Description
This Crockpot Sausage & White Bean Soup is a warm hug in a bowl, perfect for busy weeknights. With tender white beans and savory beef sausage, it delivers gourmet flavor with minimal effort.
Ingredients
- Italian beef sausage
- Cannellini beans
- Beef broth
- Diced tomatoes, undrained
- Onion
- Garlic
- Carrots
- Celery
- Fresh spinach or kale
- Italian seasoning
- Dried thyme
- Bay leaf
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown your beef Italian sausage, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks. Once fully cooked, drain any excess grease from the skillet.
- If you have an extra 5 minutes, sauté your chopped onion, carrots, and celery in the same skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil for about 5-7 minutes until softened, then add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Transfer the browned beef sausage (and sautéed aromatics, if you did that step) to your slow cooker. Add the rinsed cannellini beans, undrained diced tomatoes, beef broth, Italian seasoning, dried thyme, and bay leaf.
- Give everything a good stir to combine all the ingredients. Cover your slow cooker with the lid.
- Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours until the vegetables are tender and the flavors meld beautifully.
- During the last 15-30 minutes of cooking, stir in the fresh spinach or chopped kale. Recover and allow the greens to wilt into the soup.
- Carefully remove and discard the bay leaf. Taste the soup and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Ladle the hearty soup into bowls and serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 6-8 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg
Keywords: Browning the sausage is crucial for flavor. For a thicker soup, mash some beans against the side of the crockpot before serving. Feel free to add more vegetables like bell peppers or zucchini for extra nutrition.