Creamy Bean Soup with Kielbasa is a flavorful dish that combines the smokiness of Kielbasa with the creamy richness of beans and a savory broth. It’s the perfect choice for a cozy and satisfying meal, especially in cooler weather! For another delicious and hearty dish, try my White Bean Chicken Chili, too!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Kielbasa: Kielbasa (sometimes called ring sausage) is a flavorful, lightly smoked sausage that is pre-cooked. You could also use Andouille sausage, Mexican Chorizo, or other sausages as substitutes. I prefer to brown it before adding it to the soup. But, since it is usually pre-cooked (check the label), you could skip this step.
Vegetables: Unsalted butter is used to sauté onions and carrots, adding a rich and creamy base to the soup. If using salted butter, you may want to lessen or omit the salt in the recipe.
All-Purpose Flour: The flour is added to create a roux, which helps thicken the soup and give it a creamy consistency.
Chicken Broth: This liquid provides a savory and flavorful base for the soup, complementing the sausage and vegetables. You could substitute chicken stock, but you may have to adjust the amount of salt added.
Beans: I chose to use Great Northern beans for this soup. They are known for their sizable, pale white appearance and flattened shape. 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 the soft and creamy Great Northern beans. Rinse and drain the beans before adding them to the soup.
Garnish: Have some parsley and parmesan cheese around for garnish!
How To Serve Creamy Bean Soup
This soup is a hearty and flavorful dish that can be complemented with various side dishes to create a well-rounded meal. Here are some ideas for what to serve with creamy bean soup with kielbasa:
- Crusty Bread or Baguette: A slice of crusty bread or a warm baguette is a classic choice to soak up the delicious soup and add some extra texture to your meal.
- Salad: A fresh green salad like a Wedge salad is a wonderful starter before serving the soup.
- Garlic Breadsticks or Garlic Knots
- Coleslaw
- Roasted Vegetables: A side of steamed or roasted vegetables, such as asparagus, green beans, or Brussels sprouts can add color and nutrition to the meal.
- Cornbread: Cornbread, with its slightly sweet and crumbly texture, complements the soup’s flavors.
Can I Make Creamy Bean Soup Without Kielbasa?
Absolutely! You can definitely make creamy bean soup without kielbasa. It will still be a hearty and delicious soup for those who prefer a meatless option.
Storing & Reheating Creamy Bean Soup
To store creamy bean soup, first, let it cool to room temperature. Next, store it in airtight containers. I like to divide the soup into smaller portions for easy-to-grab lunches! The soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat the soup in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop.
Can I Freeze This Soup?
Yes, you can freeze creamy bean soup with kielbasa. To freeze this soup, first, let it cool completely. Then, store it in freezer-safe containers or resealable plastic bags. Leave some room at the top of the container or bag to allow for expansion as the soup freezes. Properly frozen creamy bean soup can last for 2-3 months in the freezer. When ready to enjoy the soup, let it thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Creamy Bean Soup with Kielbasa
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 rings (13 ounces each) kielbasa, sliced into ¼-inch slices
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 medium carrots, peeled, diced into ¼-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup (31 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 cups (720 g) chicken broth
- 1 cup (245 g) whole milk
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) Great Northern white beans, rinsed and drained
- parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- To a large pot over medium-high heat, add the vegetable oil. Once hot, add the sliced kielbasa. Cook until the kielbasa is browned on both sides, about 7-9 minutes. Remove the kielbasa from the pot and set it aside on a plate to keep warm.
- In the same pot, melt the butter. Add the chopped onion, carrots, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Cook for an additional 10-12 minutes, or until the onion becomes translucent and the carrots start to soften.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir well. Continue cooking for another minute.
- Pour in the chicken broth, milk, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Return the browned kielbasa to the pot. Add the beans.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally until thickened, about 15-20 minutes.
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What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
Wow! I really loved this soup! It was creamy and full of flavor. The kielbasa was such a nice touch!
Elizabeth
I enjoyed this soup and loved that it was loaded with beans. It is filling enough to be a main course with the addition of kielbasa, which I really like!
Rachael
I LOVE this soup, so savory and delicious. The beans are perfectly complemented by the kielbasa. I will make this again for sure!
Bella
A delicious and savory soup great for any day, especially the colder ones! The kielbasa makes this soup more filling.
Annabelle
This is a hearty, delicious soup. Perfect for warming up on a chilly day!
Selena
This soup is just perfect. I love a good white bean soup and this one is really easy to put together. It's also full of flavor and filling with all the kielbasa!
This soup is so good. I will definitely make again.
Absolutely delicious. I would have liked more beans but it was awesome. I added a nice amount of small cubed ham, oregano, Italian seasoning, skipped the salt (there is enough already in the recipe) a little xtra flour and it was perfection. I wouldn’t call it creamy necessarily as mine was quite soupy before adding xtra flour. I served with cheesy/garlic toast and everyone loved it. My 4 yo actually asked for it the next day.
