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A Quick and Easy Italian Sausage Soup Recipe

Published · By Debbie · 22 Comments

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This quick and easy Italian sausage soup recipe doesn’t require hours of simmering. Delicious and hearty comfort food ready in under an hour.

Italian sausage soup with mountain view

This soup is a combination of a few of our favorites. Of course, Italian sausage is the star ingredient, pasta, beans in a garlicky tomato broth with fresh spinach. Altogether these ingredients combine with so much flavor to this simple soup that doesn’t require hours of simmering to build flavor.

This soup has all the essential ingredients to classify it as a great comfort food soup. It will warm you up and soothe your soul in rich, delicious flavor.

Gosh, I’m hungry just talking about it. Let me show you how to make this soup!

ingredients to make the soup

Ingredients & Substitutes to Make Italian Sausage Soup

The recipe card at the end of this post provides a detailed list of ingredients.

Oil: Extra-virgin olive oil, but any other neutral-flavored oil, even vegetable oil, will work.

Italian Sausage: We like hot Italian link sausage with the casing removed and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices. You can use your favorite Italian sausage. It’s ok to use Italian ground sausage if you prefer. Other substitutes include chicken or turkey sausage, or ground beef.

Onion: yellow onion will produce the best flavor, but use whatever type of onion you have.

Garlic: fresh garlic provides the best flavor, but you can use 1 teaspoon of granulated garlic if you don’t have fresh.

Broth:  I recommend using low sodium to control the amount of salt in the soup. Vegetable broth, bone, or beef broth can also be used.

Beans: Canned cannellini beans that have been drained and rinsed to reduce the amount of sodium. You can use whatever beans you have on hand, such as great northern beans, navy beans, butterbeans or limas, kidney, garbanzo, or even fava beans.

Tomatoes: Stewed tomatoes with juice. However, you can use any tomatoes, even fresh raw tomatoes. Remember that raw tomatoes will need to simmer a little longer than canned.

Pasta: Uncooked pasta such as Fusilli (spiral) pasta. However, almost any type of pasta will work with this soup. Use what you have on hand and simmer according to package directions. To make this soup gluten-free, use rice or omit the pasta altogether.

Spinach: Fresh baby spinach is my favorite, but you can also use kale, swiss chard, turnip, or collard greens.

Garnishes:

  • Cheese: Shredded mozzarella cheese provides that delicious gooeyness we all love. You could also substitute with other cheeses you may have on hand, like parmesan or provolone.
  • Spice: Looking for a bit of spice? Add fresh cracked black pepper or red crushed pepper flakes.
  • Fresh Herbs: Fresh chopped parsley or basil will take this soup to another level!

For Serving:

Crusty bread or crackers are optional for serving.

Italian sausage and onions cooking in pot
beans draining in strainer
soup preparing for simmer
pasta in pot of soup on stove
spinach added to the soup on stove

How To Make Italian Sausage Soup

Here’s a basic overview of how to make this soup. The recipe card at the end of this post provides detailed instructions with times and temperatures.

  1. Brown the Sausage and Sweat the Onions: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage, onions, and garlic to the hot oil and cook until the sausage has browned and is done through, about 10 minutes.
  2. Rinse and allow the beans to drain. (Remember this will reduce the amount of sodium)
  3. Add the chicken broth, beans, and stewed tomatoes; bring to a medium boil.
  4. Stir in the pasta; cook per package directions or until al dente.
  5. Stir in the spinach: Turn off the heat and stir in the spinach. Cover the pot with a lid and let stand for about 5 minutes or until the spinach has wilted.
  6. Garnish and Serve: Top with cheese, fresh cracked black pepper, or crushed pepper flakes (optional). Serve with crusty bread or, of course, crackers.

Italian Sausage Soup FAQs

Can you freeze Italian Sausage soup? Yes, it is perfect for the freezer. It can be stored in airtight containers in the freezer for 2-3 months.

Do I have to use Beans? Nope. If you don’t like beans, then leave them out.

Italian sausage soup served in bowl ready to eat

Please let me know how this soup recipe turns out for you in the comments! Your feedback keeps us going, and we always want to hear your thoughts about our recipes.

