Minestrone Soup with Sausage is a delicious take on the classic Italian soup loaded with veggies and beans. Flavorful Italian sausage turns this hearty minestrone soup in to a meal that’s great for soup season or any occasion!
REVIEW: This soup was amazing!! Instead of Spinach i did green beans (my kids prefer) and I used Cheese Tortellini. My husband said, “Add this to your winter rotation! I love it!”
If you love a hearty soup, this Minestrone Soup with Sausage is sure to be your new favorite. Filled with vegetables, beans, pasta, and chunks of Italian sausage, it’s great recipe to have on hand for the colder months or whenever you are craving a delicious and filling soup.
If you love soups, don’t miss my Turkey Orzo Soup, Pasta e Fagioli, Chicken Pastina Soup, or Pasta e Ceci recipes. For a fun treat to serve with soup, try these Pinwheel Bread Rolls or Zucchini Scarpaccia. And, if you love classic Italian dishes, don’t miss this Pasta alla Norma made with eggplant, or Risotto alla Milanese. For a delicious and simple bean recipe, try this White Bean Bruschetta!
You’ll Love Minestrone Soup with Sausage
Classic Minestrone Soup gets a hearty upgrade when made with delicious Italian sausage. The flavors of the sausage work perfectly making this classic minestrone extra hearty and flavorful.
Minestrone is a classic Italian soup made with veggies, beans, and pasta in a tomato filled broth. Classic minestrone is vegetarian and does not contain any meat or dairy.
This recipe for minestrone soup with sausage a delicious variation of the classic recipe and great if you like an Italian sausage soup. It’s hearty and filling, and great for colder months.
You’ll love that this soup is full of flavor and comes together fast. It’s made a variety of fresh vegetables and beans and is both delicious and pretty to look at. Topped with parmesan cheese, it’s truly the perfect one-pot meal.
So, if you love hearty soups with lots of flavor, be sure to give this minestrone soup with sausage a try. It’s sure to be one of your new favorite soups.
Ingredients
- Italian sausage: you will need about three links of Italian sausage for this recipe. You can use spicy, mild, or sweet Italian sausage depending on your preference.
- Zucchini: this recipe calls for a cup of zucchini which is about a medium zucchini, diced.
- Celery: you will need about two stalks of celery here.
- Carrots: either one large carrot or two smaller carrots work. Be sure to peel before using.
- Onions: about half a medium onion is enough.
- Olive Oil: a little bit of oil is need to cook the sausage and the veggies.
- Garlic: fresh minced garlic cloves give this soup extra flavor.
- Tomatoes: here you will need a combination of both tomato paste and canned diced tomatoes.
- Broth: use chicken broth, chicken stock, beef broth, or vegetable broth for this recipe.
- Beans: here, I use the classic minestrone beans, both kidney beans and small white or cannellini beans. Use the canned beans and just drain and rinse before adding to the soup.
- Pasta: add a bit of small pasta shells to give the soup extra texture and flavor. You can substitute whatever small pasta you have on hand.
- Spinach: use fresh spinach. You can frozen spinach if needed.
- Parsley: a bit of parsley helps freshen up the flavors of the soup. Feel free to omit it if needed.
- Parmesan: freshly grated parmesan is the classic way to finish up this minestrone soup with sausage.
How to Make Minestrone Soup with Sausage
To make minestrone soup with sausage you will need a large soup pot or a large dutch oven. Heat the pot over medium heat.
Step 1: cook the sausage
Remove the Italian sausage from its casing. Pull apart the sausage into small chunks.
Add a tablespoon of oil to the large pot and cook sausage until no longer pink. Use a slotted spoon to remove the brown sausage from the pot; set aside.
Step 2: cook veggies
Add the remaining oil to the pot. Increase to medium-high heat and add in the diced zucchini, onions, carrots, and celery.
Use a wooden spoon and stir frequently to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook until the vegetables have softened, about 3-4 minutes.
Step 3: add broth
Once the veggies are cooked, add in the minced garlic, tomato paste, and Italian seasoning. Stir until the paste has melted into to the vegetables.
Pour in the canned diced tomatoes and broth. Bring the soup to a simmer and stir in the pasta shells and beans.
