This Italian sausage fennel white bean soup is the perfect soup to dig into on a cool night. Packed with hot Italian sausage, flavorful fennel, white beans, and lots of fresh basil.
Soups are such an easy way to feed a crowd.
Not only are they made in 1 pot (so you have fewer dishes to clean) but they’re hearty and full of vegetables and proteins that’ll keep you full and satisfied.
This Italian sausage fennel white bean soup is perfect to serve on a cool summer night.
It’s great for sitting out on the patio, or around a fire pit with friends and family served with a little refreshing sparkling summer sangria on the side.
But really this soup is perfect for any time of year and easy enough to make in the middle of the week!
Trust me, once you get a taste of this Italian sausage fennel white bean soup, it’ll be your new favorite!
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Italian sausage fennel white bean soup
- Italian sausage – Packed full of spices and flavors, Italian sausage is perfect for this soup. Feel free to use either sweet or spicy!
- Leeks – Provides a delicate, mild onion flavor.
- Shallot – Shallots are kind of like an onion and garlic combined.
- Fennel – A sweet and mildly anise-flavored vegetable.
- Chicken stock – Feel free to use homemade or your favorite store-bought variety.
- Canned diced tomatoes – Canned tomatoes are processed at the peak of freshness, so they’ll always be perfectly ripe and sweet.
- Cannellini beans – Creamy, and soft, but still able to hold their shape, these are the perfect beans for this soup.
- Pesto – An additional flavor bomb that helps round out all of the flavors of our soup. Make it easy and use store-bought!
Make it spicy!
There are a few different ways to adjust the heat in this Italian sausage fennel white bean soup.
First, you could use all spicy Italian sausage. (Alternatively, to cut back on spice, you could use all sweet Italian sausage.)
Another way to spice it up would be to add 2 teaspoons of red pepper flake to your veggies as they’re sautéing.
If you’re wanting even more spice, there are some varieties of canned diced tomatoes that have chiles in them and are widely available at more major grocery stores.
What is fennel?
Fennel is a Mediterranean vegetable that has a similar texture to celery when raw and a mild anise flavor.
You can eat it both raw and cooked.
When cooked, fennel softens and the sweetness intensifies.
The anise flavor is mild and delicate, so don’t worry about it tasting like harsh licorice.
Alternative proteins
If you’re not a fan of Italian pork sausage, you could replace it with ground chicken, ground turkey, or your favorite soy-based ground meat substitute.
Keep in mind when doing this, you’ll be missing out on some of the flavors that Italian sausage has in, so make sure to add a tablespoon of your favorite Italian seasonings to the soup.
Storage and leftovers
Soups can be stored and frozen beautifully!
Let the soup come to room temperature, and store it in an airtight container.
It can stay in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months!
Reheating is as simple as placing it in a microwave-safe dish, and heating for 3-4 minutes or until heated thoroughly.
More soup recipes
- Looking for something spicy? Try my Spicy Chicken Lime Soup.
- Loving lemons? Try my Lemon Chicken Vegetable Farro Soup.
- Want something rustic and hearty? Try my Chilean Carbonada Soup.
- Need something fast and fresh? Try my 20 Minute Seafood Stew.
Italian Sausage Fennel White Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound hot Italian sausage
- 1 leek trimmed, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 1 large shallot minced
- 1 fennel bulb top and bottom trimmed, cut in half, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- Kosher salt to taste
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 15 ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons basil pesto
- Fresh minced basil
- Fresh minced fennel fronds
- Grated Parmesan for topping
Instructions
- Add a 5-quart soup pot to the stove over medium heat.
- If your sausage came in casings, cut it out and add the ground sausage meat to the soup pot.
- Break up the sausage while it browns. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the majority of the sausage is starting to look brown.
- Add in the leek, shallot, and fennel. Saute for another 10 minutes or just until the vegetables have started to soften.
- Add in the garlic and cook for another minute or just until the garlic is fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken stock and diced tomatoes and stir to combine. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan if there was any browning.
- Add the beans and let the soup simmer over low heat for about 10-15 minutes or until the soup smells fragrant and the vegetables seem soft.
- Stir in the pesto to add a bit more flavor to the soup.
- To serve spoon the soup into a bowl and top with a generous sprinkle of fresh basil, minced fennel fronds, and Parmesan cheese.