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!
Ingredients Needed for Tuscan Soup with Sausage and White Beans
The ingredients for this soup are easy and we list them below. 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.
- Butter: We usually use salted butter but use whatever type you have on hand!
- Onion: Onion brings a lot of flavor to the soup but if you have picky eaters, you can leave it out or use onion powder in its place. The rule of thumb is one Tablespoon of onion powder in substitution for one medium onion. So use about a 1/2 Tablespoon of onion powder in this recipe.
- Garlic: We recommend fresh or minced garlic for this recipe but if you don’t have any on hand, use 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder instead.
- Flour: All-purpose flour works just fine for this recipe.
- Evaporated milk: 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.
- Chicken broth: Use low-salt chicken broth if you want to lower the sodium factor in this soup.
- Sausage
- Canned Cannellini Beans: Also known as white kidney beans.
- Salt and pepper
HOW TO MAKE TUSCAN SAUSAGE AND WHITE BEAN SOUP
- In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium high heat, drain and set aside.
- Heat butter in a saucepan; add onion and garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes over medium heat.
- Stir in flour.
- Slowly add evaporated milk and chicken broth, stirring constantly.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, and add cooked sausage and undrained beans.
- Heat through, and season to your liking with salt and black pepper.
Equipment
Before your making this delicious soup recipe, check your kitchen for the pantry ingredients and tools needed. I highly recommend a meat chopper for any recipes using ground sausage. It makes it so easy to break the meat up into small pieces.
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.
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.
- 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!
Alternate Versions of This Popular Soup
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:
- Stovetop Italian Bean Soup
- Tuscan Soup with Kale
- Low Carb White Bean and Kale Soup
- Low Carb Tuscan Soup
- Chorizo Taco Soup (Low Carb)
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:
- Mom’s Wild Rice and Broccoli Soup
- Low Calorie Cabbage Soup
- Instant Pot Vegetable Soup with Lemon and Ginger
- Low Calorie Cabbage Soup
- Slow Cooker Bloody Mary Beef Vegetable Soup
- Creamy Ham and Bean Soup
- Amish Cabbage Soup
- Ground Beef Vegetable Soup with V-8
- 15 Bean Soup with Ham
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!
Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup
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.
- Stir in flour.
- Slowly add the evaporated milk and chicken broth while stirring constantly.
- Once the mixture comes to a complete boil, add sausage and beans.
- Heat through, and season with salt and pepper.
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
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I used real milk, 1tbl spoon dried thyme, 1tsp red pepper flakes and served with cheddar cheese. I also tripled the recipe as this is such a small batch. Good recipe!
Everything is better with cheese! Awesome.
I made this today. It was really good. I did add some crushed red pepper flakes. Will make it again.
Thanks
I made this for the second time today. It’s becoming one of my favorites. I’ve added greens both times, because you know, veggies. Today it was kale. Doesn’t change the flavor but adds nutrients. I love that it’s quick and easy. The small batch is perfect for a senior couple. Thanks!
Love that you added greens AND that you love the soup. We love the small batch size too!
Tried this soup tonight, definitely a keeper! Next time, I will add an extra can of beans and spinach. Tonight I served with French bread, next time it will be cheesy breadsticks! Hubby really liked it!
So glad you enjoyed it. It’s definitely a soup you can customize, right? Thanks for letting us know!!
This was sop good with the fresh sausage I buy, added xtra can beans and fresh thyme and bay leaf, should have doubled
I always drain canned beans before using them in recipes because of the sodium . Do you think that will effect the recipe? I also like my beans very soft . What brand do you use and would any type of white bean work? I can’t recall if cannelinis soften easily. I am thinking about trying this recipe with chicken instead of sausage so I will probably boost spices and herbs.
Draining the beans should not affect the recipe. There isn’t too much liquid that drains from the beans to make a big difference. Barbara’s consistently uses Aldi brand beans, and they are always very soft. Barbara has also substituted chickpeas but these do not soften like cannellinis. This recipe is such a great base that chicken and a variety of herbs would be delicious. Enjoy!
My 13yo is so ready to try this! She wants me to add some potatoes and I’m going to use some sort of breakfast sausage. And triple the recipe! We’re a household of 5 ladies, yet we eat like starving Vikings LOL. Thanks for adding this delicious looking recipe
Let us know how it goes! We love hearing how people customize our favorite soup!
I made this tonight OMG! this one goes in my favorites. the only thing i changed is i like beans so i used 2 cans. i also used jimmy deans hot sausage for a little kick. great meal!!!
Thanks for letting us know how much you enjoyed the soup. It’s definitely super easy to modify to your taste! Love the hot sausage substitution!
I am making this as we speak. I had to use pinto beans as I didn’t have canalinni beans. So far I added red pepper flakes and some oregano and basil, so we’ll see how it turns out. I doubled the recipe and I think I’m going to add one more can of beans. I did use Italian sausage since it was all I had on hand. So far, the base is tasting pretty darn good. Fingers crossed. (Smile)
Hope it turned out for you!!
