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:
Autumn
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.
Just WOW, Amanda! Thank you! What a fabulous, comforting, warming soup that needs nothing more than a side of crusty bread. A touch of heat, creamy white beans, the richness of sausage, the brightness of freshly wilted spinach — these all contributed to a deeply satisfying soup that will have a place of honor in my cold-weather rotation.
SLOW COOKER (In case anyone’s interested): In a large skillet, I sautéed the onions, celery, and carrots in a little olive oil for a few minutes. When the onions started getting translucent, I stirred in the garlic and tomato paste for another minute and then dumped the mixture into the slow cooker. In the same skillet, I browned the sausage and drained it well before adding it to the veggies. Everything else went into the crock at this point (except the cream and spinach). It cooked on low, covered, for 5 1/2 hours, at which time I stirred in the cream (I used evaporated milk). The soup continued cooking for 25 minutes more before I tossed in the spinach. It was so nice to have a hands-off meal on a busy day!
I cut this recipe in half as it was just 2 of us dining that night…..next time I’ll make the full recipe! It was soooo good!! Made it just the way it way instructed, turned out amazing! Thank you for sharing, it’s a keeper!! 🤩
3rd time making this soup so so so good
Excellent soup, flexible ingredients. I used basil and fennel instead of celery, green beans instead of spinach.
My family loved it.