Tuscan White Bean Soup is a delicious one-pot dish with layers of flavors from Italian sausage, vegetables, herbs, and spices with creamy white beans and fresh spinach. It’s a wholesome meal that you will love! And, it’s so good when reheated as the flavors all come together even more! I also have Zuppa Toscana (Tuscan Soup), an Olive Garden copycat, that you will want to try.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Italian Sausage: I used mild ground Italian sausage in this soup since the red pepper flakes add a little bit of a kick. However, you could use spicy Italian sausage if you want more heat in each bite. Or, try the soup with ground pork sausage, ground turkey, or even ground beef.
Italian Seasoning: With its blend of oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary, the Italian seasoning helps give the soup its Italian flavor profile.
Crush Red Pepper: Crushed red pepper, or red pepper flakes, are added to the soup for a little bit of a kick, or spice. You could leave those out if preferred. Or, add more for more heat!
Chicken Broth: The base of the soup is primarily chicken broth with a little bit of heavy cream for a little richness and creaminess. You could substitute chicken stock for the broth if that is what you have on hand.
Beans: After testing this soup with both cannellini beans and Great Northern beans, I chose to use Great Northern beans. I love their soft, creamy texture! While you have the option to prepare this recipe with navy beans or Cannellini beans, it’s worth noting that the texture may vary slightly, as these beans tend to be a bit firmer in comparison to Great Northern beans. Rinse and drain the beans before adding them to the soup.
Spinach: I used 2 cups of fresh baby spinach in the soup. If substituting frozen spinach, use a 10-ounce bag, thawed and squeezed of excess liquid.
What To Serve With Tuscan White Bean Soup
Tuscan White Bean Soup is flavorful and filling enough to be the main dish. So, pair it with some side dishes to make it a complete meal. Here are some delicious options for serving:
- Crusty Bread like a French Baguette
- Garlic Knots
- Dinner Rolls
- Wedge Salad
- Crostini
- Focaccia Bread (or Focaccia Breadsticks)
How To Store Tuscan White Bean Soup
To store Tuscan White Bean Soup, first, let it cool completely. Then, store it in an airtight container (or multiple containers for meal prep) in the refrigerator. It will last up to 3-4 days. Reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium heat.
Can I Freeze This Soup?
Sure! For longer storage, freeze Tuscan White Bean Soup. To freeze the soup, first, let it cool completely. Next, store it in freezer-safe containers, leaving a bit of room for expansion. Freeze the soup for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, let the soup thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Tuscan White Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage
- 1 large yellow onion, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 2 large carrots, sliced into rounds
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cups (32 ounces) chicken broth
- 2 cans (15.5 ounces each) Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups (60 g) fresh baby spinach
- ½ cup (119 g) heavy whipping cream
- parsley, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- To a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add sausage. Cook until the sausage is browned, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat, and stir occasionally (about 10-15 minutes).
- Reduce heat to medium. Add onions, celery, and carrots. Cook until onions have softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add tomato paste, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, and black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Add chicken broth and beans. Bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 6-7 minutes, or until the celery and carrots have softened.
- Add heavy cream and spinach. Continue to cook until the spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes.
- Serve warm, garnished with parsley.
Video
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What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
I was shocked at how much I loved this soup! Just the perfect amount of heat from the red pepper, which balanced out so nicely with the beans and Italian sausage!
Elizabeth
I really enjoyed this soup, especially the little bit of a kick from the red pepper flakes. All the ingredients blended so well. The leftovers were delicious when reheated, too!
Rachael
Really warming and delicious soup! The creamy beans go so well with the sausage, and I could sip on the broth all day.
Bella
This is a tasty and hearty soup! A good mix of vegetables, meat, and flavor!
This is so good. There is so much flavor packed into this pot of soup. Warm, filling, and delicious.
Can I use non-fat half-and-half instead of the heavy cream as I’m on a low cholesterol diet? I use it in other recipes and it seems to work or do you have any other recommendations. Thank you.
Hi Linda! Yes, you can use non-fat half-and-half in place of the heavy cream in this soup. It won’t be quite as rich or creamy as the version made with heavy cream, but since you’ve had good results with the product you use, it should be a reasonable substitution here. I would add it toward the end as directed and avoid a hard boil after adding it.
I absolutely love this soup! First time I’ve made it and it’s a definite keeper. I did add extra garlic (from the jar), tomatoe paste and Italian seasonings from the grinder as I tend to like more seasonings in most everything. The little bit of red pepper flakes gave it just a little “extra” to the flavor, as did the cilantro. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Love this soup!
Followed recipe. So delicious!!
Thank you for sharing
Tuscan-style soups are my absolute favorite, as getting hooked on the Olive Garden Potato Rustica, and I make my version of that one often with kale and Italian sausage. I also make white bean soups with ham, or ground chicken and canned chili rellenos, fresh pablano and fresh grape tomato, and a can of Herdez salsa verde.
This recipe looks like it blends all my favorite flavors and then some! I’ll be doing it today, and adding a few sliced okra from my back porch garden as well as a potato or two, and drop in some of my porch garden grape tomatoes, a little kale with the spinanch too, for good measure! I’ll try to follow up with photos and a taste review! Thanks for helping me expand my soup palette!
Do you have the slow cooker version?
Hi Sam! I actually have the slow cooker version on the schedule and it will be published in less than 2 weeks! 🙂
(I am testing browning first vs. a true dump-n-go version)
I made it two days ago and we ate it last night – it was just so delicious and I cannot wait to eat it again and again. Thank you so much!
So glad you are enjoying it!
would this recipe taste good with ground beef instead of italian sausage? and with peas?
Sure, its worth trying! 🙂
Try ground chicken instead of beef. It’s much cheaper and it’s a lighter flavor, less calories and fat, just be sure to add a little extra spice, a diced potato and a few grape tomatoes will add intrest as well!