Minestrone Soup with Sausage

Warm up with the ultimate cozy meal packed with tender vegetables, savory Italian sausage, and hearty beans in this Minestrone Soup with Sausage. This comforting meal is easy enough to throw together on a weeknight while also being ideal to simmer away on a cool Sunday afternoon. Don’t forget the crusty bread for dipping!

Fall is here and that means it’s officially soup season. From Tuscan White Bean Soup to this veggie packed Italian classic, soup is truly the perfect one pot meal that satisfies both the body and soul. The rich tomato kissed broth of this sausage minestrone soup brings bold flavor to every bite while the combination of beans and spicy Italian sausage deliver tons of protein and texture. Pop open a bottle of pinot grigio, put on your fuzzy socks, and curl up with a bowl while you binge your favorite shows.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy Process – There’s nothing complicated about any part of this recipe. Simply brown your sausage and sauté your vegetables and allow everything to simmer until tender. The most labor-intensive part of this is the chopping.
• Make Ahead – Some things really do taste better the next day and soup, especially this easy minestrone soup, is one of them. Not only can you make this as meal prep and enjoy it all week long, but it also freezes well.
• Customizable – Feel free to use your favorite variety of Italian sausage for this minestrone recipe, from pork sausage or spicy Italian to turkey Italian sausage. You can even make this completely vegetarian. Also have fun swapping out any of the vegetables for both your favorites or what you have on hand.

Ingredients

• Sausage – I used spicy Italian turkey sausage for this but any type of fresh Italian sausage will work, including vegetarian sausage. You can do mild sausage for that sweet taste of fennel, spicy for the kick of crushed red pepper flakes, or a combination of both.
• Vegetables – The classic mirepoix of onions, celery, and carrots is joined by sweet red bell pepper, tender Tuscan kale, and mild and delicate zucchini.
• Beans – A traditional component of a classic minestrone is hearty and protein packed beans. I use a combination of dark red kidney beans and white cannellini beans.
• Tomatoes – Another classic component of minestrone are tomatoes. This sausage minestrone soup gets the acidic yet sweet bite of tomatoes in two different ways, from tomato paste and also canned diced fire roasted tomatoes.
• Flavor Enhancers – A good pot of soup is all about taking time to build layers of flavor. White wine adds a bright note along with a squeeze of lemon juice at the end. A Parmigiano-Reggiano rind infuses umami into the broth as it simmers. Crushed red pepper flakes give a back note of heat and basil adds a fresh bite at the end. Dried oregano and a garlic seasoning also add depth to the broth.

How to Make Minestrone Soup with Sausage

• Prepare your mise en place. Chop all of your vegetables into fairly equal sized bites. Strip the leaves of the kale from the stems and slice into ribbons.
• Brown the sausage. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add olive oil. If needed, remove the sausage from its casings and break it up with your hands int the pot. Let it sear for 3-5 minutes before breaking it up with your spoon. Continue to break it up until it’s cooked through and browned. Remove from the pot and allow it to drain on a paper towel lined dish.
• Sauté your vegetables. Add the onions, celery, carrots, and red pepper to the pot and season with salt, garlic seasoning, dried oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. Let them cook for five minutes or until the onions are translucent and the veggies are becoming tender. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.

• Add the flavor enhancers. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes until the color goes from red to rusty. Pour in the wine and use your spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Allow the wine to cook for two minutes.
• Let the soup simmer. Add the diced tomatoes, broth, beans, parmesan rind, bay leaves, and the cooked sausage back into the pot. Stir to combine. Turn the heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Once simmering partially cover the pot and allow it to cook for 45 minutes or until the celery and carrots are tender.
• Cook the kale and zucchini. Once the vegetables are tender stir in the kale and zucchini. Allow them to cook for 10-15 minutes until the kale is wilted and the zucchini is cooked through.
• Add the finishing touches. Remove the parmesan rind and bay leaves. Stir in fresh basil and the juice of half a lemon. Enjoy!

