Sausage, Beans and Greens Soup
Updated March 9, 2026
Joseph De Leo for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
- Ready In
- 55 min
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces raw Italian pork or chicken sausage (casings removed if necessary)
3 large shallots, chopped (about 1 heaping cup)
Salt and black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
6 cups chicken stock or water
2 cups chopped Yukon Gold potatoes (about 2 large potatoes)
2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, such as cannellini or Great Northern, drained and rinsed
6 cups/5 ounces tender greens, such as spinach or baby kale
Grated Parmesan (optional), for garnishing
Fresh herbs like dill, chives or parsley (optional), for garnishing
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat a medium Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium. Add the olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pot. Add the sausage, pressing it into a thin layer that covers the bottom of the pot. Cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Flip the sausage and break it up into bite-size pieces, then cook until golden brown all over, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes more. If there is a large amount of fat left in the pot after browning the sausage, remove all but about 2 tablespoons.
- Step 2
Add the shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the paprika and cook for 30 seconds.
- Step 3
Stir in the stock, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the potatoes and drained beans. Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat down to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.
- Step 4
When ready to serve, stir in the greens and cook until bright green and slightly wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Step 5
Divide among bowls and garnish if desired with Parmesan and fresh herbs. (The soup will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 days.
Private Notes
Comments
I have been making this for years but always incude a large sliced fennel bulb with the onions. And a handful of shredded sage.
Wish I had some good smoked paprika on hand but came out great as written, super easy. 10 minutes must be a typo. About 50 minutes, with 25 active time.
I made this tonight strictly to the recipe, using cannellini beans and a 5 oz. Bag of baby spinach leaves. Easy, simple, and delicious with a baguette to accompany.
Bland!!! Made exactly as recipe specified. we didn’t want to eat it and moved on to “rescue dinner” mode—Rescued the finished but bland soup by adding canned tomatoes, sautéed garlic , italian herbs and Parmesan into the broth as well as some wine vinegar and simmered for 1/2 hour additional time.
This is truly great, just make as is. We prefer cannellini beans and have also used a good mild Italian turkey sausage from a local butcher instead of pork or chicken. An easy tip for the sausage step if you buy links: de-case them, cut each one in half, then smush each half flat before adding to the pan.
We're vegetarian cooks, big fans of beans n' greens recipes and of every ingredient listed here--except the meat sausage. Do other cooks' have creative suggestions for alternatives? Or shall I just omit the meat intrusion (as I usually do)? Thanks.