It doesn’t have to be cold outside to get me cooking up delicious hearty soups for my friends and family and my Sausage and Bean Minestra is a perfect light dinner any time of year.
With all the fresh vegetables in the market, summertime is my favorite time to make this delicious Italian soup. It’s the kind of soup that almost begs to have a piece of crusty bread dunked into it!
What Ingredients do I need to make a Sausage and Bean Minestra?
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my Sausage and Bean Minestra. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Do I have to use Chicken stock to make this soup?
No, you don’t. If you want to keep it completely vegetarian use vegetable stock. You can also use beef stock if you prefer a heartier beef flavor.
How do I make Sausage and Bean Minestra?
My soups almost always start with a mirepoix or as the Italians would call it a soffrito, which is a diced combination of celery, onions and carrots.
Always starting your soup by allowing your vegetables to cook a bit before adding in any water, this process is called sweating down the vegetables.
After the initial cooking of the vegetables you can add the stock, and the remainder of the ingredients to the pot.
Do I have to use all of the ingredients to make a Minestra?
No, you don’t. Whatever I happen to have on hand can find its way into my soup pot. While I start most of my soups from fresh ingredients these days, there was a time that the soup served another purpose, and that was an outlet for leftovers and scraps.
Those were the soups that we loved and some were hard to duplicate because of what was used. I do still make about 50 percent of my soups that way, utilizing leftovers, but some soups just need to be started from scratch.
Creating soups that your family and friends will enjoy eating isn’t difficult. Use the ingredients that they like. If you’re not fond of beans leave them out. If you don’t want to use sausage leave it out or replace it with chicken. It’s really that easy.
Wouldn’t your family love to sit down to a bowl of this delicious soup? I promise it will bring smiles to your table and requests for seconds!
More Soup Recipes You’ll Love!
Sausage and Bean Minestra
Ingredients
- 3 carrots diced
- 1 small onion diced
- 4 stalks celery diced
- 1 cup green beans cut into ¾-1 inch pieces
- 1 green squash diced
- 2 cups chopped escarole or greens of your choice
- ½ lb sweet sausage
- 16 ounces cannellini beans one small can drained
- 1 cup uncooked soup size pasta ½ pound
- 4 cups chicken stock more if needed. (vegetable stock can be used)
- season with black pepper and sea salt to taste
Instructions
- in a small stock pot add a tablespoon of olive oil, the diced carrots, celery and onion. Allow them to cook for 5-7 minutes.
- Add the diced zucchini, and green beans and continue to cook for about 5 minutes
- Remove the sausage from the casing and add it to the stock pot, break apart the sausage and allow it to brown
- Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, turn down the heat and allow to simmer.
- Add the cannellini beans and continue to simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Add in the pasta and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
- add in the escarole and allow to wilt.
- serve with a sprinkle of grated cheese and crusty bread.
Nutrition
AISilva
This soup looks so amazing, thanks!
Sue
There is something so special about a good homemade soup. I really does feed the soul. I’ll be trying this one, definitely!
Mihaela | https://theworldisanoyster.com/
Your experience says it all! I love to eat soups when I travel to Italy and make them at home too. I’ll definitely try yours. Excellently written post!
Jeannie
We all love soups, soon I can make this for my family.
Freya
One of my favourite soups, I love that it can use up veg you have in the fridge and the addition of sausage really elevates it!
Bonnie Banters
I remember seeing this article when you originally wrote it. When I need food blogging advice, I always look to yours. It’s so generous of you to share your valuable experience and advice. You are completely right…my time is precious to me!
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks Bonnie!
Kimby
Chef Dennis, I really liked the encouraging motto at the end of your post: “Share your knowledge. Together we are stronger.” Your soup was the perfect illustration for the power of “togetherness!”
As for your latest Ask Chef Dennis series (and the comments that followed), I’m grateful for the knowledge that is so graciously shared here. Thank you and Happy New Year!
Tiffany
Thanks for your perspective Chef! 😀
Sandra's Easy Cooking
Great soup, look absolutely mouthwatering and I enjoyed reading your post!!!!
Wish you Merry Christmas!!!
Heidi
Your soup looks amazing!
As always, good advice from Chef Dennis.
Thanks for sharing
Emily @ Life on Food
This was a lot of “food for thought”. I think it was one of the best Ask Chef Dennis posts yet. I am going to keep repeating “My time is valuable, and my posts are valuable, I should be compensated for my work.” As always, thanks a bunch for the knowledge.
Jean (Lemons and Anchovies)
Hi, Dennis. First of all, your soup would be perfect for the cold days we’ve been having here in northern CA–so warm and comforting. Secondly, I completely agree with you about the guest posts and giveaways. Not all offers of product are necessarily worth accepting. I’ve learned to be more discriminating over the last year. Nice to see your validate this point. 🙂
Happy Holidays to you and yours. 🙂
anne
Good stuff as always, Chef! Have a wonderful holiday season, Anne
Alyssa
Great soup. I would love this on a cold evening, but I’m a weirdo and I love soup when it’s hot too, so I’d eat it on a hot summer afternoon too 🙂 Very good tips about guest posting and the value of your time. Thanks for sharing your insight!
Betty Ann @Mango_Queen
I love this soup, and the valuable lessons you just shared. I had been thinking a lot about product reviews, guest posts and plans for my blog next year. Your advice is invaluable, Chef Dennis! Thanks for generously sharing them with us! Happy Holidays & may 2012 bring you many more wonderful blessings! Thanks for your friendship & support this past year…couldn’t have done without it, my friend!
Candace
This is the perfect recipe for the pot of stock that I’m making as I type this. I have some Italian Sausage thawing in the kitchen and some kale that I didn’t use for tonight’s dinner. It looks delicious, Chef! Thank you for sharing this with us. Merry Christmas to you and your family! Candace
Joan Nova
Escarole, beans and sausage just seem to go together…in my kitchen anyway. Love this soup!
Thanks, again and again, for sharing information.
Best wishes to you and yours for the holidays and new year.
Larry
Your soup sounds outstanding and will have to be tried.
Charlie
Hello Chef Dennis:
Charlie,here.
I have to casseroles I want to make ahead of time for Christmas.
One is a turnip apple scallop that has a white sauce.
The other is a potato casserole with poured whipping cream.
Could these be frozen ahead of time?
I have no fridge room left.
Evan @swEEts
I’ve always loved coming to you blog ChefD.. such amazing looking food and enligthening posts. These past few months haven’t allowed me to come by as much as I would have liked, but I need to change that- just like making sure to have coffee with an old friend every once and again. Happy Holidays Chef! I’ll be making this soup in the very near future 🙂