This comforting and hearty creamy bean soup with kielbasa sausage goes from cutting board to soup bowl in about 30 minutes.
This creamy bean soup recipe comes from my forever friend Krista, whose tastebuds and cravings are very much like my own. When she texted me her own family-favorite recipe for bean soup and told me I needed to give it a try, I was 100% ready to start cooking. I love a bean-heavy soup, like my grandma’s minestrone, or my slow cooker Tuscan white bean soup with sausage. Not only do legumes bulk up a soup and lend a hearty dose of protein, but they can also thicken the soup and provide creaminess. This soup also gets its velvety creaminess from milk, rather than actual cream.
What I love most about this stellar, creamy bean soup is that it isn’t one of those all-day simmering affairs. There’s no need to soak any beans. The soup comes together quickly and easily on the stovetop. Made with fresh carrots, onion, green bell pepper, and smoky kielbasa sausage, plus two different types of beans that blend perfectly in the creamy broth (without any cream!) It just hits all the right notes.
What’s in This Creamy Bean Soup with Sausage
Like so many family classics, the original recipe Krista texted me looks to have been cut from the side of a box from years gone by. Along with the photo of the original, Krista texted a list of her own additions and tweaks to the soup: More veggies, doubling the sauce, and serving it as a one-pot meal instead of as originally suggested as a casserole.
Here’s what’s in this bean and sausage soup:
- Kielbasa sausage
- Carrot
- Onion
- Green bell pepper (Krista uses red bell pepper in her version)
- Garlic
- All-purpose flour
- Milk
- Worcestershire sauce — the ingredient that gives the creamy broth so much flavor
- Ground sage
- White beans and kidney beans, or one or the other
- Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt
- Canola or vegetable oil (I prefer those for their higher smoke point, but olive oil is also fine)
How to Make Creamy Bean and Sausage Soup
When there’s nothing in mind for dinner, this is the type of recipe I turn to. With long-lasting ingredients like kielbasa, onions, bell peppers, and carrots stocked in the fridge and pantry staples like canned beans, Worcestershire sauce, flour, and ground sage always in the pantry, this soup is ready to salvage mealtime plans in just about 30 minutes. And even better, the recipe is so easy that any cook of any skill level can master it.
Step 1: Develop Flavor
First, brown the sausage for flavor. Tasting like a hybrid of ham and hot dogs, kielbasa sausage can be found made with pork or made healthier with turkey. Slice the kielbasa into coins, and if you prefer, halve the coins to get more sausage with every bite. Kielbasa sausage doesn’t put off much fat, so a drizzle of canola oil in the hot stock pot browns the sausage and develops flavor as it keeps it from sticking.
Add the chopped vegetables to the sausage. Sautéing the vegetables with the sausage adds a sweet caramelization as the vegetables become tender. Krista’s recipe didn’t include garlic, but I added it in because I pretty much add garlic to everything. However, I’m 99% sure this soup would be just as good without it. Add flavor as you go by seasoning with kosher salt and black pepper.
What Thickens Bean Soup
This bean soup is thickened with a roux (made of flour and milk), but the cannellini beans (white kidney beans) also break up just enough to add even more creaminess to the soup.
Step 2: Create the Creamy Soup Base (Without Any Cream!)
Step 1 of thickening: Add the flour. Sprinkle the sausage and veggie mixture with the flour, stirring to coat for 1-2 minutes as the heat cooks off the flour’s raw taste. Be watchful that the flour doesn’t begin to burn, but browns and smells toasty instead.
Step 2 of thickening: Add the milk. There’s no cream in this soup, where instead, a simple roux of flour and milk creates the creamy base. Slowly pour the milk into the pot and continue cooking and stirring, as the mixture thickens. I use 1% milk-fat milk, but full-fat or even non-fat will work equally well.
