Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup

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Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup is a hearty, flavorful dish perfect for dinner any night of the week. This comforting soup is perfect on it’s own, or you can be like us, and add some crackers before enjoying!

Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup

This comforting soup comes from one of Barbara’s good friends, Maryann. It is one of those throw-it-all-together-and-enjoy kinds of soups, especially good on a cold winter’s day. This is comfort food at it’s best.

Maryann shared the recipe with Barbara years ago and it has stood the test of time and is even kid-approved. There’s nothing better than hearing a three year old say, “more, Momma.” UPDATE: The 3-year-old is now almost 6 and he requests the “white soup” weekly so it definitely stands the test of time!

Trying to follow a low-carb or gluten-free diet? Try our Low-Carb Tuscan Soup that features riced cauliflower!

This Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup recipe is an easy meal to make and customize to your own tastes.

Ingredients Needed for Tuscan Soup with Sausage and White Beans

The ingredients for this soup are easy:

  • Butter
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Flour
  • Evaporated milk
  • Chicken broth
  • Sausage
  • Cannellini beans
  • Salt and pepper.

We love using evaporated milk in recipes as it adds a bit of richness to dishes AND it’s shelf stable so we can keep a few cans in the pantry to pull out when needed. Be sure you use EVAPORATED milk and not sweetened condensed milk! People sometimes get these confused but they are two very different products.

Try this Low-Carb Tuscan Soup with sausage and riced cauliflower for a quick, delicious weeknight dinner.

HOW TO MAKE TUSCAN SAUSAGE AND WHITE BEAN SOUP

  1. In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium high heat, drain and set aside.
  2. Heat butter in a saucepan; add onion and garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes over medium heat.
  3. Stir in flour.
  4. Slowly add evaporated milk and chicken broth, stirring constantly.
  5. Bring the mixture to a boil, and add cooked sausage and undrained beans.
  6. Heat through, and season to your liking with salt and black pepper.

Storage Instructions

Let leftovers cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Find the full recipe and ingredient list for creamy Tuscan soup at the bottom of this page.

One thing to keep in mind is that this is small-batch recipe and you’ll get 4 servings, so definitely double it for larger families or if you want leftovers.

This Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup recipe is an easy meal to make and customize to your own tastes.

Recipe FAQs

  • The ingredients are easy to keep on hand: butter, onion, garlic, flour, evaporated milk, chicken broth, sausage, cannellini beans and salt and pepper. Check out here Pantry Essentials list in our Amazon storefront to find many of these ingredients!
  • We use regular ground pork sausage in this soup. You could use a flavored sausage, like Italian, or even use a turkey sausage if you prefer.
  • The white beans in this Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup are actually Cannellini beans. Be sure to just dump them in undrained.
  • Once the soup is heated through, all that is left is to ladle it out into your favorite soup bowls, add crackers and dig in! Simple as can be.
  • This recipe only yields 4 bowls of soup so if you are cooking for a larger family, be sure to double.
  • Want to check out our other recipes featuring pork sausage? We have a blog post with links to all of our sausage recipes!

We have had so many readers share how they’ve tweaked this sausage and white bean soup to add flavors their families love. From spinach to crushed red pepper, adding ingredients to soup is easy and let’s you create a dish that is personal to you. So check out the comments at the bottom of the post to see what other readers have done to make this soup their own!

We’ve also made a few variations of this soup, including a couple of low-carb versions. The one thing these all have in common is that they are delicious and so easy to make. Here are some of our spin-off recipes of creamy Tuscan Soup:

Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup is a hearty, flavorful dish perfect for dinner any night of the week. Add some crackers and enjoy!

Other Soup Recipes

Soups are a favorite in our family and we have shared several on here. Most of them are really easy to make and can be on the table in less than 30 minutes. Don’t think that if the recipe is easy and quick that it isn’t full of flavor or worth making.

Check out our favorite soup recipes:

Do crackers go with soup?

We know it is a controversial subject but we are totally team crackers in our soup. What is the purpose of crackers in soup? Crackers add another layer of flavor to soup. Also, if you like a thicker soup – like our dad and husbands – crackers can help thicken it up to your preferred consistency.

What kind of crackers do you put in soup? While saltines (also known as soda crackers) or oyster crackers seem to be the favorite, we usually go with a Ritz cracker or other type of buttery cracker in our soup.

We like to crush up our crackers to large pieces – not too fine – and sprinkle them on top of the soup. This is obviously a personal choice but if you haven’t tried it, we suggest you start with one cracker in your soup and see how you like it!

This Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup recipe is an easy meal to make and customize to your own tastes.
Print Recipe
4.77 from 43 votes

Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup

Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup is a hearty, flavorful dish perfect for dinner any night of the week. 
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: tuscan sausage and white bean soup, tuscan soup, tuscan soup with sausage
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 507kcal
Author: Barbara

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 12 ounces evaporated milk
  • 14.5 ouces chicken broth
  • 1/2 lb. ground pork sausage cooked and drained
  • 15.5 ounces cannellini beans canned and undrained
  • Salt and Pepper

Instructions

  • In a skillet, cook sausage. Drain and set aside.
  • Melt butter in medium saucepan.
  • Add onion and garlic; cook for 1 to 2 minutes while stirring occasionally or until onion is tender.
    Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup is a hearty, flavorful dish perfect for dinner any night of the week. This comforting soup is perfect on it's own, or you can be like us, and add some crackers before enjoying!
  • Stir in flour.
    Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup is a hearty, flavorful dish perfect for dinner any night of the week. This comforting soup is perfect on it's own, or you can be like us, and add some crackers before enjoying!
  • Slowly add the evaporated milk and chicken broth while stirring constantly.
    Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup is a hearty, flavorful dish perfect for dinner any night of the week. This comforting soup is perfect on it's own, or you can be like us, and add some crackers before enjoying!
  • Once the mixture comes to a complete boil, add sausage and beans.
    Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup is a hearty, flavorful dish perfect for dinner any night of the week. This comforting soup is perfect on it's own, or you can be like us, and add some crackers before enjoying!
  • Heat through, and season with salt and pepper.
    This Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup recipe is an easy meal to make and customize to your own tastes.

Notes

  • The ingredients are easy to keep on hand: butter, onion, garlic, flour, evaporated milk, chicken broth, sausage, cannellini beans and salt and pepper.
  • We use regular ground pork sausage in this soup. You could use a flavored sausage, like Italian, or even use a turkey sausage if you prefer.
  • The white beans in this Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup are actually Cannellini beans. Be sure to just dump them in undrained.
  • We have had so many readers share how they’ve tweaked this sausage and white bean soup to add flavors their families love. From spinach to crushed red pepper, adding ingredients to soup is easy and let’s you create a dish that is personal to you.
  • Once the soup is heated through, all that is left is to ladle it out into your favorite soup bowls, add crackers and dig in! Simple as can be.
  • The nutritional information below is auto-calculated and can vary depending on the products used. It should not be used for specific dietary needs.

Other Soup Recipes

Soups are a favorite in our family and we have shared several on here. Check out our favorites:

Nutrition

Calories: 507kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 793mg | Potassium: 446mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 601IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 305mg | Iron: 4mg
Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup is a hearty, flavorful dish perfect for dinner any night of the week. Add some crackers and enjoy!

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149 Comments

  1. This sounds amazing and I am going to have to try it some really cold night. My kids, when they were small, would eat just about anything that I put in front of them. Guess I was lucky that way. I don’t know where they got this pickiness now for not wanting to eat beans. Howeve, we have a family tradition of Black Eyed Peas with ham on New Year’s Day, and over the years I have kicked it up a notch or two with the addition of a jalapeno and carrot and diced potato. This is one I make from dried beans, and the family loves it! They also love the barbecued beans that I make for summer cookouts.
    So I am going to make a double batch of this soup, so I can freeze some, and I’m going to enjoy it all by myself… They are on their own! Some good hearty sourdough bread with this sounds mouth watering. Thank you for the great recipes!

    1. Isn’t it crazy how one day your kids love a food and the next day they don’t?!? Freezing a batch of this soup is a great idea! Just pull it out and you have a meal!

  2. This was absolutely delicious!! I made this tonight.. but doubled the batch and I added about a teaspoon and a half of crushed red pepper and right before serving I added or sprinkled some fresh grated parmesan cheeses.

      1. I quadrupled this recipe to feed 7 people. We like thicker soups, so I poured a family sized pouch of roasted garlic and parmesan red potato flakes in the pot with the sausage. We also used sweet Italian sausage. It was delicious.

    1. It’s definitely a small batch recipe. It makes enough for 4 servings. So definitely double if you have a large family or want leftover!

    1. We like really thick hearty soups and stews so I used 15 oz of the condensed milk and 2 cans of the cannellini beans and almost 2 lbs of italian sausage. Also added some chopped red, yellow and orange bell peppers. Served with garlic bread and it was a huge hit. We will definitely be keeping this in our favorite soups file. Thank you.

      1. Love the additions and my husband would agree on thicker soups are better! Thanks for sharing.

      2. Carol – We’ve used both. Our kids like the milder breakfast pork sausage but Italian sausage does add something to the flavor of the soup too!

  3. I made this with Jimmy Dean sausage and it was delicious! Could I use Fat free evaporated milk? I’m wondering if it would still thicken. I’m also going to try the fat free sausage next time. I usually don’t use the fat free foods, but I like this soup so much I am thinking of trying to lighten it up a bit and not loose too much flavor.

  4. This looks soooo good! My daughter has a dairy allergy, so I’m wondering if you think a can of full fat coconut cream would be a good substitution for the evaporated milk?

    1. We’ve never tried substituting non-dairy options for the evaporated milk so we don’t want to say it would or wouldn’t! If you try it, let us know how it turns out!

