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    Home > Recipes > Soups

    5-Ingredient Italian Bean Stew

    Published: Nov 9, 2018 · Modified: Sep 21, 2020 by Whitney Reist · This post may contain affiliate links |

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    This 5-Ingredient Italian Bean Stew is a holiday time saver. It is of dinner full of life-giving flavor and nourishment, and is super filling!

    A yellow Dutch oven filled with 5-ingredient Italian bean stew that is stopped with shredded Parmesan cheese.

    This post was originally published in 2014, and has been updated to make it better for YOU!

    Do y'all feel like life's gotten a little busier lately? I always feel like the onset of fall comes with ample time to bake, enjoy football, and do fall-ish things like paint pumpkins and get crafty. But WHAM - after Halloween comes and goes, turbo mode commences. Work deadlines increase as the holidays close in on us. Final exams fill the calendars of weary college students. You start agonizing over your Thanksgiving menu.  And ironing out plans for Christmas. My to-do list just got 10x longer. Yikes! Who has time to plan weekly menus? Grocery shop? Or even cook for that matter???

    A Dutch oven filled with 5-Ingredient Italian Bean Stew.

    Enter this 5-ingredient Italian Bean Stew. It's smiling at you and saying "relax. Take a deep breath." Yes, friends. It's soup to the rescue.  I'm talking about the kind that's cheap, easy, healthy, and takes minimal effort. This soup is going to nourish your body with the vitamins, minerals, lean protein, and healthy carbs that it needs to get you through the new year. And on top of all that, it's full of warm, savory flavors. I don't know about you, but every to-do list seems less daunting to me when I've had a good food experience. Something that satisfies my need to enjoy flavors, aromas, colors, and the company of people I care about and need to make time for no matter how hectic things get.

    A white bowl sitting on a white plate and rattan charger. The bowl is filled with bean stew.

    This stew also keeps on giving - we had it for dinner last night, I enjoyed a bowl for lunch today and plan on taking the rest for lunch tomorrow. Seriously, it will keep you going all week if you make enough. If you are feeding hearty appetites, consider throwing in a few cups of cooked pasta, quinoa, farro, or any cooked whole grain. If you drive by a good artisan bakery during your daily commute, pick up a loaf of crusty whole grain bread to dip in the broth.

    Another yummy addition: I like to throw in the rind from a wedge of fresh Parmesan cheese. Whenever I get to the bottom of a hunk of Parmesan, I wrap the rind in plastic wrap, place in an airtight container and freeze for later use in soups. It's a trick I learned from watching Everyday Italian with Giada on the Food Network, and it adds such a nutty depth of flavor to the soup broth. Do you have any go-to dinner staples that you can rely on in a pinch? I'd love to hear about it in the comments section below!

    A Dutch oven and white soup bowl filled with 5-Ingredient Italian Bean Stew with a bunch of kale on the side.

    Products used to make this recipe:

    • Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron 5 ½ Quart Round French Oven - It's a lifetime kitchen investment!

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    Are you ready to get make this 5-Ingredient Italian Bean Stew? Good! I’m so excited for you to try this recipe. Once you get the chance to make it, please let me know how it turns out for you!

    Leave a comment and rate the recipe below. This will help me with the creation of future recipes!

    I’d also love to feature your creation in my weekly newsletter, so you can upload a photo to Instagram with the tag @sweetcayenne5 to be featured! Quick and easy recipe videos are available on my YouTube channel, and lots of menu inspiration on my Pinterest boards.

    A yellow Dutch oven filled with 5-ingredient Italian bean stew that is stopped with shredded Parmesan cheese.

