Chicken Sausage Soup
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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!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- 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.
Table of Contents
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 vegan minestrone soup. A combination of a few different soup recipes, really, creating a flavorful soup that you’ll want to eat again and again!
Oh and if you’re looking for a pasta-like version of this, you must try this chicken sausage orzo recipe!
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.
Substitutions
- 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
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.
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
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Chicken Sausage Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more as needed
- 12 oz. Italian chicken sausage, sliced into rounds
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 small zucchini, chopped
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced, from 1/2 large onion
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 15 oz. fire roasted diced tomatoes, (1 can)
- 30 oz. great northern beans, drained and rinsed; (2 cans)
- 6 cups chicken broth
- Parmesan rind, optional
- 1 bunch kale, chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, or more to taste; optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat, then add the chicken sausage and cook until it's golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove it and set it aside.
- Add a little more oil to the pot, then add the carrots, zucchini and onion and sauté for 5-6 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Next, add the Italian seasoning, salt, red pepper flakes, diced tomatoes, beans, chicken broth, and parmesan rind. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and simmer it for 10 minutes.
- Add the kale and lemon juice, along with the chicken sausage, and stir until the kale is wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!
Notes
- Refrigerator: Store in a sealed container for up to 4 days
- Freezer: Store soup in a freezer-safe bag for up to 4 months; thaw in the refrigerator overnight
Nutrition
One of the best soups I’ve ever had. I love that there’s a ton of flavor and veggies in it. I added 1 large potato and 1 small potato but pre-boiled them for about 3 mins so they would cook evenly with the carrots and other veggies. Thank you so much for this recipe!!!!!
Thanks for the kind comment, Denisse — I’m so glad you liked the soup!
It’s a solid recipe with great flavors that developed in a short amount of time. I used some veggies I had on hand, including a sweet potato (suggested above). Lo So veggie broth, spinach (instead of kale) added at the end with a generous squeeze of lemon that added a wonderful flavor tying it all together! Thanks!
So happy you enjoyed the soup, Allison!
Most flavorful soup I’ve ever tried. I personally removed the Parmesan and added the lemon juice and it came out amazing. I plan to make it again tonight and, since the stores are out of kale, plan to try and substitute it with spinach. Hopefully it will come out just as good as the first time.
So happy you liked the soup!
This was a quick, easy but delicious supper. I love how you can make it to what veggies you have on hand. I made pretty much as is except added spinach instead of kale because it’s what was in the fridge. Healthy too so thank you, looking forward to lunch leftovers!
I’m so happy you liked the soup!
What an amazingly flavorful fall soup. I chose to add carrots, sweet potatoes and Italian chicken sausage. The perfect blend of spices and fall root vegetables, along with kale, lemon and cheese to bring it all together.
I’m so happy you liked the soup!
This soup was hearty and delicious. Definitely a keeper.
I turned this into minestrone by adding orzo but I’m sure any other small pasta would work 🙂 I also mashed some of the white beans to add creamier texture
That sounds delicious!
Can I make this in a crockpot? If so, what temp and how long?
Yes you can — I’d cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours!
Full of flavor with nutrition abound! Love soups and this one is quick and easy as Erin states. I’m
at our Florida home and it’s cooler today and raining, perfect weather for a healthy, hearty soup!
Sounds like the perfect type of weather for soup — I’m so happy you enjoyed this one!
Just delicious!
Thanks for the 5-star rating, Paula!