Simmer a pot of this Sausage and Kale Soup recipe to warm both your kitchen and your belly. The ingredients are simple–sausage, kale, white beans, veggies, and broth–but the flavor is like a huge warm hug ready in under an hour. Serve with crusty bread and snuggle into the cooler months.

Sausage and kale soup recipe garnished with shaved parmesan cheese, and served with crusty bread

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Helpful Reader Review

“Delicious!! This soup came out so flavorful and hearty without being too heavy, so I will be making this one a lot this winter! Thank you for your wonderful recipes, they always come out amazing!” – Lisa ★★★★★

Sausage Kale Soup Recipe

This white bean, sausage, and kale soup recipe is a wholesome comfort food, y’all, plus it’s totally easy to make. I was flipping through an issue of Food Network Magazine (one of my favorite subscriptions) when I spotted Giada’s “House Soup,” and I was like – YEEES!

Luckily, I had comparable ingredients on hand and made it twice that week with a few tweaks. I like the idea of using raw sausages instead of cooked because you can slice them into fuss-free meatballs and they infuse the soup with wonderful flavor. And the parmesan – don’t skip it.

I love the challenge of recreating copycat recipes, like my Monterey Chicken (Chili’s), Pasta e Fagioli (Olive Garden), and Bang Bang Shrimp (Bonefish Grill), that better fit my family’s tastes and budget. This version of Giada’s Sausage and Kale Soup is one of our favorites!

White bean, Sausage and kale soup in a white bowl with carrots and parmesan cheese

Ingredients for Sausage, Kale White Bean Soup

Reach into your pantry to find most of the ingredients for Sausage, Kale, and White Bean Soup. It’s perfect for those winter days when fresh ingredients are scarce, but you want something nourishing.

  • Sausages – raw Johnsonville Brats Original Sausages, sliced into 1/2″ thick chunks. I left the skin on, because it held the easy “meatballs” together, but you can peel it off if you prefer. You can swap with smoked sausage sliced into coins.
  • Vegetables – 1 finely chopped onion, 1 diced tomato, 2 carrots sliced into rings, and minced garlic
  • Beans – 1 can (15 oz) white beans with their juice (or make your own) – the juice helps to thicken the soup and gives great flavor
  • Chicken broth or stock – use my homemade recipe or low-sodium store-bought cartons
  • Kale – ribs removed and coarsely chopped. You can substitute spinach, but it will wilt much more.
  • Grated parmesan – optional (but don’t skip it), to garnish and serve
Ingredients for hearty Fall recipe including bratwurst, tomatoes, onion, carrots, chicken broth, white beans, and greens

How to Make Sausage and Kale Soup

This one-pot meal cooks up in a large Dutch oven or stockpot.

  1. Brown the sausage – Slice the sausage into large chunks and brown in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium/high heat until golden brown.
How to slice brats into chunks and cook in a Dutch oven
  1. Sauté veggies – the onions and cook for 3 minutes, and then toss in the tomatoes and carrots to cook for another 5 minutes.
How to add vegetables to a stock pot for making stew including onions, carrots, brats, and tomatoes.
  1. Add garlic to cook for 1 minute until you can smell it, and then add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
How to make sausage and Kale soup recipe with bratwurst, carrots, garlic and chicken stock
  1. Stir in the beans and kale and cook for 5 minutes, then add salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with Parmesan cheese to serve.
Before and after photos of Kale wilting after add it to sausage and kale soup recipe

Serve Soup With

Once the kale has wilted and the white beans are cooked through, remove the soup from the heat. We garnish with salty Parmesan cheese, but you can also add a pinch of red pepper flakes for heat, or crispy Bacon crumbled on top. Pair with one of these crusty bread recipes:

Soup ladle with sausage, white beans, sauce, kale and carrot soup over a Dutch oven.

Everyone loves this hearty and comforting White Bean, Sausage, and Kale Soup recipe. It’s perfect for those winter months when you want a hearty, warm meal without spending hours in the kitchen, and then just pair it with Crusty French Bread for the perfect one-pot soup.

Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup

5 from 42 votes
Bowl of Sausage and Kale Soup recipe in a white bowl with slices of carrot and parmesan cheese on top
This Sausage and Kale Soup is a hearty comfort food that comes together in just one pot! The sausages make easy, fuss-free meatballs, and they infuse the soup with great flavor. It's full of veggies and bone broth–great ingredients any time of the year. Mix up a pot of this soup for the perfect Fall and Winter meal paired with crusty bread.
Each serving is about 1 1/2 – 2 cups.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 7 bowls of soup
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb Raw Johnsonville brats Original Sausages, sliced into 1/2" thick rings*
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 large or 2 medium ripe tomatoes, diced
  • 2 medium carrots, sliced into rings
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1 can, 15 oz white beans with their juice (or make your own)
  • 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth/stock
  • 4 medium kale leaves, ribs removed and coarsely chopped
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste
  • Grated parmesan to garnish and serve

Instructions

  • Brown the sausage – Heat a large heavy bottomed pot over med/high heat and add 2 Tbsp olive oil. Slice sausages and add to hot oil and saute 5 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Sauté veggies – Add diced onions and sauté another 3 minutes. Add carrots and tomatoes, and sauté another 5 minutes until softened.
  • Add garlic and stir until fragrant (1 min), then add 8 cups of chicken broth and bring to a boil.
  • Stir in beans and kale and cook until kale is tender (5 min). Season to taste with salt and pepper (I added 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper), then remove from heat. Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese.

