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!
Selena
This is so good. There is so much flavor packed into this pot of soup. Warm, filling, and delicious.
Thank you very much for using grammes and ounces
Love the recipe
This recipe is really the best! Thank you
Can I use chicken.
This looks yummy! How many mg of sodium are in this soup?
First of all, let me say this is very tasty. It’s 90 degrees out and I decided to make this recipe – crazy right? I’m just a little tired of the standard lunch fare, so this kicks it up a notch, and kicks it does. For my taste, I will cut the crushed red pepper and the black pepper into 1/4 teaspoon each. Also, I did notice there wasn’t any salt and thought it needed it to offset the pepper, so I added a 1/2 teaspoon to the pot. Again, this is my taste and doesn’t fit everyone’s palette.
Again, it’s very good and will definitely make it again.
I am a huge soup fan and this recipe did not disappoint! I love how flavorful it is and the red pepper level is perfect. I like how you don’t need any added salt either. This is going on my regular rotation.
This was so easy to make and so delicious. We like a little spice so I put a full teaspoon of red pepper flakes and topped with fresh basil and grated Parmesan. Dunked some roasted garlic bread….yummy. My husband wants me to make it again!
This was a great recipe, my family loved it! Only dismayed that she used canned beans. I’m a city girl, the opposite of a homesteader, and even I had to try to find a work around for dried beans!
This soup was sooo good! Quick and easy too. The will be included in my regular soup rotation. I highly recommend you give it a try.
In Florida it isn’t always warm therefore soup and I love bean soup and I did your Tuscan White Bean!!! It was incredible. The quickest and best I have made. Thank you!!! More please.
I made that soup last week. You have really outdone yourself. That soup is fantastic. I have been adding your recipes to my pintrest account for a couple of years.
Thank you
Thanks so much Jim. Glad you enjoyed it!
Absolutel Yummy. Easy to make. A true comfort soup.
We loved this soup! Adding to my favorites!
This has become my all time favorite soup. This soup with old fashioned cornbread is FANTASTIC!
Yummy!
Soooo delish, I made it with a bit of ground turkey because of my hubbys kidney disease and it was still so flavorful. I definitely will make this again and again and again, well you get the idea. Thank you for all the terrific recipes!
Easy, delicious and hearty soup! Made as directed and it was amazing. Don’t skip the cream… it adds so much to the flavour!
This soup is so delicious! I made by recipe. I used a half pound of sweet Italian sausage and a half pound of sausage. I did not add the red pepper flakes. Securely will prepare again.
Saw this recipe today and just HAD to make it. OMG it was sooooo delicious😋😋😋♥️♥️♥️♥️
Yay!! So glad.
This soup looks soooo delicious! I m definitely gonna make it
It’s worth it, I made a pot and everyone finished it so I made another one so I can have leftovers
Thanks again for this recipe, I print a lot of your recipes and don’t take time to thank you. But I enjoy your recipes. Just wanted to thank you again. You are always rocking it.
Thank you SO much!! So so kind of you to say.
I want to add small pasta to it…what do you think? It will be like pasta fajoli
That would be amazing!