Italian Sausage Soup
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5 from 1 vote

Quick and Easy Italian Sausage Soup

This quick and easy Italian sausage soup recipe doesn't require hours of simmering. Delicious and hearty comfort food ready in under an hour.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 321kcal
Author David & Debbie Spivey

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound Italian link sausage casing removed, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 28 ounces chicken broth
  • 15 ounces cannellini beans drained and rinsed
  • 14 ½ ounces stewed tomatoes with juice
  • 1 cup Fusilli (spiral) pasta, uncooked
  • 10 ounce bag fresh baby spinach

Optional Garnishes:

  • ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded, parmesan or provolone
  • Spice fresh cracked black pepper or red crushed pepper flakes
  • Fresh Herbs chopped parsley or basil

For Serving: (Optional)

  • crusty bread or crackers

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage, onions, and garlic to the hot oil and cook until the sausage is has browned and is done through, about 10 minutes.
  • Rinse and allow the beans to drain. (Remember this will reduce the amount of sodium)
  • Add the chicken broth, beans, and stewed tomatoes; bring to a medium boil.
  • Stir in the pasta; cook per package directions, or until al dente.
  • Turn off the heat and stir in the spinach. Cover the pot with a lid and let stand about 5 minutes, or until the spinach has wilted.

Garnish and Serve:

  • Top with cheese, fresh cracked black pepper or crushed pepper flakes (optional). Serve with crusty bread or crackers.

Notes

Calories are calculated with mozzarella. Cheese substitutions will cause the calories to vary. Read more about nutrition information HERE.
Variations:
Oil: Extra-virgin olive oil, but any other neutral-flavored oil, even vegetable oil, will work.
Italian Sausage: We like hot Italian link sausage with the casing removed cut into ¼-inch-thick slices. You can use your favorite Italian sausage. It’s ok to use Italian ground sausage if you prefer. Other substitutes include chicken or turkey sausage or ground beef.
Onion: yellow onion will produce the best flavor, but use whatever type of onions you have on hand.
Garlic: fresh garlic provides the best flavor, but you can use 1 teaspoon of granulated garlic if you don’t have fresh.
Broth:  I recommend using low-sodium to control the amount of salt that goes into the soup. Vegetable broth, bone, or beef broth can also be used.
Beans: Canned cannellini beans that have been drained and rinsed to reduce the amount of sodium. You can use whatever beans you have on hand, such as great northern beans, navy beans, butterbeans or limas, kidney, garbanzo, or even fava beans.
Tomatoes: Stewed tomatoes with juice. However, you can use any tomatoes you have on hand, even fresh raw tomatoes. Keep in mind raw tomatoes will need to simmer a little longer than canned.
Pasta: Uncooked pasta such as Fusilli (spiral) pasta. However, almost any type of pasta will work with this soup. Use what you have on hand and simmer according to package directions. To make this soup gluten-free, use rice or omit the pasta altogether.
Spinach: Fresh baby spinach is my favorite, but you can also use kale, swiss chard, turnip, or collard greens.

Nutrition

Calories: 321kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 1078mg | Potassium: 572mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3461IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 142mg | Iron: 4mg
Did you try this recipe? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Give it a star rating and leave a comment below to let us know how it turned out for you. If you’d like, share a photo of your dish on Instagram, don’t forget to mention @TheMountainKitchen or use #TheMountainKitchen!
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About Debbie & David

We live on the side of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in Virginia. I am the author and photographer here at The Mountain Kitchen, where I share delicious homemade recipes using clean food ingredients, and stories about mountain life. Read more...

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Comments

  7. Judi Graber says

    I make a different version of this soup but like the addition of beans. Since we just got a little snow (crazy but that’s Michigan for you) your soup would be perfect to warm me up! We had a family reunion in the Smokey Mountains one year and your home/views remind me of that special weekend 🙂

    Reply

  9. Angie says

    First, welcome to Fiesta Friday! So glad you’ve finally joined the party, Debbie! Secondly, it’s funny you should mention saltines. That’s one of the few things I allowed myself to eat recently when I wasn’t feeling well, and not much else. So, yes, saltines and I know each other really well ??

    Reply

    • The Mountain Kitchen says

      Thanks Angie! I didn’t post much at the beginning of the year and didn’t feel like I could join until my health was better. I’m looking forward to sharing another posting tomorrow too! I love the inspiring links from other bloggers. They get my creative juices flowing! ?
      Saltines are really good for the unsettled stomach. Glad I didn’t get turned off from the like I did Ginger Ale when I was a child…lol! ?

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