Rustic Italian Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup

It’s hard to beat this warm and cozy sausage, kale and white bean soup recipe when the weather starts to cool down. There aren’t many ingredients to this soup, so pay attention to the quality and freshness of each one.

Italian Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup Ingredients

It’s in the name!

Sausage: For me, you can’t beat Beyond Meat’s hot Italian sausage in this recipe. It has enough fat to brown up beautifully in a dutch oven and leaves some flavor for you to saute your onions in afterward.

Kale: If you can, get your hands on local, organic kale. Lacinato (dino) and curly both work well in this recipe, but I’m always a fan of curly.

Beans: you can either use canned (as mentioned in the recipe) or you can make your own. I whip up a batch of beans in my slow cooker almost once a week. Just add dried beans, some crushed garlic cloves, fresh black pepper and some bay leaves or thyme sprigs. Cover with water by an inch or two and let it cook on low for 4–6 hours. I always test after 3 hours for doneness.

Bouillon: For the “vegan bouillon,” you have a few options. Better Than Bouillon makes a great vegan chicken base. My personal favorite is Edward and Son’s “Not Chick’n” cubes. They make a really flavorful, umami broth. Imagine Foods also does a great “Vegetarian No-Chicken Broth” that comes in a carton like you’d buy regular broth. Regardless of the option you choose, don’t be tempted to sub in vegetable broth — the results won’t quite be the same.

Parmesan: The best parmesan (whether you’re plant-based or not) is one that you can buy in block or wedge form. This ensures it’s fresh and not full of anti-caking agents. Violife makes a really great plant-based parmesan that comes in a wedge. I love grating it, grinding it in the food processor, or even curling ribbons with a peeler as a garnish for salads.

How to Make This Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup

Brown up the sausage. This is where a large dutch oven comes in handy.

Add in the onions. This is why it’s important to select a vegan sausage that has a good fat content, so that the onions have something to saute in. If you chose a leaner sausage, add some olive oil at this stage.

Add the water, bouillon, and spices. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the kale and cook for five more minutes, just to get it wilted.

Serve hot, topped with parmesan!

Serving Suggestions

With good ingredients, this sausage, kale and white bean soup feels special with minimal effort. To round out the meal, I love a good chunk of crusty bread on the side. It also goes great with a caesar salad!

More hearty soup recipes:

• Jackfruit Tortilla Soup
• Smoky Vegan Corn Chowder with Potatoes

Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup

Print Recipe

This rustic Italian-inspired soup comes together with a few simple ingredients and is so comforting when the weather starts to cool off.

Course Soup

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Servings 4

Calories 325

Ingredients

• 1 white or yellow onion diced
• 1 lb vegan sausage chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed
• 6 cups water
• 2 cubes vegan buillon such as Edward and Sons
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 bunch kale destemmed and roughly chopped
• sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• vegan parmesan for garnish

Instructions

• Heat a large dutch oven or pot on medium high heat. When hot, add the olive oil.
• Add the vegan sausage and cook for a few minutes until nicely browned. Remove from the pot and reduce the heat to medium.
• In the same pot, add the diced onions and a pinch of salt to help release their moisture. Saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the water, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, vegan bouillon and cannellini beans. Stir to dissolve the bouillon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Add the kale and return the sausage to the pan. Simmer for 5 more minutes until the kale is wilted but still bright green.
• Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve in warmed bowls topped with freshly grated vegan parmesan and an extra crack of black pepper.