Quick and Easy Bean Soup With Sausage

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 06/9/21
Quick and Easy Bean Soup With Sausage

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Total: 65 mins
Servings: 8 servings

A snap to throw together, this bean and sausage soup is an excellent dish for a fall evening or a snow day. This hearty recipe calls for several kinds of canned beans—including lima beans, great northern beans, and small red beans—as well as smoked sausage, vegetables, and basic seasonings. But it's also quite versatile, meaning you can use what you have in your pantry.

All you need to accompany this delicious bean soup is some hot baked cornbread for a hearty family meal.

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Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion

  • 2 small carrots

  • 1 bell pepper (any color)

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (or a combination of oil and butter)

  • 1/2 cup diced celery

  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)

  • 12 ounces smoked sausage (kielbasa, andouille, or chicken sausage)

  • 1/2 cup baby lima beans (frozen)

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil

  • 4 cups chicken stock

  • 1 (15-ounce) can great northern beans (drained and rinsed)

  • 1 (15-ounce) can navy beans (drained and rinsed)

  • 1 (15-ounce) can small red beans (drained and rinsed)

  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)

  • Seasoned croutons, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Quick and Easy Bean Soup With Sausage ingredients

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  2. Peel the onion and chop it coarsely.

    chopped onions on a cutting board

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  3. Peel and dice the carrots.

    chopped carrots on a cutting board

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  4. Slice the bell pepper in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and ribs. Cut into 1/4-inch dice.

    diced red bell pepper on a cutting board

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  5. Heat the olive oil in a stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat.

    oil in a pot

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  6. Add the onion and sauté for about 3 minutes.

    onions and oil cooking in a pot

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  7. Add the carrots, bell pepper, celery, minced garlic, and sausage and cook for 2 more minutes.

    onions, carrots, bell pepper, celery, minced garlic, and sausage cooking in a pot

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  8. If the sausage is fatty, drain off excess fat.

    drain the excess fat from the pot

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  9. Add the lima beans, salt, pepper, basil, and chicken stock.

    Add the lima beans, salt, pepper, basil, and chicken stock to the sausage and vegetables in the pot

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  10. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

    cook the bean soup in the pot

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  11. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

    bean soup cooking in a pot

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  12. Add drained and rinsed beans. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes longer.

    add drained beans to the soup in the pot

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  13. Stir in the chopped parsley. Spoon the soup into serving dishes and serve. If desired, top each serving with seasoned croutons.

    Quick and Easy Bean Soup With Sausage with croutons and parsley

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Tip

The soup can be cooked in the crock pot instead of on the stove. Saute the vegetables and sausage as directed and then combine with the remaining ingredients in the slow cooker. Set it on low and let it simmer for about 4 to 6 hours, or until the vegetables are tender.

Recipe Variations

  • Black beans or pinto beans are also good choices for the soup, as are chickpeas for their texture.
  • Add a cup or so of fresh or frozen chopped kale, spinach, escarole, or Swiss chard for some extra color and nutrients.
  • Toss in 1/2 cup to 1 cup of diced potatoes or rutabaga along with the carrots.
  • If you like tomato flavor in your soups, add a small can of tomato sauce or a 14 1/2-ounce can of diced tomatoes.
  • If you prefer a vegetarian soup, replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth and omit the sausage. Or add a vegetarian sausage to the soup.

How to Store Soup

This bean and sausage soup can easily be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days. It can be frozen and kept in the freezer for around three months.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
438 Calories
18g Fat
48g Carbs
23g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 438
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 23%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 30mg 10%
Sodium 996mg 43%
Total Carbohydrate 48g 17%
Dietary Fiber 14g 50%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 23g
Vitamin C 26mg 128%
Calcium 119mg 9%
Iron 5mg 26%
Potassium 1121mg 24%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)