Smoked Sausage, White Bean and Spinach Soup is full of wholesome ingredients and packed with flavor thanks to two special ingredients.
In case you didn’t know, there’s actually 13 seasons in the Midwest. While it’s quite frustrating that spring stretches itself out over six “seasons” (Spring of Deception gets me every. TIME!) the Second Summer we’re currently experiencing after last week’s False Fall is quite lovely.
Sunny and 80s, baby – I’ll take that all day long!
That said, “Actual Fall” is just around the corner and I’ve got just the thing for you to tuck into when the cool evening air starts whirling through your windows on the regular – Smoked Sausage, White Bean and Spinach Soup. This nourishing, filling soup is PACKED with flavor thanks to two everyday ingredients: chicken stock and a parmesan cheese rind!
What’s Inside
Smoked sausage is sautéd with carrots, shallots, and garlic then simmered with creamy white beans and a parmesan cheese rind in chicken stock for just 15 minutes. Just before serving, freshly chopped spinach and grated parmesan cheese is stirred in until wilted. This soup recipe is a DREAM.
Add Parmesan Cheese Rinds to Soup
My first hack for making quick cooking soups taste like they’ve been simmering all day is adding a parmesan cheese rind to the stock while it simmers. Have you tried this before? The rind adds a deep, savory, slow-cooked flavor that you’d never being able to identify as “parmesan cheese rind”, which I guess is a good thing because…weird? I don’t even add salt to this soup because the rind completely flavors and seasons it.
I sliced the rind from my wedge of parmesan cheese then threw it into this soup (picture below) though Whole Foods (and likely your regular grocery store’s cheese counter!) sells bags of parmesan cheese rinds for this very purpose. If you regularly go through wedges of parmesan cheese at your house, simply throw the rind when you’ve used all the cheese into a Ziplock freezer bag then stash in the freezer. They’ll keep for months and you can throw them into any soup recipe to add a burst of flavor.
Chicken Stock vs Chicken Broth
The other way I pack as much flavor as possible into this sausage and white bean soup (and all my soups/stews for that matter!) is by using chicken stock vs chicken broth for the liquid. Chicken stock is made with bones, vegetables, and aromatics (garlic, onion, etc) and is simmered for several hours. Chicken broth contains meat but not bones, and is simmered for a short period of time. Translation: stock’s got a TON of flavor! I use Costco’s Kirkland-brand organic chicken stock which, at the time of this writing, is certified gluten free. Fantastic flavor, and price!
Alrighty – fire up the stove and let’s get cooking!
How to Make This Recipe
Start by sauting sliced carrots and shallots (or onions) in a little extra virgin olive oil until crisp tender.
Next add sliced polish kielbasa then continue to saute until the sausage has a little color on it, and the vegetables are completely tender.
Next add chicken stock, drained and rinsed Great Northern Beans (I like Bush’s brand) and a couple dried bay leaves.
Then add in that parmesan cheese rind which is going to give the soup the most tremendous flavor. I can’t wait for you to try it!
Simmer the soup for 15 minutes then add chopped fresh baby spinach and simmer for 1-2 minutes, or until softened.
Lastly, sprinkle in freshly grated parmesan cheese for a hit of even more savory flavor.
That’s all she wrote! Ladle the soup into bowls then serve with crispy gluten free crostini, or a hunk of warm french bread if you’re not gluten free. UGH!! So much goodness here – I hope you love this nourishing, flavor-packed soup – enjoy!
More Hearty Soup Recipes
- Gluten Free Lasagna Soup
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Ham and Bean Soup
- Hamburger Soup
- Sweet Corn, Kielbasa and Potato Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Black Bean Soup
- Cheesy Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot or onion, chopped
- 1 cup baby carrots, thinly sliced
- 8 oz polish kielbasa, cut into bite-sized pieces, Jonsonville recommended
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 15 oz can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 bay leaf
- 2-3" piece Parmesan cheese rind
- 3 cups packed baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
- Heat oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add shallot or onion and carrots then saute until crisp tender, 5-7 minutes, placing a lid on top for the last few minutes to help speed along the softening process. Turn heat up slightly then add kielbasa and continuing sauting until sausage starts turning golden brown, 5 minutes. Add garlic then saute until extremely fragrant and golden brown, 1-2 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic.
