Loaded with savory mild Italian sausage, creamy canned beans, and tender baby spinach, this Italian herb-infused soup is simple to make, budget-friendly, and easy to adapt. You can use homemade or store-bought chicken broth, or even add more vegetables like carrot, butternut squash, or sweet potato. Finish this bean soup with a generous sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan or a handful of crunchy, simple homemade baked croutons for an effortless one-pot meal that turns a chaotic weeknight into a cozy night in.

The month of October is always a chaotic one here at the Delawder Matthews household. The Historic Herndon Halloween House requires constant last-minute decorating and tidying, with endless hours spent updating social media posts. And, of course, all of these Halloween-related tasks fall primarily on my shoulders, because I simply have more time than B.O.B. Bob to handle them. Of course, I also have the added hassle of urgent requests from miscellaneous media, bloggers, or town businesses looking to cross-promote. Some of these requests are welcome, and I’m happy to take a few minutes out of my day to address them. Sadly, others are just a nuisance.

This year, thankfully, we’re trying something different. Together, we worked our lil’ butts off all last month to finish most of the decorating by the beginning of October, so we would have the rest of the Halloween season to relax and unwind. For once, unlike most years, we’d like to spend our favorite holiday checking out other displays, attending fall-themed events, and spending time with our friends out in the real world, not stuck in our backyard or garage. I can’t even tell you how many dinner dates we already have planned for this month alone, including an Oktoberfest five-course beer meal and a trip to our favorite Halloween-themed Italian restaurant in Georgetown.

So, yeah, meals this month are obviously going to look a little different than in years past. We’ll be eating out more and not relying on snacky late-night after-decorating dinners. But hopefully, we’ll also be enjoying a few home-cooked meals at home as well. For example, this one-pot bean soup that I made for B.O.B. Bob and I to enjoy topped with simple baked croutons one evening. Which, of course, became an entirely different meal one evening when I reheated it with diced butternut squash and a few additional cups of water to stretch this soup out when we suddenly found ourselves hosting a last-minute dinner with close friends.

Served with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a side of warm brown bread spread with whipped butter, this turned out to be the perfect meal to share at home on a fall evening. A welcome change from hanging out in the garage, tidying up miscellaneous skeleton bones, and requesting for the upteenth millionth time that visitors not park in the driveway or in the middle of our busy street. Heck, we might just have to add fall weeknight soup dinner with friends to our regular list of pre-Halloween activities from now on. Here’s hoping the rest of October goes as well. Skeleton fingers crossed.

Ingredients:

Soup:

• 1 Pound Loose Mild Italian Sausage
• 1 Large Sweet Yellow Onion, Peeled & Finely Diced
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Basil
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
• 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Sea Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 4 Cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
• 2 (15.5-oz.) Cans Great Northern Beans, Rinsed & Drained
• 1 (5-oz.) Package Baby Spinach
• Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese (Optional)
• Croutons (Optional)

Croutons:

• 4 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
• 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
• 4 Cups Bread Cubes
• 1/2 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan

Directions:

Soup:

1. Place the sausage in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
2. Add the onion to the sausage. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often, or until the sausage is cooked through and the onions are translucent.
3. Add the basil, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Add the broth and beans. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a rolling boil.
5. When the soup comes to a rolling boil, add the spinach. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Add additional salt or pepper if needed.
7. If desired, garnish with grated cheese and croutons.

Croutons:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, parsley, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper. Set aside.
3. Arrange the bread cubes in a single layer on a sheet pan.
4. Spoon the olive oil mixture over the bread cubes.
5. Gently stir the bread cubes until they are evenly coated with the olive oil mixture.
6. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the bread cubes. Gently stir the bread cubes until they are evenly coated with the cheese.
7. Bake for 5 minutes.
8. Gently stir the bread cubes and bake for 5 more minutes.
9. Gently stir the bread cubes again. Bake for 2 to 5 more minutes, or until golden brown.

Suggestions:

• The amount of salt and pepper needed for this recipe may vary depending on the brand of sausage and canned beans you use. Add additional salt and pepper if needed.
• An average-sized rotisserie chicken should yield approximately 4 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken. Shred the rotisserie chicken into bite-sized pieces. Use both the white and dark meat to make this Mild Curry Chicken Salad with Diced Red Apples. I placed all of the skin and bones into a large stockpot, added 16 cups of cold water, and then brought the mixture to a boil over high heat. Once the mixture came to a rolling boil, I decreased the heat to medium and cooked it for 1 hour. Once the mixture cooled slightly, I removed and discarded the bones and skin, strained the liquid, and stored the broth in an airtight container for use in soup. You should end up with approximately 10 cups of chicken broth. I used 6 cups of the homemade broth to make this Shrimp & Gnocchi Chesapeake Corn Chowder. The remaining 4 cups of chicken broth I used to make this bean soup.
• If you’re not a fan of Great Northern Beans, you can replace them with Navy Beans, Butter Beans, or Cannellini Beans. Make sure to rinse and drain the beans before use.
• Use these Simple Baked Olive Oil Croutons with Parmesan as a topping for this soup.
• This recipe will yield 4 bowls of soup. This is a thicker soup with less liquid, so you can add more broth or water to thin it out.

Improvements:

• Use Hot Italian Sausage instead of Mild Italian Sausage.
• Add diced carrot, butternut squash, or sweet potato. If you add vegetables to this soup, also add an additional 2 cups of broth or water. Place the vegetables into the soup along with the broth. Once the vegetables are fork-tender, add the beans and spinach. Make sure to cut the vegetables into small, evenly-sized pieces so that they cook at the same rate.
• Don’t ever throw away the bones and skin from your rotisserie chicken. Use them to make homemade broth. It’s full of flavor, and all you need to add is cold water. You can use the broth to make recipes like this Budget-Friendly Chunky Potato Soup with Thyme or this Budget-Friendly Potato Soup with Fresh Dill.
• CLICK HERE to see all of our other amazing soup, chili, stew, and chowder recipes. Make sure to check out all of our other Bean Soup Recipes.

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Yum

Weeknight Italian Sausage & Spinach Bean Soup

Ingredients:

Soup:
• 1 Pound Loose Mild Italian Sausage
• 1 Large Sweet Yellow Onion, Peeled & Finely Diced
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Basil
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
• 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Sea Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 4 Cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
• 2 (15.5-oz.) Cans Great Northern Beans, Rinsed & Drained
• 1 (5-oz.) Package Baby Spinach
• Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese (Optional)
• Croutons (Optional)
Croutons:
• 4 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
• 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
• 4 Cups Bread Cubes
• 1/2 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan

Directions:

Soup:
1. Place the sausage in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
2. Add the onion to the sausage. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often, or until the sausage is cooked through and the onions are translucent.
3. Add the basil, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Add the broth and beans. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a rolling boil.
5. When the soup comes to a rolling boil, add the spinach. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Add additional salt or pepper if needed.
7. If desired, garnish with grated cheese and croutons.
Croutons:
8. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
9. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, parsley, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper. Set aside.
10. Arrange the bread cubes in a single layer on a sheet pan.
11. Spoon the olive oil mixture over the bread cubes.
12. Gently stir the bread cubes until they are evenly coated with the olive oil mixture.
13. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the bread cubes. Gently stir the bread cubes until they are evenly coated with the cheese.
14. Bake for 5 minutes.
15. Gently stir the bread cubes and bake for 5 more minutes.
16. Gently stir the bread cubes again. Bake for 2 to 5 more minutes, or until golden brown.

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