Italian Sausage Bean Soup Recipe

This is a warming and comforting Italian sausage bean soup recipe. A huge plus in my book is that this hearty soup takes less than 30 minutes to prepare.

This recipes makes a hearty meal for cold winter nights. It is made with cannellini beans which are white Italian kidney beans. However, if cannellini beans are hard to find, you can easily replace them with Great Northern beans or white navy beans.

You may use pork sausage, or turkey or chicken sausage. It is best if you use sausage that comes in a casing. Remove the casing, and then cook the sausage. But I am sure any type of sausage would work including little smokies.

The base for this soup is acorn squash, however, you can use butternut squash, yams or even pumpkin puree. When I am pressed for time, I use one 15 oz can of pumpkin puree and no one is none the wiser.

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White Bean Chili with Italian Sausage: Ingredients

1 pound Italian sausage

4 cans cannellini beans - drained and rinsed - 15 oz

1 small acorn squash - cooked and pureed see notes - or bought frozen, thawed and pureed

1 cup salsa

4 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle seasonings

Salt - about 1 teaspoon - and pepper to taste

White Bean Chili with Italian Sausage: Method

Directions for cooking the acorn squash:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Cut the squash in half and scoop the seeds out with a spoon.

Place face down on a greased cookie sheet and bake for about 1 hour or until tender when the flesh is poked with a fork.

Puree in a blender.

In a large sauce pan - or Dutch oven - cook the sausage until no longer pink. Break it up into little pieces as you cook it. Drain the fat.

Add the beans, squash - fresh or canned, salsa, broth and spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently - uncovered - for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve while still warm.

Serves 6 to 8.

My family likes this soup served with cheesy garlic bread or breadsticks.