This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Herby, filling, and comforting, this Instant Pot sausage and white bean soup is so simple to make (no need to soak the beans!) and loaded with tender white beans, flavorful sausage and vegetables in a rich broth base.
Dinner Time Savior: Instant Pot Sausage and White Bean Soup
I have been aggressively using my Instant Pot lately because it just makes dinners and meal prepping so much easier. Take, for example, this soup sausage and white bean soup. Typically, I would have had to take the time to remember to soak the beans overnight and we know the chance of that is like 1 in 1,000.
I know there are a lot of people out there that are still afraid of using pressure cookers and don’t get the point of them. For the record, I don’t think pressure cookers should be used for everything. While it might be tempting because it is hands off, the time it takes to pressurize and then release pressure can be the same amount of time it takes to cook something on the stovetop.
I do love using the pressure cooker for tougher cuts of meat that I want super tender and shreddable. Such as a beef short rib ragu. For this soup, it was amazing to not have to soak the beans overnight. I was able to sauté and throw everything into the Instant Pot and do it all in one pan essentially. This soup took roughly 40 minutes to cook (this doesn’t include time it takes to pressurize and release) and the beans were tender but not completely falling apart. The vegetables were cooked through and the soup held onto incredible flavor. This sausage and white bean soup was so good with a piece of crusty bread to dip into the thick soupy base!
Recipe Variations
- Add leafy greens to this soup by adding in a bag of baby spinach or using some chopped lacinato kale after the soup is done cooking. The residual heat will cook and wilt the greens.
- For a richer, creamier soup, add a splash of heavy cream and shave some fresh parmesan cheese on top.
- You can choose to use fresh Italian chicken sausage or cooked Italian chicken sausage. If you use fresh, you’ll have to remove it from the casing and cook and break it into smaller pieces, like you would ground beef, in step 1.
- Looking for some heat to spice things up? Use spicy Italian chicken sausage or sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes into the soup!
Canned Beans vs. Dry Beans
As far as this recipe goes, dry beans are best used because you’re using a pressure cooker. The pressure cooker allows the beans to cook through (fast) and doesn’t break them down to nothing. Canned beans are already cooked so if you throw them in to cook with the soup, they risk being disintegrated.
However, if canned beans is all you have, add the (drained and rinsed) beans at the end of the cooking process. Although, I will say that kind of defeats the purpose of this soup because using the Instant Pot for this soup is so that you can cook the beans fast. If you have canned beans, I recommend exploring using the stovetop for this soup. See notes in the recipe card below for the stovetop method.
Storage Instructions
In the refrigerator: allow leftovers to cool then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. To reheat, portion out what you want to eat into a microwave-safe bowl and heat until warmed through. Alternatively, you can heat this in a pot on the stove until warmed through.
In the freezer: allow soup to cool then store into 1 or 2 cup Souper Cube trays. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, pop out a cube and defrost and cook in a pot on the stove until warmed through.
Instant Pot Sausage and White Bean Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (227 g) cooked Italian chicken sausage, sliced into rounds
- 6 stalks celery, roughly chopped into logs
- 5 carrots, roughly chopped into rounds
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 1 pound (454 g) dry white beans, (great northern beans)
- 5 cups (1183 ml) chicken stock
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Press the sauté button on the front of your 6-quart Instant Pot and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil into the pot.
- Once heated up, add the sausage and brown on all sides. Press the off button then add in the rest of the ingredients. Stir to mix everything well.8 ounces (227 g) cooked Italian chicken sausage, 6 stalks celery, 5 carrots, 1 medium onion, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 1 pound (454 g) dry white beans, 5 cups (1183 ml) chicken stock, Salt and pepper
- Close the lid of the pressure cooker and make sure that the vent is set to sealed.
- Using the manual function, use high pressure and set the cook time to 40 minutes.
- Once the soup has finished cooking, let sit for 15 minutes before you quick release the pressure. You can choose to either quick release it or let it naturally release, depending on how hungry you are or when dinner is!
- Stir and divide into bowls and serve with bread!
Notes
Nutrition
Photographs by Eat Love Eat
I really, really enjoyed this soup, and got many comments in the lunch room about how good this smelled!! I halved the recipe, but kept the liquid at 4 cups to maintain pressure. I used mirepoix because I’m lazy and I’m happy to let someone else chop onions. I used Garlic Herb Chicken Sausages purchased at TJ’s. If I didn’t use the garlic sausage, I would add garlic to the recipe. My only change next time would be to cut the sausages in smaller pieces in order to improve mouth to sausage ratio. Also might add some spinach or other like vegetable. Otherwise delish! Totally a great dish.
It would have been nice if you had mentioned not having to soak the dried beans in the *actual recipe instructions*. I’ve got this recipe going in my pressure cooker right now with 12-hour soaked beans for 40 minutes and they’ll probably turn into mush, so thanks for that.
well, the recipe ingredient says dry white beans, so based on that, i would think that would mean not soaking anything.
What time would you use in the IP if you soaked the beans? I find that they’re less likely to split/fall apart if they’re soaked. I just start the soaking in the morning – no extra work
I’m not sure; probably at least half? Or maybe just 30 minutes?
So I just cut up the sweet chicken Italian sausage and it just mushed. The photo looks more like kielbasa…?
Did you get fresh/uncooked/ground chicken sausage that you have to take out of the casing? If so, that’s probably why it mushed. This is the one I got: https://www.wegmans.com/products/meat/sausage/sausage/all-natural-fully-cooked-mild-italian-chicken-sausage.html
This fragrant, flavorful soup is so good!
I ended up making a half-recipe of the stovetop version as I only had organic (o.) canned white beans on hand. It was a perfect way to use up: two knockwurst, the canned beans (excellent for building AKK in the gut biome), fresh thyme and rosemary that survived our TX freezes, o. carrots and celery, o. chicken stock, a squirt of o. ketchup, chicken Better Than Bouillon, heavy sprinkle of red pepper flakes, s and p.
First I sautéed carrot, celery, onion and peppers in 2 T Kerry Gold butter to slightly soften. I added the beans, slightly stick blended, added rest of the ingredients. Brought to a boil then reduced to simmer for 20ish minutes. I stirred in a few more thyme leaves before serving.
The funny thing was that my husband wanted a steak tonight but I didn’t. He loved this so much more than his beloved filet!
I’ll definitely try the Instant Pot version soon but we’re glad this worked and was so delicious!
That’s so great to hear!! Glad you enjoyed and made it your own :)
Made this over the weekend, and we really enjoyed it. It was hearty and flavorful. Thanks for sharing some Instant Pot recipes – would love to see more!
There is definitely more coming! :) I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
What about a crock pot?
You could use a slow cooker. I would soak the beans overnight and cook it for 4 hours on low in the slow cooker.
Beautiful soup Julie ! I will definitely be trying it !
Thanks so much! :) I hope you do!
I do not have a Instant Pot and would like to try this soup on stove top. How many cans of beans would be used and are they drained?
Thank you.
Yes, you would drain the beans and rinse them. I would use 2 cans of beans!
Thank you so much for your quick reply. Will be making this soon.