White Bean Soup

Italian Sausage and White Bean Soup

Written by Published on in Soup

Italian Sausage and White Bean Soup

This is a nice hearty and meaty bean soup. Generally I use navy beans in this recipe but in Italy I usually make it with Cannellini beans. Diced carrots and celery can also be added once the soup is blended if desired. A nice crisp crostini that has been drizzled with extra virgin olive oil is a great side for the soup.

Italian Sausage and White Bean Soup
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Italian Sausage and White Bean Soup

Recipe by Michael SalmonCourse: SoupsCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

25

minutes
Cooking time

1

hour 

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried white beans

  • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 slice of bacon, small diced

  • 1/2 pound ground Italian pork sausage

  • 1 large onion, diced

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 teaspoon dried basil

  • 1 teaspoon ground fennel seed

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1 large bay leaf

  • Small pinch of red pepper flakes

  • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

  • 1/2 cup dry white wine

  • 1 quart chicken stock

  • 1 quart veal stock (or beef stock)

  • 2 cups of chopped Escarole (1-inch pieces)

  • Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

  • 1/4 cup oil cured olives, pitted (optional)

  • Crisp croutons or Crostini (optional)

Directions

  • Rinse beans and pick out any severely discolored beans or debris. Place beans in a bowl and cover with plenty of cold water and refrigerate 6-8 hours or overnight.
  • Drain water from beans and rinse. Place beans in large pot and cover with water by about 3-inches. Cook uncovered over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until water begins to boil.
  • Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let beans sit for one hour. After one hour, drain beans and set aside.
  • Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and bacon. Render fat from bacon, cooking until crispy. Remove bacon from pot and set aside in a bowl.
  • Add ground sausage to the pot and cook until browned. Remove sausage from pot and place in bowl with bacon.
  • Add chopped onions to the pot and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
  • Add garlic to the pot and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add herbs, white wine and vinegar and cook 10 minutes, until liquid is reduced by about half.
  • Add the stock and beans and simmer until beans are tender, stirring occasionally. With a slotted spoon, remove about half of the beans and set aside.
  • Blend the soup until smooth using an immersion blender.
  • Add chopped escarole, reserved beans, sausage and bacon to soup and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Top with oil cured olives and crisp croutons or crostini and serve.

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