Tuscan white bean soup with sausage, tomatoes, and sage

Adapted by me from a Milk Street recipe found here and here

Tuscan fagioli All’Uccelletto

or White Bean Soup “in the Style of Game” – my riff

I found this recipe several years ago in a copy of Milk Street, which is a neat foodie magazine (but stupidly expensive, so I never subscribed for long). Read it in B&N.

Anyway, this is a workhorse recipe in our kitchen come fall. Delicious, easy, and nutritious!

Serves 4; easy to double the recipe for yummy leftovers!

Prep time is quick but if you decide to cook dried beans, add 4-8 hours soaking + 1-3 hours bean cooking time. You can use canned white beans instead to speed things up to a “normal” supper workflow and not really lose much flavor.

*The original recipe also calls for fennel, a flavor I don’t enjoy, so I don’t use it. But you can add a chopped (fine) bulb of fennel if you want to add it alongside the onion when cooking the soup.

ingredients

(Master List)

8 oz of dried white beans OR 2 (15.5 oz) cans of white beans (juice reserved – read below)
- See below for how to cook dried beans. I think it does deepen the flavor of the overall soup if you cook your own, but the recipe is great with canned beans too. Don’t feel guilty to use canned!
- RESERVE CAN OR COOKING LIQUID! Don’t drain it out!
6 T olive oil, divided
24-30 sage leaves, fresh — chop enough to make 3 Tablespoons of fresh chopped sage
- buy them in the produce section if you don’t own a plant
  - You can sub dried into the soup ok, but you’ll want fresh for the garnish.
1 lb ground sausage – use a good brand with plenty of flavor (not “hot”)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
- pick up a second onion if making your own beans – see below
4 large garlic cloves, chopped fine
- add 4-6 more or a whole extra head if making your own beans
if making your own beans, see below re: chicken broth
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt, pepper, and Tuscany Spice Seasoning from Spice & Tea Exchange
- this spice blend is a workhorse in our kitchen; buy it online if you don’t have a Spice & Tea Exchange near you
white wine or cream sherry for deglazing pan
1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes – SAVE THE JUICE. I used fire roasted sometimes, or “Italian” flavor diced. Whatever you have!
For serving: crusty good bread and shaved parmesan cheese

There are 3 phases to this recipe if you make your own beans; 2 if not.

MAKE BEANS YOURSELF? or use canned!

There’s not a huge difference in flavor, but dried beans are likely cheaper (pound for pound) and you can make a huge batch and then freeze them in batches or store in mason jars in the frig for a few weeks and use them in other recipes. That said, canned works great!

It’s absolutely easy to make your own beans:

8 oz of dried white beans — feel free to double / triple / big batch this recipe
- BEST: Soak the beans in fresh water for at least 4 hours. I try to do this overnight if I can remember the night before. You can cook without soaking BUT I think they taste better if you give the water a chance to break down the tough bean shells first.
32 oz chicken broth + water as needed
whole yellow onion cut in half or quarters, skin can stay on (it’s for flavor)
whole head of garlic – cut off the top third … or grab 6-8 cloves, peel off the papery bit but don’t have to fully peel. Smash against the counter before adding.
2-3 bay leaves
sprigs of fresh thyme and sage, if you have them

To cook your own beans: Drain the soaking water and add beans to a big heavy pot or Dutch oven. Pour over the 4 cups of broth. Nestle in the onion, garlic, and herbs. Add water as needed to make sure it covers the beans. Put in 300 degree oven, covered, for 90 minutes to 2 hours. Beans should be tender and creamy when done. Remove the aromatics so the only thing left in the pot are beans and their liquid.

Season with a bit of salt, then set beans aside. I pull them into a glass bowl and keep using the Dutch oven for the soup.

SAVE AT LEAST 1 CUP of the cooking liquid! We need it for the soup.

sage garnish

Do this step while the soup cooks.

3 T olive oil
18-20 sage leaves, separated into individual leaves. Trim stems so they’re not huge.

Heat the oil in a skillet to just barely shimmering over medium heat, then fry the sage leaves until crispy – they will cook fast if your oil gets hot. Leave them until the edges begin to curl, and flip at least once.

Have a plate with paper towels nearby and pull the leaves out as soon as they’re lightly browned, fragrant, and crispy. Don’t burn!

Set aside the leaves AND the oil for garnish.

SAVE THE OIL — WE NEED IT!

make the soup

In a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven on the stove, over medium heat:

Cook the ground sausage until it’s fully brown and lightly caramelized on the pan over medium heat. Set aside in a side bowl to add back in later, and reduce fat in the pot to maybe a tablespoon. Leave any fond (good burnt bits on the bottom) and a slick of fat.
Add 3 Tablespoons of olive oil until shimmering.
Add the onion (and fennel if using), chopped sage, red pepper flakes, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of Tuscan spice.
Sauté till the vegetables have softened, about 10-15 min over medium heat.
Deglaze the bottom of the pot with a heavy splash of white wine or cream sherry. Scrape up any stuck bits and stir.
Stir in the beans + 1 cup of their cooking liquid OR both cans of beans with their cooking liquid.
- You can reduce liquid if you don’t want as “soupy” of a soup.
Stir in the can of tomatoes and the cooked sausage (plus any juices that collected from the sausage).
Check soup for salt, pepper, and seasoning levels – add what’s needed.
Bring to gentle simmer and let cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes.

Serve by labeling soup into bowls and topping with a swirl of the sage oil (reserved from frying the leaves), crumbled fried sage leaves, and shaved Parmasean.

I like to put this on the table with crusty bread to soak up broth!

Like most good soups, this tastes way better the second day! It also freezes well, as long as you make the sage garnish fresh (or omit it).

Tuscan White Bean Soup with Sage

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