Warming and Hearty Winter Recipe: White Bean-Sausage-Kale Pasta Soup

Chase away winter’s chill with this warming and comforting soup recipe. Puréed white beans make a creamy and hearty base for smoked sausage, nutritious kale and satisfying pasta. Use the smoked sausage of your choice; turkey or chicken for a healthier alternative or andouille for extra spice and heat.

Happy Thursday!.

White Bean-Sausage-Kale Pasta Soup fits the bill for cold-weather comfort food

and comes together in less than an hour!

There’s something so comforting about a pot of soup simmering away in the kitchen. . .

especially when it’s cold and dreary outside.

This White Bean-Sausage-Kale with Pasta Soup checks a lot of boxes:

Easy ☑️

Hearty ☑️

Comforting ☑️

Satisfying ☑️

And it delivers some veggies with the addition of cannellini beans and kale. ☑️

This recipe is adapted from Southern Living and makes 8 generous servings.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

Reduced sodium chicken stock, 4 – 6 cups

14 oz. package smoked sausage, cut in half moons

2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped (1 ½ cups)

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

 kosher salt, black pepper, bay leaf

3 (15-oz.) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

4 cups packed roughly chopped kale (stems and ribs removed)

Optional: Parmesan rind

Save and freeze your Parmesan rinds to add extra flavor and richness to soups or slow-simmered dishes.

You’ll also need 1 cup dried pasta of choice, I used Gemelli

I’ve made this soup with and without the pasta.

We prefer it with the pasta, but feel free to omit if you prefer or avoiding gluten.

The pasta absorbs liquid in the soup as it cooks and sits, so you may need to add 2 additional cups

or more of chicken stock, thinning it to your desired consistency.

A frugal tip with rising grocery prices: make your own chicken stock!

Using a rotisserie chicken carcass is an easy, affordable and flavorful

way to make homemade chicken stock!

In addition to using something you normally throw away,

you take advantage of the added seasoning and flavor from the roasted chicken,

while controlling the sodium in the stock and other ingredients.

It’s easy, tastes so much better than store-bought boxed or canned, and

 you can freeze it to have on hand for soups, chicken pot pie, risotto, etc.

I make it couple of times of month when we have a rotisserie chicken,

throwing the carcass into a 6-quart pot, along with vegetable scraps stored in a freezer bag.

Add water, a garlic bulb and seasonings to your veggies and chicken carcass

and let it simmer away for an hour to an hour and a half.

More details, HERE, along with a favorite Chicken Soup Recipe for Cold and Flu Season.

For maximum flavor, brown your sausage in a couple of tablespoons of oil,

then remove it from the pot and set aside.

Use the smoked sausage of your choice; turkey or chicken for a healthier alternative

or andouille for extra spice and heat.

I used Hillshire Farm’s smoked sausage blend of pork, turkey & beef.

Add more oil to pan if needed and add your onion, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan;

 stir occasionally until the onion is softened and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.

Add beans, broth, and a bay leaf.

Bring the mixture to a boil over high; add a Parmesan rind if you have one.

Reduce heat to low; simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.

Ladle 2 cups mixture into a blender and process until completely smooth, 1 minute.

(Alternatively use an immersion blender and blend directly in pot for less clean up.)

Return pureed mixture along with sausage to remaining soup in pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high.

Add 1 cup dried pasta; simmer for 10 minutes. Remove Parmesan rind.

Add in kale; cook, stirring often, until wilted and slightly softened, 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve with Parmesan shavings and crusty bread or grilled baguette slices if desired.

Print Recipe

White Bean-Sausage-Kale and Pasta Soup

Chase away winter’s chill with this hearty, warming soup recipe. Puréed white beans make a creamy and hearty base for smoked sausage, nutritious kale, satisfying pasta. Use the smoked sausage of your choice; turkey or chicken for a healthier alternative or andouille for extra spice and heat.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cannellini beans, chicken stock, Gemilli pasta, healthish, hearty, hearty winter soup, kale, onion, parmesan rind, smoked sausage

Servings: 8 servings

Equipment

• blender

Ingredients

• 14 oz. package smoked sausage cut into half moons
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion chopped (1 ½ cups)
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 15-oz. cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth + up to 2 cups more
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 cup dried Gemilli pasta or pasta of choice, such as Fusilli or Rotini
• 4 cups packed roughly chopped kale stems and ribs removed; from [8-oz.] bunch
• Optional: Parmesan rind
• Shaved Parmesan cheese to serve

Instructions

• Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high. Add sausage, cooking until browned. Remove sausage from pan; set aside.
• Add more oil to pan if needed and add onion. Cook, scraping up browned bits on bottom of pan, and stir occasionally until onion is softened and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add beans, broth, and bay leaf.
• Bring mixture to a boil over high. Add Parmesan rind if adding. Reduce heat to low; simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.
• Ladle 2 cups mixture into a blender. Secure lid on blender, and remove center piece to allow steam to escape. Place a clean towel over opening. Process until completely smooth, 1 minute. Return pureed mixture along with sausage to remaining soup in pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high.
• Add 1 cup dried pasta; simmer for 10 minutes. Remove Parmesan rind.
• Add in kale; cook, stirring often, until wilted and slightly softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Serve with Parmesan shavings if desired.

Notes

• Pasta will cook in the stock and absorb liquid so you may need to add up to 2 additional cups of chicken stock. Thin to desired consistency.
• Alternatively to transferring soup to blender, use an immersion blender directly in pot to puree part of bean mixture.
• Freeze your Parmesan rinds to add extra flavor and richness to soups or slow-simmered dishes. 

Find more hearty and warming soup recipes, HERE.

You’ll find recipes for chili and soup with hearty ingredients like Italian sausage,

potatoes and pasta to flavorful veggies that pack some nutrition like butternut squash,

kale and spinach. Additionally you’ll find a favorite chicken soup recipe for cold and flu season.

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