This sausage soup is loaded with hearty and comforting ingredients. It's made with Italian sausage, onion, garlic, carrots, cannellini beans, and baby spinach in a tomato broth base with ditalini pasta.
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It's finally consistently cold enough for sweaters, switching over to hot coffee, and enjoying a big bowl of soup. And lately, I've been enjoying a bowl of homemade soup with a side of toasted sourdough on extra chilly afternoons. It definitely hits the spot! But my homemade soup stash in the freezer is starting to dwindle. So it's time to restock. This time around, I decided to make a heartier soup - something to really warm me up and keep me feeling satisfied!
And there's nothing more comforting than a soup loaded with all the good stuff - meat, veggies, beans, and pasta in a tomato broth base. This sausage and bean soup has all of that and then some! It's flavorful, filling, and so easy to make all in one pot! It's freezer-friendly, too (with a slight change in cooking instructions that we'll talk about later). Make it ahead of time, portion it out, and freeze for later.
I like using my big Dutch oven for soup. I can do all-in-one style cooking it in and there's something that just feels so rustic about using a Dutch oven. The sausage is browned in the pot and set aside. After, onions, garlic, and carrot are added to the pot and cooked until softened. Tomatoes, broth, and seasonings are added to the pot along with the sausage and beans. Then, we cook ditalini and add it, along with some spinach. just before serving.
Sausage and Bean Soup with Ditalini
While a crusty slice of toasted sourdough - or other good bread - is my favorite thing to have on the side of my soup (for dipping purposes, of course), this soup really doesn't need a side. It's so satisfying on its own! Just a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, or even a little pinch of crushed red pepper, on top is all you need! Then, savor and enjoy this cozy and nourishing soup!
To start this soup, first we need to brown our sausage. Add olive oil to a large Dutch oven (or pot) and heat over medium-high heat. Then, add the sausage.
Cook the sausage about 8 minutes until it's browned. Break up any large chunks while cooking. Remove the sausage from the pot and set aside. Do not drain the pot. We'll use those juices to cook the rest of our ingredients.
Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion, garlic, and carrots. Cook until they've softened, about 3-4 minutes.
Carefully pour in the crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, and water. Add Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Add the sausage back into the pot along with the cannellini beans. Bring the pot to a simmer and cook, covered, about 20 minutes.
Towards the end of simmering, add the ditalini pasta to the pot. Cook about 8 minutes. Add more water or broth, if desired, if you find the soup is too thick.
Stir in the baby spinach and let it wilt for about 1-2 minutes.
Once the spinach has wilted, serve the soup in bowls with grated Parmesan cheese on top. If you want to add a kick of heat, serve with crushed red pepper, too.
Sausage and Bean Soup with Ditalini
Equipment
- 1 large Dutch oven or large pot
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 lb. sweet Italian ground sausage
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 medium carrots peeled and diced
- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 15 oz. can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup ditalini pasta
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, add olive oil and heat over medium-heat. Add sausage and cooked until browned, breaking up chunks as it cooks, about 8 minutes.
- Remove sausage and set aside. Do not drain the pot.
- Lower heat to medium and add onion, garlic, and carrots. Cook just until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Carefully pour in crushed tomatoes, broth, and water. Add Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Add the cooked sausage and beans to the pot. Bring pot to a simmer and cook, covered, about 20 minutes.
- Towards the end of simmering, add the ditalini pasta and cook for 8 more minutes. If soup thickens too much, add a bit more water or broth.
- Stir in spinach and allow to wilt 1-2 minutes. Then, serve soup with grated Parmesan and crushed red pepper.
How to Freeze Sausage and Bean Soup with Ditalini
And now for those freezer instructions. If you want to make this soup ahead of time to freeze, I would follow the instructions up until you get to adding the pasta. Skip adding the spinach, too, since it can get slimy. Instead, you can cook the pasta, drain, and cool. Then, portion the soup into its own containers. Portion the pasta into another set of containers. Then, combine when ready to eat and add the spinach after warming, too.
Did you make this Sausage and Bean Soup with Ditalini recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #holokahome. Don’t forget to tag me @holokahome!
