Italian Sausage Soup
Italian sausage soup cooks up fast but tastes like it cooked all day, with fully developed seasonings and bursts of flavor in every bite. It includes Italian seasoning, beans, tomatoes, and chicken sausage cooked in a flavorful broth.
My favorite weeknight suppers are the ones that cook up fast but taste like they cooked all day and this easy Italian sausage soup recipe fits the bill. The primary ingredient, Italian-style chicken sausage, plays a huge role in this. Sausage is a perfect ingredient for quick and flavorful soups and suppers.
In this case, supper is as simple as browning some gluten-free chicken sausage and onions, adding in the rest of the ingredients (Italian seasoning, instant long-grain rice, red kidney beans, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth), and letting them simmer for 15 minutes. We love a one-pot meal in this household.
Of course, if you get home before everyone else you could totally play this off like it took hours! Because as it simmers those flavors marry together to make the most flavorful broth. Don’t be surprised if some members of your family try and go back for seconds. Luckily, this recipe makes about 5 to 6 servings… depending on how ravenous your family is!
So, when you’re looking for a quick, easy, and delicious soup recipe to enjoy once the weather cools, you need to try this Italian sausage soup. This is the ultimate comfort food to enjoy on a cozy night in and takes only 30 minutes to make, so what’s not to love? Add a serving of crusty bread or cornbread to soak up the soup broth and your family will be begging you to make this soup weekly, I just know it… because my family does!
Recipe Ingredients
- Italian seasoning
- Instant rice
- Red kidney beans
- Diced tomatoes
- Chicken broth
- Italian-style chicken sausage
- Onion
How to Make Italian Sausage Soup
Begin by slicing your sausages into bite-size rounds.
Place the sausage and chopped onion in a large pot or Dutch oven with just a tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté over medium-high heat until nice and brown.
Add in chicken broth and stir well, scraping the bottom to get up all those wonderful bits of flavor from the browning process.
Add in tomatoes, drained kidney beans, and Italian seasoning. Bring this just to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce heat, add rice, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
That’s all there is to it. How quick and easy is that?
Get ready for this flavor-bursting Italian sausage soup!
Storage
- Store leftover Italian soup in the fridge for up to 5 days. This is a great meal prep option as it quickly reheats in the microwave (or on the stovetop) and tastes so good!
- You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Just thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating as above.
Recipe Notes
- Aidells® sausage packs a wallop of flavor that makes it the perfect backbone of this main dish. You can use any chicken sausage but if you have Aidells available to you, you won’t be disappointed. It’s handcrafted the old-fashioned way and fully cooked, so all we have to do is brown it and add our other ingredients. If you are cooking for folks with special dietary needs, this is also nitrate-free and gluten-free. You can find it at Publix in the cold meat case.
- Here are some variations to make this recipe work for you:
- Saute 1 minced garlic clove along with the onion and sausage for added flavor.
- Substitute the chicken stock for beef broth or vegetable broth, whatever you have on hand.
- Use a different type of bean, like Great Northern beans or cannellini beans.
- Use Italian-style stewed tomatoes instead.
- Add some veggies! I’d remove the sausage and onion from the pot, saute the veggies, and then add all remaining ingredients. Some great options (I’d opt for about 1 cup of whichever you want to add: diced carrots, diced zucchini, diced red bell pepper, diced celery, sliced mushrooms, , frozen peas, fresh spinach, or kale.
- Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or use spicy Italian sausage for heat.
- For a boost in tomato flavor, stir in 2 tablespoons of tomato paste.
Recipe FAQs
How do you serve Italian sausage soup?
- Serve your Italian sausage soup with cornbread, crusty bread, or homemade biscuits to soak up the broth.
- Serve it with a simple side salad or vegetables like fresh green beans or grilled asparagus.
- Substitute rice for pasta to make pasta soup. Popular options include orzo pasta, ditalini pasta, elbow noodles, or egg noodles. Cook them separately before adding them to the pot in the last few minutes.
- Add a garnish of chopped fresh parsley or fresh basil.
- Sprinkle freshly grated parmesan cheese on top.
How do you make a vegan Italian sausage soup?
Substitute the sausage for another can of beans and use vegetable broth instead. Then this instantly becomes a vegan Italian soup… without the sausage!
Ingredients
- 1 packet Aidells® Italian sausage
- 1 chopped onion
- 3-4 cups chicken broth
- 1 14-oz can red kidney beans, drained
- 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 tablespoon dry Italian seasoning
- 1 cup instant long-grain rice
Instructions
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a stockpot over medium heat.
- Slice sausages into bite-size pieces. Add to the stockpot along with the chopped onion and sauté until sausage is lightly brown and onions are translucent.1 packet Aidells® Italian sausage, 1 chopped onion
- Add chicken broth to the pot and stir well. Add seasoning, drained beans, and tomatoes with juice, and bring just to a boil.3-4 cups chicken broth, 1 14-oz can red kidney beans, drained, 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained, 1 tablespoon dry Italian seasoning
- Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer and add rice. Continue cooking for another 15 minutes.1 cup instant long-grain rice
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
You may also like these other sensational recipes:
Smoked Sausage and Beef Stew in the Crockpot
Slow Cooker Italian Sausage and Peppers in Crockpot
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Aidells®. The opinions and text are all mine.
