Italian Sausage White Beans & Pasta Soup

What kind of Italian sausage should I use?

We like hot Italian sausage as opposed to mild, but as I always say, you should use what you like! I was fortunate find some locally made Italian sausage made with Calabrian chiles and I loved the flavor! Calabrian chiles are spicy, but sweet. Almost like paprika with a kick.

I'm sure it would prove difficult to find Calabrian Italian sausages, but you could add Calabrian chiles to your soup pot. They are often sold as a paste or sauce, but also are jarred whole or dried as flakes. (The company I've linked to is a 50-year-old company in Italy ... the real deal!)

You can see the gorgeous color that the Calabrian chiles give to the sausage!

Brown the sausage, then add the carrots, onion, and garlic and let them cook a bit.

Some chicken or beef broth is next, along with tomatoes, beans, and basil. Let it simmer for a bit, then raise the heat and add the pasta. Cook for about 10 minutes, then add the spinach. I usually turn the heat off at this point because the spinach wilts so quickly!

Let's talk beans for a bit ...

I've covered dried vs. canned beans quite a lot, so I won't pontificate on it much here. I'll just point you to those posts (See "Other recipes you might like" below)! I absolutely love the texture of dried, soaked beans and will probably opt for that choice as often as possible for all the reasons I've mentioned before in other posts. I also like that I can pre-cook them to exactly the point of doneness that I want so that when I add them to the soup, they don't overcook.

You can use canned beans for sure! And if you do, (and if I ever do!), I can't recommend Eden Organics enough. They soak their beans before canning them and they use the safest cans they could find available. That link will take you to their FAQ page where you can read all about their practices.

How to serve

Just look at that hearty bowl of soup! It's exactly what you want on a cold day when you want some real stick-to-your-ribs goodness! Serve it with plenty of freshly grated parmesan cheese and some crusty bread to sop up all the juices. Mmm, yum!