Chicken Sausage Soup

Easy and delicious Chicken Sausage Soup is made in one pot in under 25 minutes. It's made using chicken sausage, diced tomatoes, white beans, and kale, it's a healthy and hearty soup recipe the whole family will enjoy! 

You should really know by now that I love chicken sausage, so I figured why not create an official chicken sausage soup recipe?!

My most-made chicken sausage recipe is my Italian chicken sausage pasta, but I already know this soup is going to be a close second. It's loaded with vegetables like carrots, zucchini and kale, and is somewhat similar to minestrone soup. A combination of a few different soup recipes, really, creating a flavorful soup that you'll want to eat again and again! 

Recipe features

• Made with chicken sausage, beans and plenty of veggies, making it a healthy soup option that's incredibly filling as well
• Cooked in one pot and ready in under 25 minutes 
• Naturally gluten free, and can easily be made dairy-free too

Ingredients

Chicken sausage - preferably Italian chicken sausage, either mild or spicy 

Vegetables - I used a combination of carrots, zucchini, onion, and garlic. However, if you're not a fan of zucchini, simply add an extra carrot instead.

Tomatoes - Canned fire roasted diced tomatoes are where it's at! They're the best, and I use them in almost all of my recipes that use diced tomatoes. Make sure to get plain fire roasted, or ones with Italian spices (vs. ones with Mexican spices, which some of them include).

Beans - White beans are best, so either cannellini beans, great northern beans or navy beans (I used great northern). 

Parmesan cheese - Optional! If you want to keep this soup dairy-free, omit the parmesan. If not, including a parmesan rind takes the flavor up a notch, so I definitely recommend including it!

Kale - Or substitute spinach if you prefer.

Lemon - Optional, but it adds a bit of acidity to counter the other flavors -- a little bit goes a long way! 

Instructions

Step 1: Cook the chicken sausage. Start by adding the sausage to a large pot or dutch oven and cook it over medium heat until it's golden brown on both sides. Use a slotted spoon to remove it and transfer it to a bowl; set aside.

Step 2: Sauté the veggies. Next, add the carrots, zucchini and onion to the pot and sauté until they're tender, about 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute before adding in the Italian seasoning, salt, red pepper flakes, diced tomatoes, beans, chicken broth, and parmesan rind. 

Step 3: Cook the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pot with a lid. Simmer the soup for 10 minutes. 

Step 4: Add the remaining ingredients. Add the kale, lemon juice and the chicken sausage back to the pot and give everything a good stir. Continue simmering the soup, uncovered, for 10 more minutes. 

Tips and tricks 

• I used pre-cooked Italian chicken sausage because I already had some in my refrigerator (true story!). However, feel free to buy some from behind the meat counter, remove the casing and cook it that way instead, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.
• For a creamier consistency, add a splash of heavy cream or half and half in at the end. 

What kind of substitutions can be made?

• Sausage - can use pork sausage instead
• Vegetables - can omit the zucchini Parmesan and lemon juice - both ingredients are optional
• Beans - I don't recommend omitting them; beans are incredibly nutritious. But, you can substitute for a different kind of white beans (think: cannellini) if you prefer.
• Garnish - I didn't include a garnish, but a pinch of fresh oregano would be delicious, along with extra cheese and/or black pepper 

Is this soup spicy?

Not really! If you'd like it to be, use spicy Italian chicken sausage, and add a heavy pinch of red pepper flakes in at the end. 

What should chicken sausage soup be served with?

Honestly, the soup is plenty filling on its own. But, you could also serve it with some crusty bread, or my braised greens or kale salad on the side.

Storage

• Refrigerator: Store soup in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Freezer: You can also freeze the soup. To do so, wait for it to cool a bit before transferring it to a freezer-safe container or bag. Store soup in the freezer for up to 4 months. 

More healthy soup recipes

• Spicy Sausage Potato Soup
• Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
• Whole30 Mushroom Soup

If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!