I wasn’t sure how this was going to taste…but wanted to try it. We LOVED it! Thank you so much for sharing! It’s a keeper!
Could I substitute a can of evaporated milk for the whole milk in this recipe?
I bet you could. I substituted oat milk and it was still delicious!
Great recipe! So creamy
it makes me crazy when reviews include so many changes that the end result doesn’t resemble the original recipe, but …. I made a heart-healthy (low fat/low sodium) version of this recipe with Butterball turkey smoked sausage (Butterball brand, in my opinion, has the best turkey products), reduced-sodium chicken broth & fat-free half & half instead of whole milk. I started with dry beans which I presoaked & prepared in an instapot to avoid the sodium load of canned beans. I eliminated the butter & prepared the vegetables in some of the chicken broth. I did not eliminate the 1/2 teaspoon of salt; some salt is necessary to get flavors to marry & 1/2 teaspoon in a pot of soup isn’t much. In addition to the Worcestershire, I added a teaspoon of Frank’s hot sauce (not Tabasco- that would be too hot) to kick it up a bit. OK, except for the hot sauce, my substitutions stayed fairly close to the original recipe. It was delicious & guilt free. I served with crusty Italian bread.
I love how you made this yours! So glad you liked it!
Our whole family really enjoyed this, it was delicious and perfect for a cold night. The only thing I did different was add 1/2 of the Keilbassa and that was more than enough, my meat loving husband agreed. Next time I might add an extra can of beans and then do the full amount of Keilbassa so we have more for leftovers.
This was so easy to make and full of flavor. I added celery to mine. We are not crazy about kielbasa, so I opted to use a combo of andouille sausage (which was a bit too spicy) and sweet Italian sausage. There are so many fully cooked sausage flavor options out there now…both chicken and pork.
It was a perfect soup on a snowy winter evening watching football!
Such a wonderful soup! I used smoked sausage instead and it turned out really tasty. I think I’ll try turkey kielbasa next time, just to see how it turns out.
Absolutely delicious! Gave the recipe to my daughter and she made it twice in one week!
This was so delicious! It was the perfect compliment to a super cold and snowy evening. This will definitely be in the winter rotation.
Mine looked ugly and I started to doubt it but it was very tasty. Even my 7 month old enjoyed it. Couldn’t eat it fast enough. (Removed the sausage from her portion). I modified with 1 sausage, used matchstick carrots, and used dried beans. So mine kinda took forever to be done.
Made as per instructions except I had only lima beans. Good base, but had to adjust seasonings as it cooked as it was a little bland imo. Added thyme, basil, and a bit of Cavender’s Greek Seasoning, to give it a boost. It’s dinner tonight with a salad and some homemade cheddar bay biscuits!
That is a completely different recipe. I can’t even imagine it with Lima beans.
Amanda , I make a white bean soup but soak my beans and let them cook all day usually use a ham hock but we love Kielbasa so I ‘m anxious to try this with my recipe …mmmm we love corn bread with ours !!
Would like recipe , thank you
Sounds delicious. Am I use all heave cream. And you think it would be okay to add celery, carrots and spinach?
I added celery….I love celery in just about every soup I make. Spinach sound wonderful…maybe put it into the bowl and spoon the soup over it….that way the spinach doesn’t get too wilty.
Very EZ too make and tastes amazing….. I used Aidells Cajun style andouille …seemed to be the healthy choice. I thought it was a lot of sausage but my husband loved that ….It tastes like you cooked it all day.
Delicious!
Very tasty. As we were camping and our RV smoke detector is extremely touchy, I opted out of browning the Keilbasa and I used a crockpot to cook it in for a few hours. I didn’t sauté the carrots and onions, just added everything to the pot. I used some chicken broth and added cream of chicken soup to thicken it. I did add a few small white potatoes to it also as my hubby is a meat and potatoes man. Cornbread with it is good.
How many does this recipe serve?
Such delicious soup! Everyone liked it, no, LOVED it. I make soup once or twice a week and this immediately becomes one of my top five soup recipes. Yes, it’s that good.
The only change I made was to use just one package of kielbasa since even sale prices are so high lately.
I haven’t added a new soup to my collection in ages although I try new recipes regularly. Thank you for this stellar recipe!
Amanda,
This was delicious and a nice combo of the kielbasa and beans on a cold winter day! I halved the recipe, using a little less kielbasa. The Worcestershire sauce does add to the flavor. Being of Polish descent, anything with kielbasa catches my eye. Good comfort food here!
How long would it take to cook this in the crockpot and would I need to just brown the kielbasa before adding everything to the crockpot?
I cooked mine on high for 4 hours as raw carrots take a while.
Anything I can substitute for whole milk?
Thanks
Omit the butter and while milk to use heavy cream