Step 3: Season and Flavor, and Get Yo’ Beans
Add the Worcestershire sauce and ground sage. In my kitchen, Worcestershire sauce gets used most often in bloody Marys, my famous clam dip, shepherd’s pie, and that’s about it. I tell you, it’s underserved! But not anymore because it’s the main umami flavor builder in this soup, adding a bit of saltiness and earthiness that brings flashbacks of my bean with ham soup I loved as a kid. And while the amount of sage used in this recipe seems negligible, don’t skip it! The herb rounds out the flavors in a really lovely, but mellow way.
Rinse and drain those beans and dump them in. Krista suggests using two different types of canned beans: Dark kidney beans and white kidney beans, aka cannellini beans. The dark kidney beans are firmer and hold their shape better than the more delicate cannellini beans which break up just enough to add to the creaminess of the soup. If you choose to use only white cannellini beans in this soup, be careful not to cook the beans too long or they’ll break apart in the soup and disappear.
Step 4: Marry the Flavors
Simmer for 15 minutes for flavors to mingle. While longer cooking times are often interpreted to mean more flavor, with this soup there’s no need. Cooking the sausage, beans, vegetables, and creamy broth for a mere 15 minutes brings all of the flavors together and is ready to be served.
Make the broth thinner or thicker. If the soup broth is too thick, add more milk to thin it as desired. Alternately, if it is too thin, make a slurry of 1 tablespoon of flour with 4 tablespoons of the broth (whisk well in a bowl) and add to the soup, cooking to thicken.
Ingredient Substitutions and Additions
This type of soup is one you can easily adapt and change to fit your taste or make with the ingredients you have on hand. Here are a few ideas to make it your own:
- Use a different type of bean, such as Great Northern beans, navy beans, pinto beans, or regular kidney beans
- Switch up the meaty protein and use ground pork sausage (drain off the extra fat), all beef hot dogs, bacon, or a leftover ham bone or ham hock
- Sub in or add other vegetables like mushrooms, kale, celery, potatoes, corn, or green beans
- Bay leaf or thyme would also be tasty
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese would be yummy just before serving
Make This Soup Ahead Then Freeze
Stored in gallon-size freezer bags, this soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw, then warm over medium heat on the stove, or in the microwave.
What to Serve With Creamy Bean Soup
- Serve this soup with a loaf of warm french bread slathered with butter, or crackers to break into it.
- Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons
- Killer Garlic Fries with Rosemary
- Classic Blue Cheese Wedge Salad
- Killer Garlic Knots
- How to Make Homemade Croutons
- A Killer Grilled Cheese Sandwich
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a star rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Creamy Bean Soup with Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
- 2 pounds kielbasa sausage , cut into 1-inch slices
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped carrot
- 2 cloves garlic , pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups milk
- 6 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground sage
- 1 15-ounce can Great Northern white beans , or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 15-ounce can dark kidney beans , rinsed and drained
- chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven or stock pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. Add the onion, green bell pepper, carrot, and garlic. Season with the kosher salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion and pepper soften, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle the flour over the sausage and veggie mixture and stir to coat, stirring and cooking for 1-2 minutes or until it loses its raw floury taste and begins to smell toasty. Slowly add the milk and stir until smooth. Cook until the mixture begins to thicken and bubble, stirring often, then add Worcestershire sauce, sage, and beans. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook for 15-20 minutes or until the flavors come together, stirring occasionally. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with a few sprinkles of fresh parsley and french bread for dipping or crackers on the side.
Nutrition
More Hearty Soup Recipes
- Split Pea Soup With Ham
- How to Make the Best Minestrone Soup
- The Best Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- Easy Taco Soup (Stove Top, Crock Pot Or Instant Pot)
- Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean And Sausage Soup
- Easy Hamburger Vegetable Soup
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I used dried beans. I cooked 1 cup of pinto and 1 cup of cannellini beans in 10 cod water in my instant pot for ten minutes with natural release of ten minutes. Drained them, then did that again. I only used one kielbasa as it’s all I had.