Loved this and so does my hubby
Has anyone tried with ground chicken or turkey instead of sausage?
We’ve heard from a couple of folks who tried it with ground turkey. You’ll just need to season to your taste if you are using regular ground turkey and not a sausage. Good luck and let us know how it turns out!
Can this be done in a crockpot
We are sure it can but we’ve never done it so we don’t have any instructions. Sorry!
I made this for the first time today in my crock pot. Followed the directions exactly except poured only half chicken broth and half evap. milk in with the onions. Put the rest directly in the crock pot with the meat and beans. Then mixed it all together in the crock pot. Let it cook for a couple hours on high. Sprinkled with cojack cheese just before serving. It was delicious!
One of my very favorite soups! Want it with more spice? Use a spicier sausage! I’ve traded the beans for mushrooms and made it into a sausage mushroom soup too! Wow, that was really good too. I always double the recipe as it’s even better the next day. I also add just a little poultry seasoning which compliments the sausage. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Love all the tips. So glad you love it as much as we do!
I made this tonight. I hate when comments say it was perfect except the 20 different things I added… but here I go. I added grated carrots, and some celery in with the onions. The cannelli beans I bought were hard and the skin was tough,so I added pinto beans. After it was done, I microwaved a couple potatoes and cut them in bite sized pieces added to soup. Ritz crackers are good with this.
Too funny! We love hearing how you made this soup your own!
I sautéed’ the sausage with onion, then added garlic and sautéed a little more. Then continued from there.
Sounds good!
Just made this —SO good! I added some chopped kale i needed to use up. Inviting the neighbors over for dinner during our record-breaking cold today!
So glad you enjoyed it! Love the kale addition. Stay warm!!
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe. So much flavor, yet so easy to bring together. Followed your recipe exactly, and at the end tossed in some fresh spinach leaves for a little color. Made the perfect amount for two people to enjoy with enough for lunch the next day. I really appreciate these small batch recipes and I’m so happy I found your site via Pinterest.
Thank you so much for the comment and we are so glad you enjoyed the soup.
Great recipe! This soup has a lot of flavor for taking less than a half hour to make! We will be making it again. My daughter wants gnocchi instead of beans though. I think that would work well. Thank you and I’ll be checking out your other recipes!
Love the gnocchi idea! Thanks for sharing.
Delicious! Had half pound of sausage and needed a way to use it. Found your recipe on Pinterest and it is perfect comfort food for a cold night in northern CA. Just finished my 1st bowl and this definitely is a keeper.
So glad that you enjoyed it!!
Love this soup! I make it with as the recipe states, but add crushed red pepper and kale. I also top it with some fresh grated Parmesan cheese. It is delicious!
Was delicious I added spinach and parmesan to the soup. My husband loved it more than zuppa Toscana which is his favorite soup
So great to hear. Love the addition of spinach and parmesan…yum!
Barbara told me about this recipe and I fixed it yesterday, your Uncle Sam loved it!
Thanks!
Yay!! So glad it was a hit.
I made a rookie mistake. I added the sausage to the mixture uncooked. I clearly was not thinking. Do you think the sausage would cook ok? I’ve put it in the Crock-Pot to let the soup continue cooking.
Oh man…we can say that we’ve made those kind of mistakes before!! We don’t want to say whether it would work that way since we’ve never done it. So sorry!
Just made a double batch for my sister who is going through chemo…since I never made this recipe before I had to try some and it’s delicious…I think my sister will enjoy it too…I may add more sausage next time..
So glad you enjoyed it and hopefully your sister will too.
I love soup, any kind of soup. I was born in Scotland and that was our stable diet, soup. Now I live in America and I still love soup , My family, my children, we all loved this white bean soup recipe, especially with Italion mild sausage which I cook first of course with some onions. Thank you for this delicious Recipe. I also used Naan bread dippers with this soup , and it was satisfying and filling thank you once again
The Naan bread dippers sound amazing! Soup is such a great meal – everything you need in one bowl. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
One of the best soups I’ve ever made. Only thing I added was celery, carrots, a sprig of thyme and an extra can of beans. Dinner is made! Took less than 15 minutes!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it.
I love soups, and only recently started to like sausage. I made this for my (very picky) husband who is an excellent cook, and he gave it a thumbs up! He did add some crushed red pepper, and few dashes of both onion powder and shallot powder. I’m going to make my bowl with a bit of sprinkled cotija on top. Thank you!!!!
PS – this is my first time cooking with sausage. Like I said, I never liked it before. My tastes are changing! I used the Johnsonville HOT Italian ground sausage.
Mary, So glad you and your husband enjoyed the soup. Love how you customized it to your tastes! Isn’t it funny how tastes change as we age. I never ate raw tomatoes until a couple of years ago and now love them! Thanks for sharing with us!
Very flavorful. I used Bob Evans hot bfast sausage. My son said it tasted like sausage gravy. Next time, I’ll double the beans and make biscuits or toast to accompany it.
Can’t go wrong with toast or biscuits on the side! Thanks for sharing.