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Creamy Tuscan White Bean Lemon Soup. My family’s favorite quick and easy Italian-style soup. Spicy Italian chicken sausage mixed with onions, shallots, garlic, and Italian seasoning. All cooked together to create a wonderfully creamy and spicy soup. Add carrots, celery, sun-dried tomatoes, a couple of cans of white beans, and fresh baby spinach. Then, just before serving, add a bit of cream, parmesan, and lemon juice to balance the spice and give a touch of creaminess to this delicious, hearty winter soup. Ladle into bowls and top each with extra parmesan and fresh parsley. It’s just the yummiest!
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Ever since Christmas Eve, we’ve had some of the snowiest weather. It’s been heavy winter days filled with chilly temperatures and a good amount of snow. At this point in the winter, I’m still loving this cozy weather.
It always inspires me to create some of my favorite recipes of the year. And from the looks of the numbers, some of your favorite recipes too.
I guess we can’t deny that there are a lot of us who really do enjoy a cozy meal!
I’ve been on a major soup kick. I feel like I have new ideas every single day! But when I created this simple, spicy Tuscan-style soup, I knew it was something special.
The flavors, the colors, and the creaminess were all indications that this soup would be delicious. It turns out that this has become one of my favorite soups – and my family’s too!
I blame a lot of this on the spicy Italian chicken sausage. It’s one of my favorite Whole Foods purchases. I usually pick up a pound from the meat counter. If you’re lucky, they’ll make it for you, and the seasonings are just perfect!
I love the spicy sausage in the creamy broth. The addition of lemon just before serving creates the perfect balance. Such a yummy winter soup!
These are the details
Ingredients
- sun-dried tomatoes – use the tomatoes with the oil in the jar
- spicy Italian chicken sausage – you could also use pork sausage
- onions
- shallots
- garlic
- carrots
- celery
- Italian seasoning
- broth
- canned white beans
- baby spinach
- cream or whole milk
- parmesan cheese
- lemon zest and juice
- fresh parsley
Special Tools
None! All you need is a nice big Dutch oven/soup pot. This recipe really is so easy!
Steps
Step 1: the sun-dried tomatoes
Start with the sun-dried tomatoes. I love using a jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. Not only are the tomatoes delicious, but I also use the oil from the jar to cook the chicken. The oil is always seasoned, so it adds even more flavor. Just make sure it’s extra virgin olive oil.
Most people will discard the oil, but you must use it! It adds a lot of flavor to recipes.
Step 2: cook the sausage
Add the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes to a Dutch oven. Add the sausage and onions and brown them. Then mix in the shallots, garlic, carrots, and celery. Mix in the Italian seasoning too.
Let the veggies soften up a bit.
Step 3: add the broth and simmer
Next, add the broth and simmer until all the veggies are tender and the soup start to really smell yummy!
Step 4: finish the soup
Now add the spinach, the sun-dried tomatoes, and white beans. Mix in the cream, parmesan, and lemon, cooking until warmed throughout.
The cheese will melt into the creamy broth.
Serve
When you’re ready to eat, divide the soup between bowls and top it with extra parmesan and freshly chopped Italian parsley.
And, of course, no bowl of Italian soup is complete without some crusty bread (I particularly love a loaf of warm ciabatta) or my Nonnie’s homemade beer bread. Both are great with this soup!
Looking for other soups? Here are a few ideas:
Easy Chipotle Cheddar Beef Chili
Healthy Slow Cooker Turkey and White Bean Chili
Healthy Slow Cooker Chipotle Bean Chili
One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake
Healthy Chipotle Chicken Sweet Potato Skins
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup with Salty Lime Chips
Crockpot Chipotle Queso Chicken Chili
Lastly, if you make this Creamy Tuscan White Bean Lemon Soup, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Creamy Tuscan White Bean Lemon Soup
Ingredients
- 1 jar (8 ounce) oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 pound spicy Italian chicken sausage
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 6 cups broth
- 2 cans white beans
- salt and black pepper
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup whole milk or cream
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- chopped fresh parsley, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Drain 3 tablespoons of oil from the sun-dried tomato jar into a Dutch oven. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes and set aside.2. Set the pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and onion. Cook, breaking up the meat as you go until browned. Add the shallots, garlic, carrots, celery, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook another 5 minutes, fragrant. 3. Add the broth. Simmer for 10 minutes over medium heat until the veggies are tender. Add the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and white beans. Mix in the cream, parmesan, and lemon. Cook for another few minutes until warmed through.4. Divide the soup among bowls and add additional parmesan and fresh parsley. Enjoy with warm bread – of course!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Easy and delicious. I will add a 3rd can of beans and maybe more spinach next time just based on personal preference. The lemon takes it over the top.