Two kielbasa would have been too much.
I used three cups bone broth and one cup milk and one cup half and half.
Everyone liked this. BUT, next time I will cut the Worcestershire sauce in half.
Thanks for the Instant Pot feedback Taz. Glad you liked it.
I substituted turkey kielbasa and needed a little more oil to brown everything. I thought 6 TBL was a bit too much so I thinned it out with some more milk. Next time I will cut back to 3 or 4 TBL.
due to lack of ingredients, I had to change it up a little, I used beer bratwurst sausage, added a bit more sage, and I only had black beans. :( I also used “Dano’s original seasonings) about 2 table spoons. this is my new favorite!
Glad you used what you had and it turned into a favorite. Thanks for the 5 star rating.
This was so delicious! Followed directions exactly and was easy to make. I didn’t have Worcester so I mixed soy sauce w/ a dab of ketchup as substitution. Soup was amazing served with fresh French bread.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Elaina!
Worcestershire sauce cut back to 4 added paprika and a little balsamic vinegar, added chicken stock to loosen it up a bit, added add’l spices as well, PS Used Real Polska Kielbasa
This is by far the best recipe that I found in internet. Super delicious, super easy to make and I will make this again. So good.
This is one of my favorite meals to make!! Is it possible to make this in the crockpot? It would be helpful when I just need to throw it all together and let it do it’s thing :)
I’m glad you enjoyed Bailey!
I can’t do dairy, so I subbed almond milk in this. It wasn’t a good sub. The flavors were much too strong of Worcestershire sauce, even though I only added 4 of the 6 tablespoons and the hillshire farms kielbasa that our rural grocer sold wasn’t good (their beef version likely would be Ok, but they only had turkey in, which had an odd texture and bland flavor). When it was done, I had to add more herbs (I did Italian seasoning) to make this work for us and even then, my kids just ate biscuits for dinner, and I couldn’t blame them. If I made this again, I would sub chicken broth for the milk, use a beef sausage with flavor, and use salt instead of the Worcestershire sauce. That said, the next day the flavors mellowed a little and it was somewhat better, but overall, this looked far tastier than it was.
Can you use Almond milk?
Hi Eli, we haven’t made this with almond milk before so we can’t vouch for the results, but if you give it a try let us know!
We have made this several times. I use almond milk since I’m allergic to dairy and add some kale in during the last 5 minutes of cooking. It is amazing!!!
Happy to hear you enjoyed Amanda!
Lenny just told me to go look at the bean soup on your IG account, saying we had to make it this week!
Cannot wait – this sounds heavenly.
OMG! This recipe is SUBLIME! I altered it slightly by adding beer and extra flour soup slurry and a few more dried herbs. AMAZING!
We’re so glad to hear you loved it, Wende – thank you!
So yummy! Add a some curry paste but keep it same!! So easy to make! Great comfort food! Thanks!
Can this soup be frozen
Yes, you could freeze the soup for up to 3 months.
Have made this several times; it’s a keeper of a recipe!
I made it last week and shared it with my neighbor. We both want it again so I am doing a repeat this week. Only change was I used Andouille sausage and I added an extra can of Great northern beans. It was a very good and hardy dish and will be a staple in my house.
I’m glad you both enjoyed it Kathy!
Made this tonight and it was great! Made a couple changes- orange pepper instead of green, added kale, and used coconut milk instead of regular for a sweetness. Didn’t have to add the flour since the kale made it thicker. This is a keeper and was a great start of fall (still a little early but can’t help it ) soup!
I’m glad you enjoyed Casey!
Can cornstarch or another flour be used instead of white flour.
Yes Barbara, you could use cornstarch to thicken.
I admit that I halved the recipe – just me and my husband, and we don’t usually finish a pot of soup between us (and I didn’t want to freeze leftovers). I regret it, because we loved the soup, and he took what little was leftover for lunch the next day. Cannot wait to make this again, and might even make an extra batch just to freeze. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Happy to hear you both enjoyed!