Step 4: finishing the soup
Once the pasta is al dente, add back in the cooked sausage and the spinach. Continue stirring the soup until the spinach has wilted.
Taste for seasonings and add kosher salt and black pepper as needed. Finish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley or fresh basil.
This is a quick and delicious soup with so much flavor that’s perfect for busy weeknights. Serve in a bowl topped with grated parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes (optional), and a slice of bread.
Recipe Tips
- Serving: This recipe makes enough to serve 4-6 as a main course or 6-8 as a side or starter.
- Sausage: use your favorite Italian sausage (hot, mild, or sweet) for this recipe. Remove the casing and break into chunks.
- Make ahead: this is a great recipe to make ahead and have on hand for the week. To avoid the pasta soaking up too much of the liquid and getting mushy, store the cooked pasta separately from the soup and add it in before serving.
- Leftovers: store leftover minestrone soup with sausage in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze in an airtight container for up to a month.
Frequently Asked Questions
To freeze minestrone soup, cool it to room temperature, transfer it to airtight containers or freezer-safe bags, leaving some space for expansion, and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Serve minestrone soup with crusty Italian bread or a side of garlic bread to soak up the delicious broth, and accompany it with a fresh garden salad tossed in a light vinaigrette for a delicious and satisfying meal.
Yes, you can minestrone soup with sausage for added flavor and protein, making it a heartier variation of the classic soup.
More Italian Sausage Recipes
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or review in the comments section further down the page.
Minestrone Soup with Sausage
Equipment
- large dutch oven or pot
Ingredients
- ¾ pound Italian sausage, crumbled (about three links)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 cup zucchini, quartered and sliced (about a medium zucchini)
- ½ cup onion, diced
- ½ cup carrots, peeled and sliced (about 2 small carrots)
- ½ cup celery, sliced (about 2 stalks)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning blend (or dried oregano)
- 15 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce can small white beans
- ½ cup cut green beans (frozen is fine)
- ½ cup small shell pasta
- 2 cups baby spinach leaves
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- parmesan cheese for topping
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat. Add in the crumbled Italian sausage and cook until the sauce is no longer pink, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Remove sausage from pan and set aside.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the same pot over medium high heat. Add in the zucchini, onion, carrots, and celery to the pot. Cook until the vegetables are softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir in the tomato paste until its melted into the vegetables. Pour in the canned diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and Italian seasoning, and bring to a simmer. Add in the kidney beans, white beans, green beans, and pasta. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.
- Stir in the cooked sausage and spinach leaves and cook until the spinach leaves are wilted, about 2 minutes.
- Add in chopped parsley. Pour the minestrone into soup bowls and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Serving: This recipe makes enough to serve 4-6 as a main course or 6-8 as a side or starter.
- Sausage: use your favorite Italian sausage (hot, mild, or sweet) for this recipe. Remove the casing and break into chunks.
- Make ahead: this is a great recipe to make ahead and have on hand for the week. To avoid the pasta soaking up too much of the liquid and getting mushy, store the cooked pasta separately from the soup and add it in before serving.
- Leftovers: store leftover minestrone soup with sausage in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze in an airtight container for up to a month.
Fantastic soup. My church social group loved it.
Definitely will make again! We loved this. I sprinkled some red pepper flakes in for a little extra heat. Added some cauliflower instead of spinach. So flavorful and perfect for a cold frosty night .
This is a great recipe, thanks!!! I was missing spinach so used kale. It was a big hit everyone loved it.
Love this! Great suggestion 🙂
Great recipe!! It absolutely hit the spot ❤️
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
This was a hit. Thank you
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that! 🙂
Love it!
This soup was amazing!! Instead of Spinach i did green beans (my kids prefer) and I used Cheese Tortellini. My husband said, “Add this to your winter rotation! I love it!”
There are a lot of words on this recipe page, but not the words that tell us when to add the beans.
Hi. Thanks for the message. When you look at the recipe card at the bottom of the post, it details all of the specifics of making the recipe, including adding in the the beans when you add in the pasta. To get to the recipe card, you can just click the “jump to recipe” button on the top of the page. Hope this helps!