Italian Sausage and White Bean Soup

Since every morning this week there has been ice on my car window I think I will officially declare that winter is here, even though the calendar says it is still a couple of weeks off.  This is perfect weather for making a big pot of soup and this soup is my all time favorite.  This recipe makes a big pot, so be sure to invite the neighbors over.

This soup is so hearty, just give me a bowl and some crusty bread and I am in heaven.  You could use bulk italian sausage, but by using the links and cutting them into small pieces you end up with little meatballs.  I'm also a big believer of seasoning as you cook, so instead of adding all the salt at the end I add a little during each stage of cooking.  It just makes the finished pot of soup taste better.

It might just be in my head, but I think whole canned tomatoes taste better than crushed ones...maybe because they are less processed, but again it just might be in my head.  Since I buy the whole ones instead of crushed, the best way I have found to chop them is with a pair of clean kitchen shears.  This way you don't lose any of their juice and you don't have to wash the food processor.

Italian Sausage and White Bean Soup


1.5 lbs hot italian sausage, about 5 links
1 medium onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 bay leaves
35 oz can whole tomatoes
2- 15.8 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
5 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh torn basil
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

Remove the sausage from the casing and cut into bite sized pieces.  Then in a large dutch oven over a medium flame add 2 tbs olive oil and brown the sausage.  Be sure not to crowd the sausage in the pot, you may need to brown it in two batches.  Then add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, oregano, bay leaves, and fennel seeds.  Season with a little salt and pepper and saute for about 10 minutes.  Then add the chopped tomatoes with their juice and the cannellini beans.  Season with a little salt and pepper.  Then add the chicken broth.  Cover and simmer for about an hour or until the vegetables are tender.  Then stir in the basil and parmesan cheese.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.

If this recipe looks familiar...Well it should I shared it a while back, but some recipes are worth sharing twice.

You might also be interested in Spicy Tomato Soup and Roasted Zucchini Soup.