Tuscan White Bean Soup
Italian sausage, cannellini beans, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and a parmesan-enriched broth — one pot, 30 minutes, no cream needed. The beans break down slightly as they simmer to create a naturally thick, hearty soup that tastes like it cooked all day.
Ingredients
Meat & Protein
- 1 lb hot Italian sausage casings removed
Produce
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 3 cups baby spinach packed
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley roughly chopped, for garnish
Dairy
- ½ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated, plus rind if available
Pantry & Canned Goods
- 2 cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed — reserve liquid from one can
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes oil-packed, drained and roughly chopped — reserve 1 tbsp oil
- 1 can crushed tomatoes 14 oz
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cups chicken broth low sodium
Seasonings & Spices
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes optional — reduce if using hot sausage
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Heat the reserved sun-dried tomato oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it into small crumbles, for 5 to 6 minutes until well browned. Do not drain — the sausage fat stays in the pot.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add the diced onion to the pot and cook for 3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste, stir to coat, and cook for 1 minute until it darkens slightly.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, dried oregano, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes if using, and bay leaf. Add the parmesan rind if you have one — drop it directly into the broth. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle boil.
- Add the drained cannellini beans and the reserved bean liquid from one can. Stir to combine. Simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Use the back of a spoon to crush a quarter of the beans against the side of the pot — this thickens the broth naturally without any cream or flour. Remove the parmesan rind and bay leaf.
- Remove from heat. Add the baby spinach and stir until wilted — about 1 minute from the residual heat. Stir in the grated parmesan. Taste and adjust salt. Serve topped with fresh parsley, extra parmesan, and crusty bread alongside.
Notes
The parmesan rind is the single upgrade that makes the most difference. Drop it into the broth at step 3 and pull it out before serving. It slowly releases a savory, nutty depth into the soup that grated parmesan alone doesn't provide. Save your rinds in a zip-lock bag in the freezer.
The reserved bean liquid and the crushed-bean technique are the two things that give this soup its thick, almost creamy texture without any cream or flour. Bean liquid is naturally starchy — it builds body in the broth. Crushing a quarter of the beans against the pot releases their starch directly into the soup.
Do not drain the sausage fat. It's the flavor base for the entire dish — the onion softens in it, the garlic blooms in it, and it seasons the broth without any extra effort.
This soup is genuinely better the next day. The flavors deepen overnight and it reheats beautifully. Make a full batch specifically for leftovers — it keeps for 4 days and freezes well for up to 3 months.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!