Sausage Kale White Bean Soup (Hearty, Wholesome, EASY!)

Sausage Kale White Bean Soup is a hearty, wholesome, cozy recipe that's full of flavor, loaded with vitamins, and easy to make in under 30 minutes!

If you enjoy white beans in your soup, you'll also love Slow Cooker White Chili, Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup, and Slow Cooker Cajun White Bean Soup!

Well, friends, I resisted for years, but I finally decided to jump on the kale bandwagon. Okay, perhaps "bandwagon" is too extreme. Rather, I created this Sausage Kale White Bean Soup...and I actually liked it!

I'll probably get my Southerner card revoked for such blasphemy, but as much as I love spinach, I've never really been a fan of the heartier greens. However, seeing as how kale recipes and ideas are everywhere you look, I decided it's probably time I give it a go.

Quick and Easy

Soup seemed like an innocuous enough medium for my family's first foray into kale, and I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised with how tasty this Sausage Kale White Bean Soup turned out!

I toyed with the idea of cooking a pot of dried white beans to act as the base of the soup, and you could certainly do so, but I ultimately decided to go with canned beans in order make this a quick and easy supper.

Ingredients

So what do you need to make this Sausage Kale White Bean Soup?

• Smoked sausage links. Sliced. Kielbasa is an easy choice or, if you like a kick of heat, andouille would also work.
• Extra-virgin olive oil. For browning the sausage.
• Garlic. Minced.
• Chicken broth. Or stock. I always recommend using low-sodium to have more control over the saltiness of your soup, particularly since sausage can be salty.
• Kale. Tough stems removed and finely chopped or shredded. Keep reading for my favorite shortcut trick!
• Seasonings. For flav-ah! Specifically, you'll need a bay leaf, garlic powder, a few dashes of hot pepper sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Canned white beans. Rinsed and drained. Feel free to use your favorite...cannellini, great northern, or navy beans all work great.
• Shredded Parmesan cheese, crumbled feta cheese, or BOTH! For garnish. These are optional but highly recommended.

How to Make Sausage Kale White Bean Soup

This kale and white bean soup is super simple to throw together.

1. Start by browning your sausage in a little EVOO. Remove it to a paper towel-lined plate to drain off any grease, and then add minced garlic to the remaining oil in the pot and saute until just fragrant.

2. Add chicken broth to the pot along with the shredded kale, garlic powder, and bay leaf.

3. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, then cover and cook for five minutes.
4. In the meantime, place about one-third of the rinsed and drained beans in a blender or food processor -- along with 1 cup chicken broth -- and puree until smooth (your remaining beans should remain whole).

5. After the kale has wilted, add the bean puree, whole beans, and browned sausage back to the pot. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce, to taste.

6. Stir well and cook for a few more minutes until heated through.
7. Remove the bay leaf and serve your bowls of Sausage Kale White Bean Soup with plenty of grated Parmesan and/or feta on top!

Warm, filling, healthy, and delicious!

A Note About the Garnish

I originally developed this white bean and kale soup to be garnished with shredded Parmesan.

But upon reheating the leftovers one night, I realized that I was out of Parmesan and only had a tub of crumbled feta in the fridge.

So I decided to try that instead...and boy am I glad I did! The feta somewhat melted into the hot soup, lending a creamy consistency that was pretty darn yummy.

So when I make this recipe now, we always stir in some feta...before sprinkling Parm on top. 🙂

The Key to Kale in Soup

Now here's my secret to getting my kids (and my husband...and, okay, myself) to willingly eat the kale:

Instead of leaving the leaves in large pieces, I shredded them up in the food processor before adding them to the soup.

(To save on clean-up, I later used the same dirty food processor bowl to puree my beans...no need to wash it in between!)

Having soft, small bits of kale distributed throughout the Sausage Kale White Bean Soup proved to be palatable to those who might not otherwise enjoy chewing up large green leaves.

Of course, seeing all of those mysterious green pieces swimming around in their soup the first time I made this recipe, my then-young children immediately asked me what it was...and I gave them a pseudo-truth.

It's called kale. You know...it's kind of like parsley.

For some reason, my kids aren't offended by herbs, so they accepted my explanation and proceeded to scarf down their kale and white bean soup. They occasionally cast a suspicious eye in my direction, but they ate it.

And really, kale and parsley have to be related somewhere down the line, right? I mean, they're both dark green, edible plants... 😉

The next time you need a quick, wholesome, cozy dinner, I encourage you to give this Sausage Kale White Bean Soup a try!

If you're already a fan of kale, I think you'll love it.

And if you've spent all of your years thus far avoiding kale...well, join the cool kids and give it a go.

I think you'll be happy to learn that something so vitamin-packed can actually (surprisingly?) taste so good.

More Warm & Hearty Soups

• Slow Cooker Corn & Potato Chowder with Ham
• Sausage Tortellini Soup
• Slow Cooker German Lentil Soup with Sausage
• Easy Minestrone Soup
• Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
• Slow Cooker Ham & Bean Soup
• Black-Eyed Peas Soup
• Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

Post originally published on September 21, 2014, and updated on October 16, 2020, February 3, 2021, and January 25, 2024.