This hearty sausage minestrone soup takes the classic vegetable-packed Italian soup and makes it even better with savory Italian sausage. It's a satisfying one-pot meal loaded with tender pasta, cannellini beans, plenty of vegetables, and a flavorful tomato broth.
What's great about this recipe
- Hearty one-pot meal - Everything cooks in a single pot for maximum flavor and minimal cleanup. It's filling enough to be dinner all by itself.
- Perfect for meal prep - Tastes even better the next day as the flavors meld. Cook once and have lunch or dinner ready for a couple of days.
- Family-friendly and budget-friendly - Packed with vegetables the whole family will actually eat, made with simple, affordable pantry staples and sausage.
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Ingredients you'll need
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Oil - Olive oil works great to brown the sausage and start building flavor.
Sausage - Mild Italian sausage is perfect here. Go with hot if you like a little kick.
Produce - This soup is packed with vegetables: onions, carrots, celery, garlic, zucchini, and spinach. It's still mostly veggies like the classic vegetarian minestrone, but the sausage makes it the hearty version my family loves.
Seasoning - Fresh ground black pepper and Italian seasoning bring it all together.
Pantry - Chicken broth, canned cannellini beans (or kidney beans if you prefer), canned diced tomatoes, and small pasta like ditalini, small shells, or elbow macaroni. Any small shape works.
For serving - Grated Parmesan cheese is optional but highly recommended. It ties everything together beautifully.
📖 See the recipe card below for quantities and preparation.
How to make sausage minestrone soup
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot (we use a 6-quart Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook for 4-5 minutes until browned, stirring frequently and breaking up any large pieces with a wooden spoon. Drain excess grease if you'd like (see Recipe tips and notes 1).
- Lower the heat to medium and add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions are translucent, stirring often.
- Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes and chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Raise the heat and bring the soup to a boil. Then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the pasta and bring back to a boil. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom.
- Stir in the beans and zucchini. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes until the pasta is tender, stirring a few times and checking the bottom of the pot.
- Finally, add the spinach and stir until it begins to wilt. Cover and cook for 3-5 more minutes.
- Taste and add salt if needed. As a reference we did not add extra to ours. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Recipe tips and notes
- Draining excess sausage grease (optional): Depending on the brand of sausage, there may be quite a bit of oil after browning. To remove it, take the pot off the heat. Push the sausage to one side, tilt the pot so the oil pools on the opposite side, and spoon or ladle most of it out. Level the pot, return it to the heat, and continue with the recipe.
- Salt: Use reduced-sodium chicken broth if you're sensitive to salt. Taste the soup at the end before adding any extra salt, the sausage, broth, tomatoes, and beans already contribute plenty.
- Frozen vegetables: For extra convenience you can substitute frozen diced onions, carrots, or zucchini. Just thaw them first so they don't lower the temperature of the soup and throw off the cooking times.
Storing and reheating
Refrigerator: Cool the soup completely, then transfer to airtight containers. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Cool completely, then portion into airtight, freezer-safe containers. Leave a little headspace for expansion. Label with the contents and date, then freeze for up to 3 months. For best results, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheating: Stovetop (recommended): Place the soup in a saucepan and warm over medium-low heat. Add a splash of chicken broth or water if it has thickened. Stir occasionally until heated through.
Microwave: Transfer a portion to a microwave-safe bowl. Add a small splash of broth or water, cover loosely, and heat in 1-minute intervals, stirring between each, until hot.
Food safety: Perishable foods should not sit out for more than 2 hours (or 1 hour if the temperature is above 90°F). Reheat leftovers to an internal temperature of at least 165°F. For more information on food storage and safety, visit the USDA or foodsafety.gov.
If you enjoyed this sausage minestrone soup, be sure to try our sausage tortellini soup. It's another hearty one-pot favorite with cheesy tortellini. For a classic beef version, check out our vegetable beef soup, or go for our simple white bean soup when you want something a little lighter but still satisfying. All three are easy, family-friendly, and perfect for soup season.
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📖 Recipe
Sausage Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 1½ teaspoon Olive Oil
- 1 pound Mild Italian Sausage casing removed torn into pieces or use bulk sausage (use hot Italian sausage if you prefer a little more heat)
- 1 medium Onion small dice
- 2 Carrots cut into rounds, half rounds or diced
- 1 Celery Rib sliced or diced
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can Diced Tomatoes do not drain
- 6 cups Chicken Broth
- ½ cup Small Pasta ditalini, shells, etc.
- 1 (15.5 ounce) can Cannellini Beans drained and rinsed (also called white kidney beans)
- 1 medium Zucchini quartered and sliced into bite sized pieces
- 2-3 ounces Fresh Spinach about two generous handfuls
- Salt to taste if needed at the end
- Grated Parmesan Cheese for serving optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking add the Italian sausage.
- Cook the sausage for 4-5 minutes until browned, stirring frequently and breaking up any large pieces. Drain excess oil (see notes)
- Lower the heat to medium and add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions start to soften and are translucent, stirring frequently.
- Add the garlic, Italian seasoning and black pepper to the pot, cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Next, add the tomatoes and chicken broth. Stir while gently scraping any bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Raise the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil (it will take about 5 minutes). Lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and simmer the soup for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Raise the heat to medium and add the pasta. Let the broth come to a boil again. It should happen right away but if it does not, raise the heat a little. Then drop it back to medium once it is boiling.
- Cover the pot and cook for 5 minutes. Stir it occasionally to make sure the pasta is not sticking to the bottom.
- Still on medium heat, add the cannellini beans and zucchini, stir well and cover the pot. Cook for 10 minutes until the pasta is tender. Stir the soup occasionally, again making sure the pasta is not sticking to the bottom.
- Finally, add the spinach to the pot and stir until it starts to wilt. Cover the pot and cook the soup for 3- 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Taste and add salt if needed. As a reference we did not add extra to ours.
- Serve with parmesan cheese, if desired and enjoy.
Notes
- Excess grease: Depending on the sausage, there may be quite a bit of oil after browning. To remove it, take the pot off the heat, push the sausage to one side, tilt the pot so the oil pools on the opposite side, and spoon or ladle most of it out. Return the pot to the heat and continue with the recipe.
- Pasta tip: The pasta tends to sink to the bottom while cooking. Stir occasionally, especially in the beginning, to prevent it from sticking and burning on the bottom of the pot.
- Use low sodium broth if you are sensitive to salt. Taste and adjust at the end if needed.
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Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
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