This Italian Sausage Soup is easy, flavorful, and on the table in less than 30 minutes using a few pantry staples. Healthy and hearty, this one is on regular rotation at my house!

Italian sausage soup in bowl


Before food blogs became a thing, I used to love relaxing with a glass of wine and a cooking magazine. I would leaf through and dog-ear pages and pages of recipes, like Spicy Skillet Chicken Aglio e Olio and this Italian sausage soup from Cooking Light. It was definitely a dinner that was on a bi-weekly rotation in our house because it was so quick and easy to make, but also packed in a whole lot of flavor. 

Through the years, I changed it up slightly but the base of it remained the same: mild Italian sausage, chicken stock, canned diced tomatoes. Then, I’d switch things up with other add-ins. My favorite rendition is this one, with white beans and spinach. The beans add extra fiber and a heartiness that helps fill you up—make no mistake, this soup is definitely a meal and not one that will leave you hungry a few hours later!

The smell of this Italian sausage soup is absolutely heavenly, and it tastes like it’s been simmering away all day on the stovetop. Luckily, when you start with flavor bomb ingredients like Italian sausage, you don’t need a long cooking time to develop the flavors in a soup—just 15 minutes of cooking and dinner’s ready! If you’re looking for something more hearty, this Sausage Tortellini Soup is definitely what you need.

Overhead view of spinach added to pot of Italian sausage soup

Ingredients for Italian Sausage Soup

Here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll need for this recipe. For the full measurements, scroll down to the recipe card.

  • Mild Italian sausage – Remove the casings before getting started.
  • Vidalia onion – Or another sweet onion like Walla Walla. A regular onion will work too if you must, but I like using a sweet onion in this recipe to complement the savory sausage.
  • Garlic – I think two cloves is perfect, but if you want your Italian sausage soup extra garlicky, go ahead and add some more.
  • Italian Seasoning Blend – A great way to add a whole lot of flavor without having to take out a bunch of jars from the pantry.
  • Chicken Stock – Use a good one! It’s the base of flavor for this soup. If you don’t use Homemade Chicken Stock, spring for a quality brand at the grocery store.
  • Diced Tomatoes – Both the tomatoes and the juices go into the soup.
  • Cannellini Beans – Or another white bean, kidney beans, or even chickpeas. They’ll all work!
  • Small Cut Pasta – I use ditallini, but feel free to delight your children with tiny stars or alphabet shapes.
  • Baby Spinach – Spinach is nice because it wilts right into the soup without extending the cooking time.
  • Grated Parmesan Cheese – Pro-tip: If you have a block of cheese with a rind, cut that rind off and throw it in the pot. It will add some extra oomph to the broth.

How to Make Italian Sausage Soup

This is an overview of the steps for making Italian sausage soup. For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

  1. Brown the sausage. Cook the sausage in a large pot over medium-high heat, then transfer to a bowl and leave a tablespoon of fat in the pan.
  2. Cook the onions. Sweat the onions in the fat from the sausage, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant. 
  3. Deglaze. Stir in the Italian seasoning and 1/4 cup of chicken stock, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
  4. Simmer. Stir in the tomatoes, beans, sausage, the remaining stock and pasta. Bring to a boil then simmer until the pasta is tender.
  5. Finish. Stir in the spinach, ladle into bowls, and garnish with Parmesan cheese.
Overhead view of Italian sausage soup in Dutch oven

Tips for Making This Italian Sausage Soup

Here are a few additional tips to make sure this Italian sausage soup turns out perfect.

  • Brown the sausage. Don’t just cook it! BROWN it! This adds depth and richness to the soup.
  • Deglaze the pot thoroughly. The brown bits from the pot also make the soup flavorful. I like to use a flat-bottomed wooden turner or spatula (do NOT use metal to scrape the pot, especially if it’s nonstick!), which gives me more surface area for scraping. If the 1/4 cup of broth isn’t sufficient for loosening up the browned bits, pour in the liquid from the tomatoes; the acid will help do the job.
  • Different pastas have different cooking times. Keep an eye on the pasta while it cooks; you want it to be al dente, as it will continue to soften in the soup after you turn off the heat. If you choose orzo, for example, instead of ditalini, the amount of time needed to reach al dente will be different.

Variations

  • Try another green. Chard or kale would all be great substitutions for the spinach; kale just takes a bit longer to wilt. If you use chard, add the stems with the onions.
  • Add more veggies: Feel free to add other vegetables to the soup if you’d like. Frozen green beans can be added at the end of cooking time, or celery and carrots can be added with the onions.
  • Make it creamy. To make a creamy version of this Italian sausage soup, stir in some heavy cream at the end of cooking. 
  • Use an alternative sausage. Turkey sausage or even a vegan sausage will work in this recipe if you want to lighten things up. Note that you’ll need to add a splash of oil to cook them in since they’re leaner.
Bowl of Italian sausage soup

What to Serve With Italian Sausage Soup

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Bowl of Italian sausage soup

Get the Recipe: Italian Sausage Soup

Yield: 8
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
On the table in 30 minutes, Italian Sausage Soup is made easy with simple pantry ingredients.
5 from 29 votes
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Ingredients

  • 1 pound mild Italian sausage, casing removed
  • 1 large vidalia onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning Blend, I use Spice Islands
  • 5 cups chicken stock
  • 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 15.5 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup small cut pasta, I use DeLallo Ditallini
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • Grated parmesan cheese, for serving

Instructions 

  • Place a large pot or dutch oven over med-high heat and add the sausage, breaking it up in to small pieces with a fork as it browns. Continue cooking until the sausage is no longer pink. Transfer the sausage to a bowl with a slotted spoon and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat.
  • Return the pot to the stove and add the onions. Cook the onions until translucent, approximately 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic, cooking for one minute until fragrant.
  • Stir in the Italian seasoning and 1/4 cup of chicken stock to deglaze the pan being sure to scrape up any brown bits with a wooden spoon.
  • Stir in the tomatoes, beans, sausage and remaining stock. Add the pasta and bring the soup to a boil. Cook for 6-7 minute or until the pasta is al dente.
  • Stir in the spinach. Serve immediately topped with parmesan cheese.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light Magazine
Serving: 1g, Calories: 485kcal, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 47mg, Sodium: 726mg, Potassium: 1561mg, Fiber: 10g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 780IU, Vitamin C: 10.9mg, Calcium: 199mg, Iron: 8.2mg
Author: Kellie
Course: Dinner, lunch, Soup
Cuisine: Italian