Kielbasa and Bean Soup
Kielbasa and bean soup is not what it seems. It doesn’t appear to be anything special, but oh boy, it’s a good one. If you want to impress a crowd, make this soup an serve it with some crusty bread.
Spring may be well on the way, but I, for one, am still enjoying all the lovely winter comfort foods. Oh, who am I kidding? I’ll eat soup in August.
You’re going to love this simple yet so flavorful Kielbasa and Bean Soup.
My sister made this for a church potluck once. In a Facebook group, someone asked if anyone had a favorite dish that someone brought. Several people agreed that this soup was the best thing there. Hooray!
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Ingredients
Kielbasa
I originally made this with turkey kielbasa, but I can’t always find the exact same kind each time I go grocery shopping. Just about any kielbasa-type sausage will work. I like the Hillshire Farms kind that’s shaped like a horseshoe. I’ve used a few different kinds and it always comes out delicious with very little difference in flavor.
Beans
The difference in color of the great northern beans and pinto beans adds a bit of visual interest in this soup. If you happen to have all of one or the other on hand, go with it! I’ve made it with just one kind before and it was still delicious. The two different colors just make it look more fancy.
How to Make Kielbasa and Bean Soup
The way you slice your kielbasa is completely up to you. I like having enough sausage to be evenly dispersed in the soup, so I cut it a little small. I also have small children so I don’t want round slices that are just the right size to block and airway. I slice the sausage lengthwise, and then cut into half inch pieces.
Over medium heat, brown the sausage in a dutch oven or soup pot. Pictured above is my Le Creuset Dutch Oven. If you don’t have a dutch oven, get one. It’s one of the most used pieces in my kitchen.
Flip the sausage around to brown it evenly, and then remove it to a bowl and set it aside.
In the same pot, toss in your minced garlic and some olive oil. You can also use butter or vegan butter. I think I may have used regular butter at the time I took this photo because I wasn’t totally dairy free back then. But olive oil works well. You just need a little fat of some kind to keep the garlic from burning too quickly.
Stir the garlic around just until it starts to brown and become nice and fragrant.
Add the white wine and deglaze. That just means adding liquid boils the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Use a spoon to scrape up those bits as the wine simmers. This wooden scraping spoon is my favorite spoon and I use it for nearly everything I cook.
Let the wine simmer for 1-2 minutes until it reduces and there’s very little liquid left. Then you’ll add the water and bouillon and stir until the paste dissolves.
Add the sausage back to the pot and then toss in the carrots, beans, onion powder and pepper.
Bring to a low boil and cook for about 20 minutes, just until the carrots are tender.
As the soup simmers, the beans will thicken the broth. Once the carrots are tender, stir in the spinach and then remove the pot from the heat.
Serving Suggestions
This soup is perfectly paired with some crusty buttered bread or crackers. If you want to have a glass of wine, go for the same wine you used in the recipe.
Kielbasa and Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 14 ounces kielbasa - sliced lengthwise and then into half inch pieces
- 2 tbsp olive oil - divided
- 4-5 carrots - peeled and diced
- 3 garlic cloves - minced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 5 cups water
- 3 tbsp Organic Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base - Note: non-organic version has dairy in it
- 2 16 ounce cans great northern beans - drained and rinsed
- 1 16oz can pinto beans - drained and rinsed
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a dutch oven or medium soup pot over medium heat.
- Add 1 tbsp of olive oil and kielbasa. Brown Kielbasa, stirring and turning to brown pieces evenly.
- Remove kielbasa from pot and set aside in a bowl.
- In the same pot, add the garlic and the rest of the olive oil.
- Stir the garlic around just until it barely begins to brown and becomes fragrant.
- Add the wine. Deglaze by using a spoon to scrape up the brown bits on the bottom.
- Let the wine simmer for 1-2 minutes until it has reduced and there's very little liquid left.
- Add the water and bouillon paste. Stir to combine.
- Add the kielbasa back to the pot, along with the carrots, beans, onion powder and pepper.
- Bring to a low boil and cook for about 20 minutes to let the carrots soften and all the flavors come together.
- Remove from heat. Add the spinach and stir it in until it wilts.
- Serve right away or let it cool completely, then cover and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freeze leftovers in individual portions, leaving 1/2 inch of space at the top to allow for expansion.
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