This Easy Italian Sausage Soup with Chickpeas and Spinach is hearty, delicious, and ready in about 30 minutes. A great weeknight soup. Let’s make some, shall we?
Another great soup is my brown butter cauliflower soup recipe.
For ease of browsing, here are all of my soup recipes in one place. Thanks for stopping by!
Making Dinner with Pantry Staples
Sometimes I look in our cabinets and fridge and can’t find anything to eat. Not that there isn’t anything to be had. It’s just that sometimes I feel less than inspired. On those nights, I might just decide popcorn will work for dinner. Because it’s whole grain and delicious.
Other times, I will think of an ingredient I have tucked away in the freezer or the cupboard, and that sparks connections with other ingredients, and then a meal takes shape.
That’s sort of how I came up with my Spicy Tomato Soup and Vegan Chickpea Chili.
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And that’s exactly how I came up with this easy Italian sausage soup. I just whipped it up from some pantry and fridge staples without considering writing about it for the blog. That is, until we tasted it.
So bright with tomato, savory with sausage and earthy with chickpeas. I just had to share it.
Easy Italian Sausage Soup: Make It Your Own
Substitute your favorite greens for the spinach (or leave them out entirely)
- kale
- chard
- mustard greens
- broccoli rabe
- collards
If you’re not a fan of chickpeas, feel free to use your favorite canned bean (or cooked beans):
- cannellini beans
- kidney beans
- pinto beans
- black beans (maybe not traditional for Italian food but still tasty. And besides, only the sausage is Italian in this recipe!)
- calico beans
- Navy beans
If you like to cook beans from scratch in your Instant Pot, that opens up a whole world of dried heirloom bean possibilities.
Since this is an easy soup recipe, you’ll want to have your cooked beans cooked, portioned and frozen so you can easily add them to your soup.
Here is a great post on cooking heirloom beans in your Instant Pot.
Also, know if you get home late and you don’t feel like doing much cooking that this soup yields maximum flavor with minimal effort.
I thank the sausage for that. Sausage is already seasoned, so it’s a great, high-flavor shortcut to use when you don’t have a lot of time.
My Favorite Soup Pan for Small Batch Soup
This is my favorite pan for making smaller batches of soup. The sloped sides invite stirring and discourage sticking, it has a nice thick base that heats evenly, and it’ll go in the oven if you need it to.
OXO Good Grips Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Pro 3.5 QT Covered Saucepan
Make This Soup a Part of a Meal
If you don’t want to eat only soup for dinner, you could serve it with soft dinner rolls or pumpkin focaccia.
Or make a classic salad like this Italian Chopped Salad to serve alongside the soup.
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30-Minute Italian Sausage Soup with Chickpeas and Spinach
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ small sweet onion diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 small clove garlic minced (optional)
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed
- 4-6 oz hot or sweet bulk Italian sausage (or links with casings removed)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 28 oz can tomato puree (or whole tomatoes pureed in the blender)
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth or water (I used water)
- 1 can chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 2-3 large handfuls spinach or other greens (chopped if leaves are large)
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the oil. When it shimmers, add the onion and garlic (if using). Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Sweat for 5 minutes until translucent.
- Add the sausage and break up well with a spoon or spatula. Cook until the sausage is browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Italian seasoning.
- Pour in the tomato puree (or pureed tomatoes), the broth or water and the chickpeas. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Simmer 10 minutes then add the spinach or other greens and cook until greens are wilted. With spinach or other tender greens, this will only take a minute or two. For kale, collards or other more sturdy greens, it will take a bit longer.
- Stir in the balsamic vinegar. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
- Serve with some grated Pecorino Romano (just a suggestion).
Did You Make Any Changes?
Notes
Nutrition
And there you have it, friends. Pretty short ingredient list, huge flavor, plus if you have leftovers, it keeps in the fridge very nicely for a few days.
Hi, y’all! I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and hopefully also learned a thing or two.
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Enjoy the soup, y’all! We certainly have enjoyed it here.
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This recipe is a delicious go-to when I don’t feel much like cooking. It’s easily adaptable to whatever I have on hand. My family loves it.
Looks wonderful – and perfect for these windy, chilly days! Love the combination of greens and chickpeas, tomato, AND sausage. I think I’ll make this with my favorite chicken sausage, which is delightfully plump and tender. Yum!
Sounds like a great twist, Katrina! And I was also thinking a Moroccan play with lentils and merguez sausage would be amazing. I do love a versatile soup idea, and I hope you enjoy this one!
This looks delicious, can’t wait to try it out. Should be easy to adapt to the crockpot as well.
Thanks, Anna Marie, and I agree it should be easy to make in the slow cooker! Cook the onions and sausage and then toss everything except the spinach in the pot. Add spinach during the last couple of minutes, and voila! I hope you enjoy it!