Notes

*To make these “meatballs,” I left the sausage skins. Alternatively, you can remove the casing if you prefer and have clumps of sausage meat, which would still taste great!
Storage – Cool leftovers until room temperature in under 2 hours, and then pack the soup in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This soup doesn’t freeze well because the beans and kale tend to get mushy or grainy when reheated.
To reheat, heat in the microwave until at least 165°F or on the stovetop to a rolling boil. 

Nutrition Per Serving

315kcal Calories9g Carbs15g Protein25g Fat8g Saturated Fat3g Polyunsaturated Fat13g Monounsaturated Fat48mg Cholesterol646mg Sodium601mg Potassium1g Fiber2g Sugar3690IU Vitamin A11mg Vitamin C57mg Calcium1mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup
Amount per Serving
Calories
315
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
25
g
38
%
Saturated Fat
 
8
g
50
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
3
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
13
g
Cholesterol
 
48
mg
16
%
Sodium
 
646
mg
28
%
Potassium
 
601
mg
17
%
Carbohydrates
 
9
g
3
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
2
g
2
%
Protein
 
15
g
30
%
Vitamin A
 
3690
IU
74
%
Vitamin C
 
11
mg
13
%
Calcium
 
57
mg
6
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: sausage and kale soup, sausage and kale soup recipe
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $$
Calories: 315
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

More Soup Recipes to Try

Fall is soup season in our family! This Sausage and Kale Soup is always one of our first bowls, but then, we enjoy these other delicious and easy soup recipes:

5 from 42 votes (16 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Zori
    December 4, 2015

    This soup looks amazing, i love beans in everything!! Talk about beans, do you know how to make чанахи? I really want a recipe!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 5, 2015

      Is it similar to a stew?

      Reply

  • Itina
    November 28, 2015

    Hi! Would I be able to use better than bullion as chicken broth? Thanks in advance!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 28, 2015

      Sorry for the late reply. Yes, absolutely! I always use it except when I made this soup I was out and didn’t want to go to Costco so I bought broth at a closer store. It is generally always interchangeable, well I do it anyways 🙂

      Reply

  • Victoria
    November 14, 2015

    Another wonderful recipe, definitely a keeper. I had to improvise a little: used the black-eyed peas and, because I am a cheapskate, used the beet greens from the beets that I used for the awesome borsch recipe last week:) Came out great. My sausage was Premio Mild Italian, next time I am thinking something spicier, like Andouille or jost Hot Italian.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 14, 2015

      Mmmm I think hot sausage would be so good! Our son isn’t too keen on spicy foods so we usually just cook spicy foods for my hubby and I. 🙂

      Reply

  • Alina
    October 31, 2015

    This is seriously one of the best soups !!!!! YummThank you for the recipe !!!!:))))

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 1, 2015

      You are welcome Alina and thank you for such a great review 😀 .

      Reply

  • Alina
    October 30, 2015

    Thank you so much for another great recipe. It reminds me of zuppa Toscana – so good:)

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 30, 2015

      You are welcome Alina 😊, I’m glad you like the recipe.

      Reply

  • Whitney
    October 30, 2015

    I made this soup yesterday and just had a bowl for lunch. It’s so good! Even better today. I just love the simplicity of your recipes. The trend in the world seems to be overcomplicating recipes. If anyone ever tells you to do that, tell them to go jump off a bridge 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 30, 2015

      Ha ha. Will do! ;). You’re funny. I agree though; real people cook normal food, so I try to keep it normal and simple all while being delicious. Thank you for the awesome review!

      Reply

  • Lesya
    October 28, 2015

    This soup is SO good. It is definitely a keeper! I look forward to making it again 👌

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 28, 2015

      I’m so happy you liked it! Thank you Lesya 🙂

      Reply

  • inna
    October 25, 2015

    where did you get organic low sodium chicken broth?thank you

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 26, 2015

      Inna, we buy it at Costco, but it should be available in stores like Fred Meyer and other grocery stores, just in smaller jars. Hope this helps :).

