Cannellini Bean and Sausage Soup

This Cannellini Bean and Sausage Soup has a lot of sausage and not many beans, so it’s probably lower in net carbs than you think. And we loved this tasty gluten-free soup served with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table.

PIN the Cannellini Bean and Sausage Soup to make it later!

I love this new recipe for Cannellini Bean and Sausage Soup and both Kara and I devoured this soup when we were testing the recipe. And this soup that simmers on the stove and makes your house smell great makes 8 servings, so unless you have a family of teenage boys, you’ll probably have enough to eat again for another meal or even freeze.

This recipe was adapted from a bean stew recipe that I moved back into the archives when I could no longer find the sausage I used to make it with, and I realized I could use more sausage and a little more broth and make the recipe into a soup that would be a lot lower in carbs! This flavorful soup has sweet or spicy Italian Sausage, creamy cannellini beans, petite diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and the perfect blend of spices, and it’s finished with fresh chopped basil (or Basil Pesto), and a splash of balsamic vinegar.

It’s definitely soup weather in Utah and if it’s cold where you live I hope you give this soup recipe a try!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

• Italian Sausage (sweet or hot)
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• onion
• Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
• canned petite diced tomatoes
• Dried Oregano (affiliate link)
• Ground Marjoram (affiliate link)
• Ground Fennel (affiliate link)
• Penzey’s Italian Sausage Seasoning  (affiliate link), or you can make your own if you don’t have this
• canned chicken broth (affiliate link) or homemade chicken stock
• can of Cannellini Beans (affiliate link)
• chopped fresh basil, or Basil Pesto (affiliate link)
• Balsamic Vinegar (affiliate link)
• fresh ground black pepper to taste (and salt if desired)
• freshly-grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

What are Cannellini Beans

Cannellini Beans are sometimes called White Kidney Beans. They’re a large creamy bean that’s used a lot in Italian food, and they’re delicious in this soup with sausage and beans but you can also use other white beans if that’s what you have. See more about different types of white beans.

How low in carbs is Cannellini Bean and Sausage Soup?

This tasty soup with lots of sausage and not too many beans has only 14 net carbs and 15 grams of protein per serving! And this soup is gluten-free and will be dairy-free if you don’t add the Parmesan cheese.

What sausage did we use for Cannellini Bean and Sausage Soup?

We used pork Italian Sausage from Costco for this recipe, but if you can find it in your grocery store I would make it with turkey Italian sausage. Use either mild or spicy Italian Sausage, whichever you prefer.

Can you make this soup without Italian Sausage Seasoning?

I feel like Italian Sausage Seasoning is an essential ingredient for this recipe, and also worry it’s an ingredient many people might have have. Of course you can buy Italian Sausage Seasoning at Amazon.com (affiliate link). But if you don’t want to buy it, you can also make your own Italian Sausage Seasoning and it uses spices I bet many people keep on hand.

Want to cook your own beans for this soup recipe?

I just used a can of Cannellini beans for this easy soup, but if you prefer to cook dried beans to make it, there’s a good post about How to Cook Dried Beans in the Slow Cooker or Instant Pot on my Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker site.

What if you don’t have fresh basil for the Bean and Sausage Soup?

If you don’t have any fresh basil or frozen basil you can use a few tablespoons of Basil Pesto (affiliate link) to flavor the soup.

How to make Cannellini Bean and Sausage Soup:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. We used 5 links of pork Italian Sausage from Costco, which is a bargain if you can find it. 
2. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan and squeeze sausage out of the links and add to pan.
3. Cook until sausage is browned, breaking apart. 
4. When sausage is brown, push it over, add onion, and cook about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook a few minutes more, then stir to combine sausage, onions, and garlic
5. Add tomatoes with liquid, oregano, marjoram, fennel, and Italian Sausage seasoning.
6. Add the Cannellini Beans and the chicken broth, bring to a low boil, then turn down the heat to a low simmer and cook about 30 minutes, until flavors are blended and the liquid is slightly reduced.
7. Wash and chop the basil and add to soup, or if you don’t have fresh basil add 2 tablespoons basil pesto.
8. Stir in balsamic vinegar, then taste soup and season with fresh-ground black pepper to taste (and a little salt if desired.)
9. Serve Cannellini Bean and Sausage soup hot, with fresh-grated Parmesan to add at the table.

Weekend Food Prep:

This bean and sausage soup recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

More Carb-Conscious Soup with Beans:

• Mexican Chicken Soup
• White Bean Soup with Ham
• Easy Taco Soup

Print

Yield: 8 servings

Cannellini Bean and Sausage Soup

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

I made this Cannellini Bean and Sausage Soup with a lot of sausage and not too many beans, so it's going to be lower in net carbs than you think. And we loved this tasty  soup with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table.

Ingredients

• 5 links Italian Sausage, mild or hot (see notes)
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped small
• 1 T minced garlic
• 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. ground marjoram
• 2 tsp. Italian Sausage Seasoning (see notes)
• 1 tsp. ground fennel
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 15.5 oz. can Cannellini Beans
• fresh ground black pepper to taste (and salt, optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (or use 2 T basil pesto)
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• freshly-grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. We used 5 links of pork Italian Sausage which was 19.5 oz of sausage. (I would use turkey Italian Sausage if you can find it.)
2. Heat olive oil in a large frying over medium-high heat and and squeeze sausage out of the links and add to pan. (I cut through the casing with kitchen scissors, which makes it easier to get the sausage out.)
3. Cook sausage until it's nicely browned, breaking apart with the turner. (If your sausage releases a lot of fat, push it over in the pan and blot up some of the fat with a paper towel.)
4. When sausage is brown, push it to one side of the pan and add diced onion and cook about 5 minutes (with a little more oil if needed). Add minced garlic and cook a few minutes more, stirring a few times.
5. Then stir to combine the cooked sausage, onions, and garlic.
6. Add petite diced tomatoes with liquid, dried oregano, ground marjoram, ground fennel, and Italian Sausage seasoning.
7. Add the Cannellini Beans and the chicken broth, bring the ingredients to a low boil, then turn down the heat so the soup is at a low simmer and cook about 30 minutes, or until flavors are well blended and the liquid is just slightly reduced.
8. Wash and chop the fresh basil and add to soup, or if you don't have fresh basil add about 2 tablespoons of basil pesto.
9. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, then taste the soup and season with fresh-ground black pepper to taste (and a little salt if desired, although I didn't add any salt.)
10. Serve Cannellini Bean and Sausage soup hot, with fresh-grated Parmesan to add at the table if desired.
11. This soup will keep in the fridge for at least a week. It also freezes well.

Notes

I used pork Italian Sausage but I would prefer turkey Italian Sausage if you can find it!

I love Penzey's Italian Sausage Seasoning and have used it for years, but there are many good brands.

Recipe created by Kalyn and Kara.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 270Total Fat 16gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 30mgSodium 1069mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 4gSugar 4gProtein 15g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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© All images and text ©Kalyn Denny for Kalyn's Kitchen.

Category: Soups & Stews

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This soup with cannellini beans and sausage has 14 net carbs and 15 grams of protein, so this would work for some people who are eating low-carb, but not for Keto. Dried beans are low on the glycemic index and this soup is also great for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, although South Beach would definitely prefer turkey Italian sausage for less fat.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
You can use Soups and Stews to find more recipes like this. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.