I absolutely love this dish! Winter White Bean and Italian Sausage Soup is one of those meals that sound exotic, but you just know that it is healthy too. Not only that, this dish tastes amazing too.
A while ago, I started looking into white soups because of their low cholesterol content and overall health benefits. Then, a good friend of mine recommended I try this Italian wonder that requires only half a teaspoon of extra light virgin olive oil!
Why do I love this recipe?
I was fascinated from the get-go because…it’s just such an amazing blend, even from the name. And that’s because it is always a struggle to find the balance between low calories and high nutrition in food, but somehow this Winter White Bean and Italian Sausage Soup has managed to blend those two together, with an added huge dose of healthy and an unforgettable great taste.
It takes about 30 minutes to make this Winter White Bean and Italian Sausage Soup from scratch. That is record time.
I also like how easy the recipe is to follow – sure, I made a few adjustments based on my personal tastes, but overall, it’s pretty simple. And there is no real fear that you’re going to mess it up, regardless of your kitchen experience. The effortlessness of this recipe is outstanding for something – a meal – as classy as this. You basically feel like a world class chef as you whip it up, and that is priceless.
And it tastes absolutely amazing!
You can really taste the beans, the chicken broth, Italian sausage and just…the whole garnishing. I had it by myself the first time around but I wouldn’t mind making this dish for a classy date or even a girlfriend, if we’re having brunch or dinner. I’d probably serve it with some whole wheat bread, just to keep up the healthy vibe.
Another thing I love – the most important thing, actually – is how healthy this Winter White Bean and Italian Sausage Soup is. You can taste the richness, which isn’t something that you can take for granted on a cold winter night (especially when the meal takes so little time to cook).
Because of the type of oil (extra light virgin olive oil) and its required quantity (1/2 tsp), this soup is ridiculously low on cholesterol, fat and carbs. It is gluten free, there is no grain, and – if you’d like to skip the Parmesan Cheese – it’d be dairy-free.
Per serving, this recipe has an estimated 227.2 calories, 13.0g of total fat, 28.6 mg of cholesterol, 957.8 mg of sodium, 16.9g of total carbohydrate and 13.4g of protein. It also contains an array of minerals and vitamins; including Vitamin A.
However, you may have to tweak the recipe a bit if you’re vegetarian, vegan or lactose intolerant. If you’re on any kind of special diet, you might be safe since the dish is so healthy and rich; however, you should consult your nutritionist first (just to be on the safe side).
This meal can be reheated, so don’t hesitate to cook a lot, and from experience I can tell you that it tastes really great as well the second time around.
Number of Servings: 8
Minutes to Prepare: 10
Minutes to Cook: 20
Ingredients :
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. extra light virgin olive oil
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
3 cups cooked white beans – or one 15 oz. can Great Northern or Cannellini beans, rinsed
1 lb. Italian sausage, cooked and rinsed
1 tsp. dried basil or 4 minced leaves fresh basil
2 cups diced tomatoes
1 10 oz. pkg. frozen spinach
1 tsp. Parmesan cheese
Directions :
1. Sautee garlic in olive oil.
2. Add sauteed garlic to 4 cups of chicken broth.
3. Add white beans to chicken broth and bring to boil for 5 minutes. Option: for creamy soup use hand blender and puree beans into broth.
4. Add remaining ingredients and simmer.
5. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.
Note: You can make the soup slimmer by using Italian turkey sausage. You can decrease the sodium by using dried and cooked beans instead of canned and rinsed.
