Sausage Bean Soup

This slow cooker soup is built for cold weather and busy days. Italian sausage browned with onion and garlic, then simmered for hours in a crockpot with two kinds of beans, canned tomatoes, and beef broth. The result is thick, meaty, and loaded with protein.

Browning the sausage in a skillet before it goes into the crockpot is worth the extra dish. That sear builds flavor compounds you can’t get from raw meat sitting in liquid. The rendered fat gets drained off, which keeps the soup from being greasy, and the browned bits that stick to the pan can be scraped into the pot for extra depth.

Black beans and lima beans together give this soup interesting texture. The black beans hold their shape and add an earthy, almost smoky flavor. The limas break down slightly during the long cook, thickening the broth naturally without needing any flour or cream. Using them undrained adds the starchy bean liquid, which gives the soup more body.

A shower of grated Parmesan on each bowl ties everything together. The salty, nutty cheese melts into the hot broth and rounds out the acidity of the tomatoes.

Kitchen Tips

• Cut the sausage into bite-sized pieces before browning so each spoonful of soup has a good chunk of meat.
• Low and slow (6 to 8 hours) gives better results than the high setting. The longer cook lets the sausage flavor permeate the broth completely.
• The soup thickens as it sits. If reheating leftovers, add a splash of broth or water to loosen it back up.

Variations

• Use spicy Italian sausage instead of mild for a soup with more kick.
• Swap lima beans for cannellini beans if you prefer a more classic Italian flavor combination.
• Stir in a handful of chopped kale or spinach during the last 30 minutes for added greens.