One of my all-time favorite soups. I’ve made this several times and really dialed in my favorite version. I leave out the green pepper, use 2 cups of milk and 2 cups of chicken stock, and double the garlic. The last time I made this I used a can of tri-blend beans (red kidney, pinto, black beans) in place of just kidney beans and it was glorious! I’ll eat this for every meal, 3 days in a row.
This was fantastic, only thing I did different was add a bit more sage. Definitely will make this again, thank for the great recipe :)
While the flavor wasn’t really to my tastes, my family loved it! Ended up super creamy even after I thinned it out with some chicken stock. Added some cayenne, great for a rainy day!
This is a great recipe! I added some pinto beans because…why not. I also added a cup more milk. Don’t leave out the Worchester. Is one of those dishes that gets better with time.
Is there no water or broth in this recipe? I don’t see any in the ingredients. Is the only liquid the milk you add?
Yes, that’s it!
This was a really good soup! I made it as written and it was very easy, thank you for the recipe! The next time I make it, then only change would be to reduce the amount of worcestershire sauce by half to help keep the salt level down.
Very rich and very savory – I added about a half cup of frozen peas toward the end for a bit of freshness, but this is very nice for a cold evening.
Followed the recipe as written except a smoked beef sausage in place of kielbasa and the addition of peas, and served with Bisquick drop biscuits.
Great soup recipe yum yum thank you so much! Made it yesterday all gone
Thanks Toni. So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the rating and comment.
Simmering now! Only 4 stars because I haven’t been able to taste it yet. Can’t wait. Came together easily :)
This soup looked so good I had to try it but with adjustments to make is gluten and dairy free. I substituted 3 T. cornstarch mixed with a bit of water as a thickener in place of the flour and then added 1 can lite coconut milk and 2 cups of chicken broth in place of the milk. It was so creamy and delicious. Thank you!!
Oh my gosh! This soup is delicious and it was so easy to make! I did not use 4 cups of milk, maybe only 1 1/2 – 2 cups. I sifted the 1/4 cup of flour over the sausage and veggies, then I gradually added the milk, stirring, until the mixture was to my consistency. The sage and Worcestershire sauce gave the soup a good taste. I can hardly wait for lunch. I think I will eat it today with cornbread. Thank you for this recipe! Going to try the chorizo recipe next.
Oh my gosh! This soup is delicious and it was so easy to make! I did not use 4 cups of milk. I sifted the 1/4 cup of flour over the sausage and veggies, then I gradually added the milk, stirring, until the mixture was to my consistency. The sage and Worcestershire gave the soup a good taste. I hardly wait for lunch. I think I will eat it today with cornbread. Thank you for this recipe! Going to try the chorizo recipe next.
Delicious. I used coconut milk instead of dairy. I also used only one pound of keilbasa which was perfect. This will definitely be on our rotation.
Plastic wrapped upermarket kielbasa may have little fat but the real stuff from a good Polish deli, where there are several varieties, like home style and country style, may have quite a bit. Sometimes, for a little kick I substitute andouille sausage.
For a dairy free soup, would you use chicken broth or rice milk?
I make a lot of soups but do not freeze creamed because of the milk.
Patricia, try plain almond milk instead of the milk. It will provide a nice richness and is a good dairy substitute in soups.
I use canned coconut milk in place of dairy in soups.
love this even when it’s hot outside, all of these ingredients blended together are just what I’m craving, starting with kielbasa, thank you!
Looks great..! Will substitute with turkey kielbasa sausage and soy milk.. Yummo!
Made this for dinner last night. Outstanding !! My husband and I really enjoyed it. will be a special treat for the fall weather.
I’m so glad you both loved it Denise!
Even though it’s still too warm to be soup weather I think this will be “what’s for dinner “ tonight!
Ah, you know when it’s the best time to make it Krista. Thanks for being the inspiration for the recipe :) Love you!
It is great!