowl with a spoon and a bun.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Based on my popular Tuscan white bean soup, this sausage kale white bean soup adds sausage for a heartier bowl. It’s a bit higher in fat, but oh satisfying!

I like to finish mine with a splash of cream, but that part’s up to you. To thicken the soup, I mash a few of the white beans, but you can leave them whole or make a roux or slurry instead.

This sausage kale and white bean soup is also gluten-free, which is what I wanted, and it’s perfect with Greek yogurt dinner rolls.

When it comes to making soup with kale, sausage, and white beans, you can let it simmer on the stove to fill your kitchen with comforting aromas, or cook it in the slow cooker or Instant Pot. It is soup season, after all!

Ingredients for Sausage Kale White Bean Soup

Cannellini beans, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, kale, olive oil, italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, white wine, parsley, sausage, potatoes, heavy cream.

Sausage: Grab a mild Italian sausage, raw or cooked, and just slice it up.
White beans: I used 3 19-ounces cans of beans since that’s what my grocery store carries, but you can use 3 or 4 15-ounces cans. The amount just affects the texture of soup, a few more or fewer beans won’t change the flavor.
Mirepoix: Just onion, garlic, carrots, and celery. Basically the flavor foundation for so many soup recipes.
Potatoes: I like using Yukon Gold or red potatoes for soup, they hold their shape but still get tender and creamy as they cook.
Olive oil: For sauteing the veggies and giving the soup a little extra flavor.
White wine: Adds flavor and helps deglaze the pan, lifting all those tasty browned bits.
Chicken broth: You can use store-bought low sodium or homemade chicken broth, or swap in vegetable broth.
Kale: I love using kale for its hearty texture, but baby spinach works well too.
Spices: Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves.
Heavy cream: I like to stir in a splash at the end for a rich, velvety finish, but it’s totally optional.
Fresh herbs: A handful of chopped parsley or basil.

How to Make Sausage Kale White Bean Soup

Cook the sausage: Heat a large pot over medium and cook the sausage until browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Saute the veggies: Add a drizzle of olive oil, then onion, garlic, celery, and carrots. Cook for 7-10 minutes until soft, then stir in Italian seasoning for a few seconds.
Deglaze and mash beans: Pour in the white wine and let it reduce a bit. Meanwhile, mash 1/2 cup of your beans and stir them in.
Simmer the soup: Add potatoes, the rest of the beans, broth, and spices. Cover, bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer 15 minutes.
Finish and serve: Turn off the heat, stir in kale, sausage, cream, and parsley. Taste and adjust seasonings, then ladle into bowls and enjoy with crusty bread or dinner rolls.

Tips for Best Results

Let sausage and veggies brown: It adds a deeper, richer flavor to the soup.
Don’t skip wine: A splash of wine helps loosen all those tasty bits stuck to the pan, adds a bit of acid, and gives the soup a little extra depth of flavor.
To cook in slow cooker: Saute the veggies and sausage in a skillet, then slow cook for 2 hours on High or 4 hours on Low heat. Then add kale, cream, and parsley.
To make in Instant Pot: Saute veggies and sausage in Instant Pot, then pressure cook for 10 minutes with natural release. Stir in the kale, cream, and parsley.

Variations

Other sausage: If you want something lower in fat, try chicken sausage. It usually comes cooked. The flavor will be a bit different, so I’d add a little extra olive oil or butter to make it richer.
Lower in fat: Ground turkey or chicken works too. You can also drain some fat from frying sausage if you like, we like it as is. You can also skip the heavy cream at the end, feel free to make it your own!
To thicken with flour: Mix 2 tablespoons of flour with the sauteed veggies and fry for 30 seconds. You can also use half the amount of cornstarch instead.
Omit heavy cream: The soup will still be creamy from the beans and potatoes, and lighter too.
Use less or more white beans: Add more for a thicker, heartier soup, or less if you want it more brothy.
Add more veggies: Toss in extra vegetables like sweet potatoes, zucchini, or bell peppers to make it even more filling and colorful.