Italian White Bean and Sausage Stew

4.8
(39)
32 Reviews
14 Photos

This comforting and substantial white bean and sausage stew is a soup that eats like a meal! Browning the sausage in a dry pan creates a beautiful fond that adds rich flavor. With beans, greens, and sausage, this stew is incredibly nutritious and warms you from the inside out. Serve with a hunk of crusty Italian bread.

By
John Mitzewich
Chef John
John Mitzewich
John Mitzewich — aka Chef John — has produced more than 1,500 cooking videos for Allrecipes. He's the actor, director, and screenwriter whose hands and voice confidently walk you through techniques.
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Updated on August 11, 2024
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Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr 30 mins
Additional Time:
8 hrs
Total Time:
9 hrs 45 mins
Servings:
6
Yield:
6 servings
Jump to Nutrition Facts

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups dry cannellini beans

  • 4 (6 ounce) Italian sausage links with garlic and fennel

  • 1 cup chopped yellow onion

  • ⅓ cup dry white wine

  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 6 cups water, or to taste

  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

  • 4 cups chopped kale

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, or to taste

  • 6 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or to taste

  • 6 pinches red pepper flakes

Directions

  1. Soak beans in cold water, 8 hours to overnight.

  2. Drain beans and set aside.

  3. Make a cut down the center of each sausage and peel off the casing. Transfer sausage into a dry soup pot over medium-high heat. Brown sausage, while breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, 5 to 7 minutes. Cook and stir until juices start to caramelize and stick to the bottom of the pan, creating a fond, 3 to 5 minutes.

  4. Add onion and stir to coat in the rendered sausage fat. Cook until onion starts to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add white wine to deglaze the pot. Add black pepper, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, and water.

  5. Add drained beans, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add salt and continue to simmer until beans are tender, about 30 more minutes. Taste beans to be certain they are perfectly cooked.

  6. Smash about 1/4 of the beans with a potato masher to give the stew a creamy texture if desired. Stir in chopped kale, increase heat to medium, and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt.

  7. Ladle hot soup into bowls, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Chef's Notes

Instead of soaking dried beans overnight, you can use canned beans. Dried beans come out better though and are less expensive.

Use any sausage you want. If your sausage doesn't have garlic in it, add 2 cloves minced garlic 5 minutes after you add onion. Pecorino can be used instead of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

If you don't have wine, you can use 2 tablespoons wine vinegar and 1/4 cup water, or just use water. The amount of water you add will depend on how thick you want the stew. I use about 7 1/2 cups.

You can use any greens for the kale, like spinach, Swiss chard, mustard greens, or stinging nettles. Cooking time will vary based on what you use.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

669 Calories
39g Fat
43g Carbs
36g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 6
Calories 669
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 39g 49%
Saturated Fat 13g 66%
Cholesterol 75mg 25%
Sodium 1989mg 86%
Total Carbohydrate 43g 15%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 36g 72%
Vitamin C 57mg 63%
Calcium 208mg 16%
Iron 5mg 29%
Potassium 1291mg 27%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.

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