  5. When you say double the recipe for large families, is that all ingredients? I’m specifically wondering about the milk. Two cans seem like a lot.

    1. If you don’t double the liquids, including the evaporated milk, the consistency will be chalky. That’s our one warning!

      1. Thank you! I did double everything, including the milk and it came out great! I really seasoned well with salt and pepper so be sure to do that. Great recipe. Super simple. Thanks for sharing!

      2. Thanks. I made this and did double the ingredients (including the milk) and it turned out great! I did season really well with salt and pepper so be sure to do that. I’ll be adding it to me rotation as it was delish and the family loved it! Thanks for sharing!

  6. I just made this for lunch. Quick and easy. It was absolutely delicious! We added a little cheddar cheese on top and skipped the crackers since we’re cutting down on carbs. It reminded us of potato soup. I’ll definitely do this one again!

  7. Made it and the whole family loved it. The only thing was that the beans were a little “gritty” if that’s the right word. Any thoughts?
    Thanks!

    1. Nikki – So glad your family enjoyed the soup. It’s one of our favorites. Hmmm…gritty beans. Might be the brand so you may try washing them next time before adding. That might help. If we think of any other advice, we’ll let you know!

    2. I mixed mild Italian sausage with chorizo sausage and added mushrooms. Yum! Also basil and thyme. Topped with Parmesan and mozzarella.

  8. Delicious! And so easy! It tastes very similar to Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana big it’s so much quicker to make. Thank you!!!!

  9. It’s a good base BUT needs a lot of help as far seasonings. I read reviews where they added various seasonings with that being said it’s pretty good. It’s hardy and will stick to your bones on a cold rainy day or just cold. I’m also making corn bread or garlic bread as well.

    1. Thanks for the note. Seasoning is such a personal taste so we love soups that you can add more or less and make it just like you want it. Glad you liked the “base” of the soup!

  10. I have been making this for years with Italian sausage and I also add a parmesan rind. It adds great flavor. I have also added spinach or kale. Thanks for Shari g this recipe

  11. Made this today & it was as delicious!! And it was husband approved!! I added some crushed red pepper. Put a little parmesan cheese when I served it!! Was so good too with crushed Ritz crackers on top!! Thanks for sharing!! ??❣️

    1. For the IP I would hold off on putting the evaporated milk in until it’s done cooking and don’t make the roux (the butter and flour). To thicken it I would mix cornstarch and water or broth from the soup and add it to the soup. Or you could always use an immersion blender and mash some of the beans to thicken it. As for cook time, I’d stick to around 10 minutes or so. You won’t need long, just long enough to heat up the ingredients. You could probably get away with 5 minutes too.

  12. I TRIED THE RECIPE JUST AS IT WAS EXCEPT I DID NOT HAVE CANNELLI BEANS SO I USED A CAN OF 15 OZ WHITE NAVY BEANS WITH MILD CHILI SAUCE AND ADDED A TSP OF OREGANO, SOME SHREDDED CARROTS AND PLOPPED LITTLE BALLS OF SAUSAGE I HAD MADE UP WHICH YOU DON’T HAVE TO PRE-COOK, JUST THROW INTO SIMMERING LIQUID!!! IT WAS WONDERFUL. NEXT TIME I MAKE IT I AM ADDING POTATOES AND SHRIMP, AND CHICKEN AND MAYBE SOME OTHER VEGGIES. I WILL KEEP USING THE WHITE BEAN WITH CHILI SAUCE AND THE OREGANO!! I AM ALSO GOING TO MAKE THE SAUCE UP AND FREEZE IT THEN THAW AND ADD WHATEVER I CHOOSE LOVED IT

    1. Isn’t it great when you can find a recipe to be the “base” of so many other meal options! Love all the great ideas. Thanks for sharing!

  13. What a fantastic cold, wintry day, football watching, fire raging, soup! And sooo freaking easy! I added some rosemary springs with the onions and garlic, and also cooked off about a 1/4 cup white wine before adding the flour. Just added another layer of flavor. Yum, and thank you!

  14. Delicious soup. I used 2 cartons of chicken broth and threw in a diced carrot. I used gluten free thin spaghetti which I broke in small pieces and cooked. I didn’t add to the soup directly, I opt to put noodles on bottom of bowl then ladle soup over it. I used gluten free ingredients. Smells so good. Hearty.

    1. Thanks for the comment. Glad you enjoyed. We have another reader asking what to replace flour with to have a GF option. Would you be willing to share what you substituted? Thanks!

  15. Made this soup today, as weather forecast calls for snow shortly.
    Doubled the ingredients, and the recipe stayed true.
    Felt confident enough to toss in a lil italian herb mix and a shot of hot sauce.
    Delicious!
    It’s a keeper: easy to prepare, available ingredients, not too time-consuming, and freezable.
    If there’s any left.
    Bravo!

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