This sausage minestrone soup has all the goodness of the classic vegetable soup but with an extra kick from flavorful Italian sausage.
Hearty soups make great meals. They're one-pot meals made with affordable ingredients and a good way to sneak in vegetables where the family won’t complain. For more easy soup try this vegetable beef soup and our popular sausage tortellini soup that are family favorites!
Ingredients
- Oil – Olive oil works well; we are just using it to get the sausage started browning.
- Sausage – Mild Italian sausage works great with this recipe. If you like spicy, use hot Italian sausage instead. And for more easy sausage recipes take a look at our Italian sausage recipes for excellent dinner ideas.
- Produce – This soup is loaded with vegetables including onions, carrots, celery, garlic, zucchini and spinach. After all, traditionally this is a vegetarian soup. Although, my family prefers minestrone soup with meat.
- Seasoning – Fresh ground black pepper and Italian seasoning give this soup plenty of flavor. Italian seasoning is usually a blend that includes dried basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme and marjoram, among others. Find it in the spice aisle of larger supermarkets or online.
- Pantry – From the pantry you will need chicken broth, canned cannellini beans (or red kidney beans if preferred), canned diced tomatoes, and small pasta. Good pasta choices include ditalini (what we used), small shells, and small elbow macaroni. Any small pasta shape will do. Finally, grated parmesan cheese, for serving is optional but it pairs so well with this soup that we recommended it.
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot (we use a 6-quart dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage for 4-5 minutes until browned, stirring frequently and breaking up any large pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula. Drain excess oil rendered, optional (see cook's note).
- Lower the heat to medium and add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions start to soften and are translucent, stirring frequently.
- Add the garlic, Italian seasoning and black pepper to the pot, cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Next, add the tomatoes and chicken broth. Stir while gently scraping any bits off the bottom of the pot. Raise the heat and bring the broth to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 15 minutes, stir occasionally.
- Add the pasta. Bring back to a boil (raise the heat if needed). Cover the pot and cook for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure the pasta is not sticking to the bottom.
- Then add the beans and zucchini, stir well and cover the pot. Cook the minestrone soup with Italian sausage for 10 minutes until the pasta is tender. Stir the soup occasionally focusing on the bottom of the pot.
- Finally, add the spinach and stir until it starts to wilt. Cover the pot and cook the soup for 3- 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Taste and add salt if needed. As a reference we did not add extra to ours. Serve the Italian sausage minestrone with grated parmesan cheese, if desired.
Cook's note
Depending on the sausage there could be excess oil after browning. To remove it from the pot, follow these easy steps: Take the pot off the heat. Pile the browned sausage to one side of the pot and tip it slightly so the oil pools opposite the meat. Use a ladle or large spoon to scoop most (or all) of it out. Level the pot, place it back over the heat and continue with the recipe.
Storing and reheating Instructions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To freeze, place the minestrone in a freezer-safe container. Leave enough room for the liquid to expand when frozen, 1-2 inches should do it. Freeze the soup for up to 3 months.
Thaw the soup in the refrigerator if frozen. Reheat the soup in a saucepan until simmering. Or heat thoroughly in the microwave. Add a few tablespoons of broth before reheating, if needed.
Leftovers should be heated to a temperature of at least 165°F. For more information on food storage and safety guidelines visit U.S. Department of Agriculture and foodsafety.gov.
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📖 Recipe
Sausage Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 1½ teaspoon Olive Oil
- 1 pound Mild Italian Sausage casing removed torn into pieces or use bulk sausage
- 1 medium Onion small dice
- 2 Carrots cut into rounds, half rounds or diced
- 1 Celery Rib sliced or diced
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 14.5 ounce can Diced Tomatoes do not drain
- 6 cups Chicken Broth
- ½ cup Small Pasta shells, ditalini, etc.
- 1 15.5 ounce can Cannellini Beans drained and rinsed (also called white kidney beans)
- 1 medium Zucchini quartered and sliced into bite sized pieces
- 2-3 ounces Fresh Spinach about two generous handfuls
- Salt to taste if needed at the end
- Grated Parmesan Cheese for serving optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking add the Italian sausage.
- Cook the sausage for 4-5 minutes until browned, stirring frequently and breaking up any large pieces. Drain excess oil (see notes)
- Lower the heat to medium and add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions start to soften and are translucent, stirring frequently.
- Add the garlic, Italian seasoning and black pepper to the pot, cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Next, add the tomatoes and chicken broth. Stir while gently scraping any bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Raise the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil (it will take about 5 minutes). Lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and simmer the soup for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Raise the heat to medium and add the pasta. Let the broth come to a boil again. It should happen right away but if it does not, raise the heat a little. Then drop it back to medium once it is boiling.
- Cover the pot and cook for 5 minutes. Stir it occasionally to make sure the pasta is not sticking to the bottom.
- Still on medium heat, add the cannellini beans and zucchini, stir well and cover the pot. Cook for 10 minutes until the pasta is tender. Stir the soup occasionally, again making sure the pasta is not sticking to the bottom.
- Finally, add the spinach to the pot and stir until it starts to wilt. Cover the pot and cook the soup for 3- 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Taste and add salt if needed. As a reference we did not add extra to ours.
- Serve with parmesan cheese, if desired and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
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