- Add a glug of chicken broth then use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up the caramelized bits from the bottom of the pot. Add remaining chicken broth plus beans, bay leaf, and parmesan cheese rind then turn heat up to high to bring soup to a bubble. Turn heat down to medium-low then simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add fresh spinach and grated parmesan cheese then stir and simmer until spinach is wilted, 1-2 minutes. Remove bay leaves (you can leave parmesan cheese rind in to continue to flavor the soup) then scoop into bowls and serve.
Notes
- Get in the habit of using fresh Parmesan, and saving the rinds. Just toss them in a bag in the freezer until the mood strikes.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
I made this for dinner tonight. It was as delicious as I anticipated and hoped it would be! It reminds me a bit of a cassoulet recipe from my childhood, but only a bit.
My 8yo, who is a super-picky eater, especially when she spies vegetables, LOVED it. Turns out–she thinks cooked spinach is delicious! It took a little longer for her to try the smoked sausage, but she enjoyed that, too.
I’m thrilled to hear all of this, Lisa! That the flavor brought back some memories for you, and your little one loved as well. Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
a wonderful creamy soup
easy to make
freezer friendly
Thrilled to hear it, Carolyn – thanks so much for your feedback!
Been searching for a recipe like this; I do not like the creamy soups. Decided to make this tonight and will let you know how it went. I have lots of cherry tomatoes, wondering if that would be a good addition to this recipe.
I hope you loved it, Susan!
Made this for a friend coming over and it was wonderful! I think it really depends on the flavor and quality of sausage you use because it’s one of the main seasonings of the soup. Will definitely make again!
I’m thrilled to hear this, Michelle! I agree – the sausage does add a lot of flavor to the soup. Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
OMG! This dish is fantastic.
Wohoo – thrilled to hear it, Evelyn! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This recipe is delicious and so easy! I have made it many times since discovering the recipe. I double the recipe and use 2 15 oz. cans of cannellini beans, drained and 10 C chicken broth to make a more brothy soup. It’s a new family favorite!
I’m so happy to hear this, Michelle!! It’s one of my favorites too. :) Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe review!!
Kristin I’m making this soup for dinner tonight (and lunch tomorrow) and it’s such an easy, hearty recipe!
Regarding “a glug”, it’s Onomatopoeia.
When you tip a carton of chicken broth over your recipe, that first dash makes a glug noise!
Yes, love it!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
I wanted to say I have made this soup countless times (since you previously had it named Tuscan kale soup). I often use chicken apple sausage or other sausage and it’s fantastic. I recently used vegie broth bullion cubes and added sweet potato. today I’m gonna try a rainbow chard rather than kale.
anyway thanks for the great recipe and inspiration for tweaking it too.
I’m so happy to hear this, Eleanor. :) Love that this is a great base recipe for you to customize to your tastes on any day. Thank you so much for your feedback!
What is a ( Glug) of Chicken stock ???
I looked up Glug, lol, also LOVE all of your recipes.
Hahaha, SORRY – I should go back and edit that, it’s not very clear, is it?! Glug = a couple of Tablespoons! ;)
Absolutely delicious! Hubby said it’s a keeper for sure!!! Thank you for sharing!
Wohoo! Thrilled to hear this, Jennifer! Thank you so much for your feedback!
Made this to get a quick dinner after a busy day – and everyone loved it. Looking forward to mixing this up a bit…maybe adding more veggies / noodles / whatever. Thanks! SO good! Can’t wait for leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Fabulous! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating, Lori!
Hi Iowa Girl! I made this soup & it was marvelous. Mouth-watering with a rich broth that absorbs all the sausage flavors & truly doesn’t need salt. My husband and all 4 of our kids, from 12 down to 2, devoured it. I added orzo & diced tomatoes and a cup of frozen peas towards the end of the process. I also substituted garbanzo beans because I didn’t have any white beans hanging around in my pantry. I think there’s probably a lot of little variations you can make to this recipe and it will blow your mind every time. My husband said “keep this one in the rotation!” With gratitude from Pennsylvania
I’m SO glad your family loved this soup recipe, Laura!! Love the orzo addition too – I need to try that!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Yum!! As a Californian, I needed the heat so i used hot links, added celery and used my homemade turkey broth from Thanksgiving. It was great!!
Oh, I also did it in my instant pot!
Ooo, that sounds delicious!! So glad you enoyed!
Sounds delicious, Nicole! So glad you were able to make this your own! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Made this last night and it was wonderful. Thank you for the recipe.
Thrilled to hear it, Vicky! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!