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Meat, Meal soups and plant based

White bean soup with smoked sausage

White bean soup with smoked sausage is a one pot meal for 4 people, ready in 50 minutes, easy to make, for about €2.20 per person. Its success comes from mashing part of the beans against the pot, which thickens the broth naturally without any cream. Adding the sausage at the end keeps its smoky flavor and firm bite.

Tonight, we're having a thick white bean soup with rounds of smoked sausage, the kind that warms up the whole house.

White bean soup with smoked sausage
Total time
50 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€2.20
Calories per person
630 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Fall, Winter
The kids
They generally like it

This soup has the texture of a thick puree studded with whole beans, with rounds of smoked sausage floating in a broth colored by tomato paste. The white beans turn soft and creamy, the leeks and carrots add quiet sweetness, and the smoked sausage flavors everything else without ever taking over.

It's the meal for a cold fall or winter evening when you walk in chilled and want dinner that actually sticks to your ribs without spending the whole evening in the kitchen. Kids tend to like it because it's mild and not spicy, and you just ladle it into bowls with some country bread on the side. A solid weeknight dinner you can pull together from what's already in your pantry.

The ingredients

4 people

Pantry

  • Canned white beansoften in the pantry 800 g
  • Tomato pasteoften in the pantry 1 tbsp
  • Vegetable bouillon cubeoften in the pantry 1
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Butcher

  • Raw smoked sausage 2

Fruits and vegetables

  • Carrots 2
  • Leeks 2
  • Onion 1
  • Garlic 2 cloves
  • Thyme 4 sprigs

Bakery

  • Country bread 8 slices

Allergens Gluten, Celery

The step by step recipe

  1. Prick the sausage, drop it into gently simmering water and let it cook, then slice it into rounds. 10 min

    Don't let it boil hard, it would burst and lose its flavor.

  2. Peel and dice the carrots, leeks, onion and garlic, and sauté them in the oil with the tomato paste. 8 min

    Let the tomato paste caramelize slightly, it loses its sharpness.

  3. Add the rinsed beans, the thyme, the crumbled bouillon cube and 1 liter of water, and let it simmer gently. 25 min

    Rinse the beans very well to remove the canned taste.

  4. Mash a few beans with a fork right in the pot, add the sausage rounds and heat through. 3 min

    Add the sausage at the end so it stays firm and flavorful.

  5. Serve the soup piping hot, with country bread and a few turns of the pepper mill.

    A ladle of the sausage cooking water deepens the broth if you like it smokier.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick a good quality raw smoked sausage, it gives the whole dish its character, a bland one makes for a bland soup.
  • Keep the soup at a real simmer during the 25 minutes, a hard boil breaks the beans down into a uniform mush.
  • Taste before adding salt, the bouillon cube and the sausage already bring plenty, you risk oversalting if you skip this step.

The variations

  • Swap the smoked sausage for smoked bacon lardons cooked separately and added at the end the same way.
  • For a vegetarian version, skip the sausage and stir in a spoonful of smoked paprika to keep that grilled flavor.
  • For kids in a hurry, blend the whole soup smooth right before serving, it turns into a silky puree they finish faster.

What to serve it with

  • Toasted country bread rubbed with garlic
  • A sharply dressed green salad to start
  • A glass of dry cider

Storage

This soup keeps for 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. It freezes well for up to 2 months, leave out the sausage if you want to keep its firm texture. Reheat gently over low heat, adding a splash of water if it has thickened too much.

Questions about this dish

Can I use dried white beans instead of canned?

Yes, but soak them overnight and cook them for about 1.5 hours before starting the recipe. Canned beans make this recipe much faster for a weeknight.

What smoked sausage works best for this soup?

A Morteau or Montbéliard style sausage works great, or any raw smoked sausage from the butcher. Avoid thin, already cooked sausages, they tend to dry out while simmering.

Can this soup be made ahead?

Yes, make the base with the vegetables and beans the day before, and add the reheated sausage only when serving. The flavor actually deepens after a night in the fridge.

Do I really need to mash some of the beans?

It's not required but it's what gives the soup its thick texture without adding cream. If you prefer a clearer broth, you can skip this step.

How long does it take to make a white bean soup with smoked sausage?

Count 50 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a white bean soup with smoked sausage?

About 630 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a white bean soup with smoked sausage cost?

About €2.20 per serving, or €8.80 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, celery. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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