Hi Marilyn,
Wonderful! Thanks a bunch for making this soup and your comment, love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
Delicious! I doubled the recipe, used half the amount of sundried tomatoes, and used Italian sausage since my kids don’t love spicy dishes. It was a hit! The whole family enjoyed it! Thanks for another great recipe!
Hey Meghan,
Love to hear this! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and your comment! Have a nice day:) xxT
I followed the recipe exactly, except I didn’t have parmesan nor lemon in the house and it was still delicious! Another recipe keeper.
Hey Tracy,
Amazing! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! XxT
This soup is AMAZING!!!! I made it tonight (quick and easy) and it is so full of flavor! I wasn’t sure how it would be with the lemon but it totally makes it shine. This will be on regular repeat in my house. It’s my new favorite!
I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious-My husband ate two bowls of it! I only used half a lemon and half of an 8 oz jar of sun-dried tomatoes and I did add rosemary, but such great flavors. It’s a great soup to make on a cold winter evening!
Thanks so much, Amelia!! So glad to hear this soup was a hit! I appreciate you making it! xx
Hi Lisa,
Amazing! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! XxT
This was so good!! I swapped the sausage for a ton of mushrooms that needed to be used (also because I’m a pescatarian), but otherwise followed the recipe. Even my meat loving husband loved this – he requested I save the leftovers for his lunch tomorrow, which is always a good sign
It was easy, felt healthy but absolutely delicious all at once. A perfect winter soup!
Hey Kristen,
Fantastic! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Have a wonderful week! xx
I made for lunch for my office. Everyone raved about it. So creamy with the white beans and the lemon zest/juice added the right tang. Will make again.
Also made your No Knead Bread for the first time. What wonderful crunch on the outside and inside so soft. Looked like it came from a fancy bakery.
Hey Jan,
So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Have a wonderful week! xx
WOW!!! So good!!! Made it on a snowy night and did not change a thing!! Literally had to stop my husband and I from eating until we burst!!!! Hearty, healthy and delicious!!!! This soup goes in the short rotation!!!!!
Thanks so much!! I appreciate you making this soup and your comment, so glad it turned out well! xT
This was so easy and absolutely delicious! This is a keeper! The lemon! Yum!
Hey Stacy,
So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Have a wonderful week! xx
If I wanted to simmer this longer (maybe for a couple hours since I’ll cook it on a Sunday afternoon instead of a weeknight) could I just lower the heat and add the beans, tomatoes, and spinach toward the end of cooking?
Hey Sarah,
Totally, that will work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe! Have a great Sunday! xT
Do you drain the beans?
Hi Susan,
Yes, you can drain the beans. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Is the sausage sliced or crumbled into the pan when browning?
Delicious. I used mild Italian sausage because I had it in the house.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious!! The broth is so flavorful. I will definitely be making this again!!
Thanks so much, Melinda!! So glad to hear you enjoyed this soup. Thanks for trying the recipe! Happy Sunday! xT
Delicious! But I do need to say I substituted Italian Spicy sausage for the chicken sausage, which could not find! A keeper!
Hi DeeDee,
Thanks so much for trying this soup and sharing your feedback. Love to hear it was enjoyed! xT
Do you have a good idea for dairy free alternative to use for the milk?
Hi Brendon,
Yes, coconut milk would be a nice option for this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Excellent! Such different favors than I am used to I loved the combo of it all! Another great recipe!