This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Italian soups might be my love language and this Sausage, Fennel, and White Bean Soup is saying all the right things! Flavorful Italian sausage paired with the brightness of fennel and creamy cannellini beans makes for a soup I cannot get enough of.
Day four of #DDSoupWeek 2023 is here! If you’re a fan of my Whole30 Zuppa Toscana, this soup is for you. With a similar flavor due to the Italian sausage and kale, this soup takes it up a notch with the addition of fennel, fire-roasted tomatoes, and a bit of white wine. Plus, the cannellini beans add a delicious creamy bite that you will love!
Sausage, Fennel, and White Bean Soup Ingredients:
- Mild or Spicy Italian Sausage
- Fresh Fennel
- Yellow Onion
- Dry White Wine
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
- Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
- Cannellini Beans
- Parmesan Cheese Rind (Omit to keep this dairy-free!)
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Italian Seasoning
- Lemon
- Lacinato Kale
- Plus, optional ingredients for serving!
Step-By-Step:
Step One: Brown the Sausage and Sauté the Veggies
In your large pot or Dutch oven, cook the Italian sausage until browned and no longer pink. Be sure to use the edge of a spoon to break the sausage into smaller pieces! Next, add the fennel and onion to the pot and cook until the fennel is tender.
Step Two: flavor the broth and cook the beans
Next, add the wine to the pot and cook until it has reduced by half. Once the wine is reduced, add the broth, fire-roasted tomatoes, drained cannellini beans, parmesan rind, and seasonings. Bring to a rapid simmer then reduce to a light simmer. Cover and cook the soup until the beans are tender, about 15 minutes.
Step three: cook the kale
Once the beans are tender, remove the parmesan rind. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and kale. Cook until the kale just starts to wilt, about 4 minutes. Taste and add additional salt as needed!
Step Four: Serve and enjoy!
You can serve the soup as-is or top with grated parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and freshly ground black pepper if desired!
Recipe FAQs:
Sure! If you prefer to pack a lot of heat into your soup, you can definitely use spicy sausage instead.
Yes! Drain off the excess fat prior to adding the fennel and onion to the skillet.
You can omit this to keep the recipe dairy-free! But if you are able to tolerate dairy, the rind adds a delicious layer or flavor to the soup that I highly recommend.
I recommend reheating this on the stovetop with additional broth as needed. The beans tend to absorb some of the liquid when stored!
I hope you enjoy this Sausage, Fennel, and White Bean Soup and the rest of the #DDSoupWeek2023 recipes! Comment below once you’ve made this one!
looking For more soup Recipes? try these!
Chickpea and Farro Soup with Escarole
Sausage, Fennel, and White Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage, (sub spicy Italian sausage if preferred)
- 1 medium bulb fennel, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 1 cup diced yellow onion (from about 1 small onion)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans or white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- Parmesan cheese rind optional, omit for dairy-free
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- zest of ½ lemon
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 cups lacinato kale, de-ribbed and thinly sliced
Optional for Serving:
- grated Parmesan cheese (omit for dairy-free)
- crushed red pepper flakes
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the Italian sausage and cook, breaking up the meat into smaller pieces, until just cooked through and no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain off excess fat and return to the pot.
- Add the fennel and onion and continue to cook, stirring, until the fennel is tender, about 4 minutes.
- Pour in the white wine and cook, stirring, until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
- Add the broth, fire-roasted tomatoes, cannellini beans (drained!), parmesan cheese rind (if using), salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a rapid simmer.
- Once simmering, reduce the heat to a light simmer, cover and cook until the flavors have melded and the beans are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Discard the parmesan cheese rind and add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and kale to the soup. Stir to combine and cook until the kale has wilted, about 4 minutes. Taste and add salt as needed.
- To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with the grated parmesan, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, and a few cracks of black pepper, if desired.
Notes
- To freeze, let the soup cool completely, then transfer it to airtight containers or freezer bags, leaving some space for expansion. Label and date the containers before placing them in the freezer.
- To thaw, move the container to the refrigerator and let it defrost overnight, or for a quicker option, use the microwave’s defrost setting. Further reheat the soup or stew in a pot on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it reaches a simmer, or microwave it in intervals, stirring in between, until heated through.
- If you feel like the contents of the soup (i.e. noodles, rice, etc.) soaked up most of the liquid, you can add 1 to 2 cups more broth to rehydrate the soup and get it to the desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Eat Love Eats.
This was just what the doctor ordered for my husband’s cold, and really nice on a winter evening. I had to use 1 can garbanzo beans and 1 can cannellini because some weinard at HEB hid a garbanzo can deep in the cannellini beans section and I didn’t notice, but luckily still turned out great. I served with “take and bake” par-baked rosemary and garlic ciabatta and a super simple/lazy green salad (1 T EVOO, 1 T champagne vinegar, 1 t honey whisked and drizzled over a butter lettuce blend). Looking forward to the leftovers for lunch this week!
Made this soup last night and loved it. Always looking for new soups to make during cold weather!
Thank you!
Absolutely delicious! I loved using the fresh fennel. I did use half spicy Italian sausage and half mild. Highly recommend! Not to spicy at all. Kids loved it.
This is a fantastic and versatile soup that I will make again and again! I made a few tweaks by adding an extra can of tomatoes and 2 extra cups of chicken stock to increase the amount of broth. Also, I had about 10 baby yellow potatoes that I cut in half and added. The family loved it!
so glad you loved it and thank you for sharing those modifications! always fun to hear what works and tasted great!
My teenager loved this and that’s a win! Really tasty – made mostly as written and made a garlicky, Italian seasoning, parm toasted sourdough to dip with. 👌
YUM! love that add in!
So delish! Don’t skip the grated parm on top – I did have to almost triple the salt but I LOVE salt 🙂
What can I use in place of fennel bulb? Fennel seeds?
This is really delicious, one of the best stews I’ve tried
Easy, great flavor! Collecting soup recipes for rotation – this one has been added!