      Reply

  • Saadi
    October 21, 2015

    Yeeeessssss girl! This recipe was bomb. I absolutely loved it. The flavor factor was truly great. I was so excited when you posted this new soup.
    Its refreshing. Served with some nice crusty bread!
    I’m so thankful for your blog. One of my favs.
    My husband is Russian and I’m  African american. I didn’t know the first thing about an Slavic cuisine!
    I knew he missed home. I knew he missed soups and cabbage and his mama’s dishes LOL. I write his mother on VK and Google translate’s assistance but recipes really don’t transfer well when her measuring cups are actually her eyes.
    So when I found your blog and another girl’s I could finally fulfill his nostalgic cravings.
    I hope you do more videos. But I know you busy!! Keep up the hard and very much appreciated work!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 21, 2015

      Saadi, thank you for such a sweet comment, I hope you’ll find many more favorites on the site :). I have few videos coming soon.

      Reply

  • Nataliya
    October 21, 2015

    Made this soup two times already!!! Everyone loves it & it’s sooo easy to make!! I told all my sisters about it! Thank you so much for such an amazing recipe & for all the rest of your amazing creations! 🙂 God bless you!!!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 21, 2015

      Nataliya, I’m so happy you enjoyed it, thank you for your sweet comment :).

      Reply

  • Emily
    October 20, 2015

    Hi Natasha,
    My husband doesn’t eat pork so I used chicken sausages from Sprouts instead. They were difficult to slice and came out messy… Any tips to slice sausage and cook them like the medallions you have?

    Besides my little substitution faux pas, it’s delicious!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 20, 2015

      Did you use a sharp knife? You might try a serrated knife for easier slicing. I hope that helps 🙂

      Reply

      • Emily
        October 21, 2015

        I used my sharp knife and a serrated one as well… The serrated slices came out worse. Maybe it’s the casings.

        But does it really matter how they look when it tastes so good? I have a burnt tongue as evidence because I was too impatient to wait for it to cool.

        Reply

        • Natasha
          natashaskitchen
          October 21, 2015

          Very true! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂

          Reply

      • Nata
        October 26, 2015

        I use kitchen scissors to cut sausage:)

        Reply

  • New York
    October 14, 2015

    WoW is this soup AMAZING!!! Super easy & fast to make. I made this soup 2 times back to back!! I know, that’s how much we loved it. My little ones were not a fan of the beans, so I substituted pasta 2nd time- super delish!! 5 stars.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 14, 2015

      Thank you for such a great review. I’m so happy that you loved this soup :D.

      Reply

  • Chrystia
    October 14, 2015

    Natasha,
    Made this soup for dinner tonight, and it was absolutely delicious!!!! Thanks for all your awesome recipes!!!! Definitely will be making this soup again!!!!!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 14, 2015

      chrystia, thank you for such a great review, I’m so glad you enjoyed it :).

      Reply

  • Trisha
    October 13, 2015

    I LOVE fall soups. They just make the day that much more delicious. Don’t you agree? I can’t wait to add this to my weekly wrap up of fall soups <3

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 13, 2015

      I couldn’t agree with you more Trisha :D.

      Reply

  • Trisha @ Home Sweet Homemade
    October 12, 2015

    I’m with you…I love meatball soup recipes! I also love the combination of sausage and beans! Pinned!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 12, 2015

      Thank you so much for pinning Trisha! 🙂

      Reply

  • Inna
    October 11, 2015

    I love soup:) it’s so warming and comforting as the days cool off.
    One of favorite fall recipes is a slab apple pie.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 11, 2015

      HI Inna! Me too. It’s the perfect meal. 🙂 P.S. I saw you left a link to your etsy shop but when I clicked on it, it said the link was not available. Maybe there was a typo? I’d love to check it out. 🙂

      Reply

  • inessa
    October 10, 2015

    Natasha I made this soup for dinner tonight, and everyone could not stop saying how good it is. My family absolutely LOVED it. ( I also added 4 potatoes), and it was yammy.
    Thank you for your recipes they are always, always perfect. I have tried a ton of your recipes and was never disappointed.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 10, 2015

      I do love the idea of adding potatoes to make it heartier. Thanks for sharing and I’m so happy you all loved the recipe 🙂

      Reply

  • Lyuda
    October 10, 2015

    I asked my husband to make this soup today, cause he cooks on Saturdays, and oh boy was it good, the pot was almost gone at the end of the day! I will have to make it my self this week again!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 10, 2015

      Lyuda, thank you for such a great review, looks like your husband is quite a cook :). I’m so happy you both liked it.

      Reply

  • Violeta
    October 9, 2015

    Natasha –

    This soup is not only comforting, but it’s also very nutritious. Thank you so much for your great ideas. When you have time, please post a good lentil soup recipe as well :-). Thank you and God Bless.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 9, 2015

      Thanks so much for the suggestion! 🙂

      Reply

  • Coco in the Kitchen
    October 9, 2015

    This looks delicious.
    I’m waiting for the weather to chill so I can make it for my family!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      October 9, 2015

      Thank you dear :). I hope your family loves it! 🙂

      Reply

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