    5-Ingredient Italian Bean Stew

    This 5-Ingredient Italian Bean Stew is an easy, healthy recipe to make ahead and enjoy for lunch or dinner through the work week! 
    Tried this recipe?Mention @sweetcayenne5 or tag #sweetcayenne!
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    Bean soaking time: 6 hours
    Total Time: 7 hours 40 minutes
    Servings: 8 Servings

    Ingredients

    • 16 ounces dried white beans, such as Great Northern, Cannellini, or Navy beans (See notes for substituting with canned beans)
    • 8 ounces hot Italian chicken sausage, about 2 links, casings removed
    • 1 (28 ounce) can of San Marzano peeled tomatoes
    • 8 cups low-sodium chicken stock
    • 6 cups chopped kale, stems removed (about 1 bunch)
    • Optional: the rind from a Parmesan cheese wedge
    • Salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to taste

    Instructions

    • Place the dried beans in a bowl. Cover with cold water to two inches above the beans. Let sit for 6-8 hours (I do this overnight or during the work day).
    • Drain the beans through a strainer, and discard any broken beans.
    • Heat a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of oil and the Italian sausage. Cook the sausage until browned, being sure to break up chunks with a wooden spoon.
    • Add the tomatoes and break them apart into pieces with a wooden spoon. Add the soaked beans, 8 cups of chicken stock, and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Increase heat to high to bring a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 1 hour with a lid on top and slightly ajar. Stir occasionally. 
    •  After an hour of simmering, add the chopped kale and Parmesan rind, if using. Add water as needed to thin the soup.  Continue simmering until the kale and beans reach desired level of tenderness, about an additional 30-45 minutes. 
    • Season the finished soup to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot and enjoy!

    Notes

    Substituting with canned beans: Brown the sausage, then add the tomatoes, stock, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a simmer, then add the kale and 2 cans of drained Great Northern or cannellini beans. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the kale is tender. Serve hot. 
    Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 43.6g | Protein: 20.2g | Fat: 3.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.8g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 586mg | Potassium: 1154mg | Fiber: 15.8g | Sugar: 4.8g | Calcium: 161mg | Iron: 4mg

    Pin this, pretty please!

    A yellow Dutch oven filled with 5-ingredient Italian bean stew that is stopped with shredded Parmesan cheese.

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    Affiliate Disclosure

    Many of the links in my posts are affiliate links, which means I can get a small commission for any click or purchases made through the links. I am also an Amazon Associate and I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Thalia @ butter and brioche says

      November 07, 2014 at 10:25 pm

      I am all about soups right now, they are so perfect in this weather. Definitely will be making your kale, sausage and cannellini bean soup, it looks and sounds so delicious and hearty!

      Reply
      • Whitney Reist says

        November 09, 2014 at 11:35 am

        Thanks for stopping by, Thalia!

    2. Melanie says

      November 06, 2014 at 1:29 pm

      This looks amazing! I'm excited to try it! I also love the tip about saving the parmesan rind and am definitely going to save it next time. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Whitney Reist says

        November 07, 2014 at 8:47 am

        Thanks, Melanie! I love how the Parm rind adds a salty flavor to the soup. I never have to add any salt to this dish because of it!

    3. Deanna Segrave-Daly (@tspbasil) says

      November 06, 2014 at 9:38 am

      Wow - this sounds delish - pinning it now. I make a pasta fagioli all the time during the cold weather months as a go to dinner (funny how i've never blogged about it!)

      Reply
      • Whitney Reist says

        November 07, 2014 at 8:47 am

        I love pasta fagioli too! You should definitely blog about it because it's fun to see different variations 🙂

    Trackbacks

    1. Easy, Cheap Hostel Eats - a Traveling Photo Journal says:
      August 21, 2016 at 8:57 pm

      […] Just as perfect for lazy summer nights as cold winter evenings! This yummy soup recipe can be found HERE […]

      Reply
    2. Healthy Eating Made Easy: Stock Your Freezer with Soup (+ 50 Healthy Soup Recipes) | Thriving Home says:
      January 26, 2016 at 9:09 pm

      […] Kale, Sausage and Cannellini Bean Soup by Sweet Cayenne […]

      Reply
    3. Top 2014 Recipes says:
      February 2, 2015 at 10:38 am

      […] 5 Ingredient Kale and Cannellini Bean Soup […]

      Reply

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