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Instant Pot White Bean Soup with Sausage & Vegetables

This Instant Pot soup recipe made with sausage, white beans, and vegetables is a family favorite. It used to take hours on the stovetop, but in the Instant Pot pressure cooker, it's done in less than one hour.

Instant Pot Sausage and White Bean Soup

One of the staple Instant Pot soups in our house is adapted from a recipe I found years ago on Budget Bytes.

Ingredients:

  • smoked sausage (I opt for turkey sausage)
  • white beans (I use navy beans, but other varieties would work well, too)
  • carrots
  • celery
  • spinach
  • garlic
  • onion
  • fresh herbs

With the smokiness of the sausage and the addition of fresh thyme and rosemary, it's got great flavor and tastes really hearty despite being packed full of vegetables.

It's my favorite way to serve lots of veggies at once, and my kids' favorite way to eat them!

Hint: Like all soup recipes I post, this Instant Pot soup is also made infinitely better when paired with some warm, crusty bread. :)

More hearty soup recipes: Chicken Tortilla Soup

Smoked sausage and chopped veggies added to the Instant Pot

When I got my Instant Pot, this sausage and white bean soup was the first recipe that I wanted to test out.

Although I've enjoyed making this soup recipe in the past, it's been one of the more labor intensive recipes in my rotation, and I loved the idea of making it quicker and simpler in the IP.

In the past, I had to soak the navy beans overnight and cook them for hours before they were soft. Even if I substituted canned beans, it still took at least 1-2 hours until they were soft enough to mash in order to create a creamier texture in the soup.

Adding fresh spinach to the Instant Pot after pressure release

When I made it in the Instant Pot, I was able to skip several cooking steps AND the overall cooking time was way shorter.

After giving the turkey sausage, onion, and garlic a brief saute in the Instant Pot, you just add the other ingredients, set it and walk away!

In about 30-40 minutes you'll have a hot, lovely pot of soup just waiting to be eaten.

The best Instant Pot soup recipe

More comfort food soup recipes: Tomato Soup with Mascarpone

Cooking Time Info:

As I explain in my Instant Pot 101 post, the cooking time can be a little misleading. If you're setting it to cook for 20 minutes, it could take up to 20 minutes for the Instant Pot to pressurize, which means a total cooking time of 40 minutes.

Keep that in mind if you're planning a meal for a certain time.

Best Smoked Sausage for Soup:

You can substitute regular smoked sausage for the turkey smoked sausage if you prefer, but I like using the turkey sausage because it makes the soup less greasy, and there's no fat draining involved.

Stovetop Instructions:

*If I'm making this recipe on the stovetop, I use canned beans instead of dried beans.

  • In a large soup pot, saute the sausage until browned, and drain any fat.
  • Add onions, and cook until softened.
  • Add carrots, garlic, celery, and herbs. Saute until the vegetables begin to soften.
  • Pour in broth and add (canned) beans and baby spinach.
  • Bring to a boil.
  • Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30-45 minutes or until beans have become soft enough to mash with a spoon.

Instant Pot White Bean Soup with Sausage and Vegetables

This Instant Pot soup recipe is easy, delicious and hassle-free. Made with smoked sausage, white beans, and vegetables with an herb-infused broth.
4.92 from 45 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 5
Calories: 498kcal
Author: Kate

Ingredients

  • 1 lb bag dry navy beans or other white beans of choice, soaked for several hours* (see notes)
  • 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 14 oz smoked turkey sausage sliced into medallions
  • ½ onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 carrots peeled and chopped
  • 2 stalks celery chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
  • 2 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped
  • 7 cups vegetable broth
  • 3 cups fresh baby spinach
  • 1 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  • Using the saute function, add olive oil and cook sausage until browned.
  • Add onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic and saute for one minute. Turn saute off.
  • Rinse the beans and add them to the pot, along with all remaining ingredients.
  • Set to pressure cook (manual) on high for 20 minutes.
  • When finished, quick release the steam valve.
  • Open and season with additional salt and/or pepper to taste.
  • To thicken the soup, use a wooden spoon to smash some of the beans against the side of the pot.
  • Serve with warm, crusty bread.

Notes

For best results, I recommend soaking the beans in water for 2-3 hours before cooking, or all day if you'd like to soak them in the morning before work and then cook the soup at night. I've made this successfully without soaking the beans at all, and set the IP for 25 minutes instead of 20, but some have mentioned that their beans aren't fully cooked this way, so I'm guessing the brand/variety of bean may be a factor. When in doubt, just soak the beans for a few hours prior to cooking.
For meal planning purposes, keep in mind that it takes about 20 minutes for the IP to come to pressure before it starts the 20 minutes of cook time. 

Nutrition

Calories: 498kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 2309mg | Potassium: 1558mg | Fiber: 24g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 8635IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 189mg | Iron: 6.5mg

Recipe Rating




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Jenny

Sunday 12th of November 2023

Can this be cooked in the crockpot? If so how long would you recommend?

Kate

Thursday 11th of January 2024

I think the saute step does help increase the savory flavor and make a richer broth, so I wouldn't skip that step. After that, it can be cooked in the crockpot. I am not sure of the time, it would take a while to cook beans from scratch.

Myra

Saturday 30th of September 2023

Can you freeze it?

Nicole

Sunday 9th of October 2022

This recipe is amazing!! Thank you so much! I was hoping to section some off for lunches, but the whole pot was eaten before I had the chance to!! A keeper for sure!! I put basil in instead of rosemary and thyme due to what I had that was fresh and it was really good😊

Kate

Friday 14th of October 2022

It sounds really good with basil!

Cerina

Sunday 11th of September 2022

This soup was delicious!! The only addition I made was a little splash of lemon juice right at the end. I do that with split pea. It gave it a great brightness. Also , instead of smashing some of the beans, I took about 4 cups of beans out using a flat ladle with holes (had to pick out the sausage and mist of the veggies). Then I used my hand blender to purée them and then returned them to the soup. It thickened up perfectly.

Kate

Friday 14th of October 2022

That sounds really good!

Kathy

Sunday 15th of May 2022

Loved this soup! I used dry seasonings in place of fresh & add some crushed red pepper. I’ve made this twice & its a keeper 😊

Kate

Thursday 2nd of June 2022

Thanks, Kathy!!

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