Variations and Additions

• Add your favorite small pasta such as orzo or ditalini. Personal preference but I like to cook the pasta separately and then add to the bowl before ladling the minestrone over the top.
• Serve with cooked tortellini.
• For a milder soup use sweet Italian sausage. For more of a kick use hot Italian.
• Swap the kale for spinach or escarole.
• Add vegetables you have on hand like yellow squash, green beans, or peas.
• To make this extra hearty add a couple of diced red potatoes.
• Make this soup vegetarian. Use plant-based sausage and replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth.
• Add texture and even more nutrients by adding farro or barley.

Tips From the Beach

• Take time to build your layers of flavor. Let your spices bloom. Allow the tomato paste to cook before adding the white wine and let it cook down and concentrate a little. This is a relatively quick cooking soup because of the sausage, but there is still room to allow the flavors to develop.
• A parmesan rind is a great flavor enhancer for soups, stews, your favorite marinara sauce and even boiling potatoes. Once you have used all of your cheese keep your parmesan rinds in freezer safe bags and they’ll last for up to six months in the freezer. Pull them out when you need that boost of umami.
• If you want to add pasta to this minestrone recipe, cook it on the side. This will prevent it from becoming soggy in the soup and absorbing all of the broth if you store it as leftovers.
• Adding acid such as lemon or a splash of vinegar just before serving to soups brightens the flavors, especially in rich meat based soups like beef stew or soups with beans.
• Both the kale and the zucchini are quick cooking vegetables. Add them in the last minutes of cooking so they retain their texture.
• For a thicker soup add eight cups of broth; for a brothier soup add ten cups.

Looking for more soup season inspiration? Make sure to check out Italian Wedding Soup with Kale.

Minestrone Soup with Sausage

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Warm up with the ultimate cozy meal packed with tender vegetables, savory Italian sausage, and hearty beans in this Minestrone Soup with Sausage.

• Author: Nicole Stover
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 60
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 8 1x
• Category: Soup
• Method: Simmering
• Cuisine: Italian-American

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 pound Italian sausage, removed from casings*
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cups carrots, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups celery, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
• 1/4 crushed red pepper seasoning, or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic seasoning, or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 8–10 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 14.5 ounces fire roasted tomatoes, plus juices
• 15.5 ounces cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 15.5 ounces dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 parmesan rind
• 2–3 bay leaves
• 1 bunch Tuscan kale, stems removed, chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, halved, cut into half moons
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chiffonade
• Juice of half a lemon
• Parmesan for topping, optional

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Instructions

1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Add the sausage to the hot pot and allow it to sear for a couple of minutes before breaking it up into small chunks with a spoon. Continue to break it up and allow it to cook until browned and cooked through. Remove from the pan and allow to drain on a paper towel lined plate. 
2. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and seasonings. Stir to combine. Allow the vegetables to sauté for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and the vegetables are just becoming tender.
3. Add the garlic and tomato paste and stir to combine. Let the cook for 2 minutes.
4. Pour in the wine. Stir, making sure to scrape up the bottom of the pot. Let cook for a minute or two.
5. Add the cooked sausage back into the pot along with the drained beans, fire roasted tomatoes, bay leaves, parm rind, and broth. Stir to combine.
6. Bring to a simmer and turn heat to medium. Cover and let cook for 45 minute or until the vegetables are tender.
7. Stir in the kale and zucchini. Allow to cook for 10-15 minutes until the greens are wilted and the zucchini is tender.
8. Remove the parm rind and bay leaves.
9. Stir in the lemon juice and basil. Top with freshly grated parmesan and extra crushed red pepper flakes if desired.

Notes

1. Use your favorite Italian sausage for this recipe. Pork, turkey, chicken, and vegetarian sausage all work. Use either sweet Italian sausage, spicy Italian, or a combination of both.
2. This can be served with pasta. To prevent the pasta from both becoming soggy and sucking up all of the broth, cook the pasta separately. 
3. For a thicker soup use 8 cups broth, for a brother soup use 10.