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.
Made this last night & it was DELICIOUS!! The entire family loved it! It was quick & easy but full of flavor. I doubled the recipe & used a mild Italian sausage & a hot Italian sausage – SO GOOOD!!
Super easy and fast to make. Fabulously delicious. I made as written (I lie. I used hot italian sausage, no red pepper and added a little salt at the very end.) Next time I will go generous on the italian spices. But still this was super easy to make! Thank you for letting me easily impress my husband 👍 and myself too!!
Very good.. I think 1/3c of heavy cream would work better but it was still delicious.
All four of my kids tore this apart! We did add a little grated parmeson to the mix just to thicken it up. We served with grilled cheese sandwiches as well.
We will definitely make this a regular staple in our Sunday afternoon soup rotation.
Awesome ! Used some additional spicy sausage, black beans too for color & kale vs spinach . Major yummy!!!!!!
Ive made this before and it was delicious 💯 Can we substitute coconut milk for heavy cream?😋
I haven’t tried that substitution, but if you like coconut milk it could work. 🙂
I substitute coconut milk for heavy cream all the time!!! Go for it! I just made this last night & had some half & half I needed to use so I used that but next time I won’t hesitate to use the coconut milk (I use the full fat canned version). <3
Can anyone tell me roughly how many cups of soup this recipe makes? I am making it for a soup exchange and need to know how many times I need to multiply the recipe to have enough for 5 quarts. Thanks!
Had to substitute regular ground turkey for Italian sausage so seasoned with fennel seeds and spices. Also did not have cream so used whole milk and Greek yogurt.
Came out delicious – I was very generous with the spices.
Wow! This was so delicious! After reading the comments, I did deglaze with some red wine after adding the tomato paste which I think added some depth. Also added a little water for some more broth and used spicy sausage instead of mild and omitted the pepper flakes. But, we quickly ate the first batch and I plan on making a second right away.
Easy to follow directions and delicious soup. Great layers of flavor – will definitely be making this again.
Loved it!! Flavourful and robust with just the right amount of heat. I used 2 cups of dried white beans ( cooked ahead of soup) instead of canned beans.
Definitely a keeper.
We liked this. And will make again. Used half and half + corn starch instead. Turned out great.
Did u mix the cornstarch with the half and half ?
This soup is incredible! Great blend of flavors. One of my favorite soups ive ever made.
I am making this soup now and the house smells amazing! It’s 42 degrees outside and we can barely wait to chow down, with some hot ciabatta bread fresh out of the oven. I think this will definitely be added to the soup rotations!
Made today. Yummy & great spicy flavors. Served with a slightly sweet beer bread. Wondering how it’ll freeze.
Making this today! Have you ever tried making it in a crock pot? 🙂
A delicious soup recipe. Love it!!!
This is the best soup I have ever made. The ingredients and seasonings were absolutely perfection. Had some fresh French bread with it. So good. Thank you!
I love this recipe.It is easy to prepare an great flavor.