A big bowl of this hearty sausage, kale, and white bean soup with farro is just the thing to warm up with on cool nights. It is packed with protein from both beans and sausage, so it will keep your whole family full. This easy prep meal comes together in about 30 minutes on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot, making it perfect for weeknights or weekend meals.
Italian sausage does the heavy lifting to provide tons of flavor to this soup. Combined with the nutty farro, creamy white beans, and bright and tender kale, there is so much flavor packed into one bowl of deliciousness. Even a quick simmer yields a satisfying flavor, and a simple trick with the preparation of the beans adds body to the soup for a nourishing soup with no dairy.
We put our pressure cooker to work constantly for easy and quick weeknight dinners. Try this Pressure Cooker Chicken Spaghetti or these Instant Pot Shredded Beef Tacos for more recipes that take advantage of this awesome kitchen tool.
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Ingredients
I include ingredient notes here when I think they’ll be helpful, including ways to source, any preparation tips, or why I've chosen a particular ingredient. Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and their quantities!
- Sweet Italian Sausage: A base layer of sweet Italian sausage means there’s a ton of flavor right from the start. If you like things spicy, use hot Italian sausage! Use either ground sausage or sausage links with the casings removed.
- Dried Spices and Herbs: We are keeping things simple with garlic powder, dried oregano, and black pepper.
- Chicken Stock or Broth: Use canned or boxed broth or stock, whichever you have on hand. Most often I reach for a concentrated bouillon base. A homemade stock will add even more rich flavor and body to this soup.
- Quick-cooking (Pearled) Farro: This grain will provide the hearty texture that makes this soup so satisfying. Pearled farro has the husk and bran removed to speed up the cooking time so it's perfect for midweek dinners. I find quick-cooking farro at Trader Joe's.
- Kale: Load up the soup with chopped fresh kale, but remove the thick stems before you add any to the soup.
- White Beans: I use two 15 ounce cans of either cannellini or great northern beans, but navy beans work well too. Rinse and drain both cans of beans before adding them to the recipe.
Preparation In the Instant Pot
Heat your Instant Pot using the "saute" function and cook the sausage, oregano, garlic, and black pepper until the sausage is browned. Break it up into bite-sized pieces.
While the sausage is cooking, purée half of the beans along with one cup of stock. This will be used to thicken the soup and add a bit of body without cream or flour. Use an immersion blender, food processor, or a standard blender to process the beans.
Once the sausage is cooked, add the bean puree, the farro, and the rest of the stock or broth. Turn off the sauté function, lock the lid with the pressure valve in place, and cook the soup using manual high pressure for 6 minutes.
Prepare the kale by removing it from the tough stems and tearing the leaves into bite-sized pieces.
After the cooking time is up, do a quick release. The farro should be tender and the stock will be richly flavored.
Add the kale and beans to the soup. Stir everything together, let it sit for about five minutes to soften the kale, and your soup is ready for serving!
Preparation on the Stove Top
Start with the soup pot on medium-high heat. Add the sausage and the oregano, garlic, and pepper to the pot and cook until the sausage is browned, breaking up the meat as you stir things around.
Once the sausage is ready, add the pureed beans and the remaining stock and bring things to a boil.
Once the soup is boiling, add the farro and boil for 10 minutes (or according to package directions). You should watch the pot to make sure the soup doesn’t boil over and adjust the heat accordingly. Add in the remaining beans and the kale and continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
Substitutions
The substitutions listed below have been tested in this recipe and work well. If you successfully make any other ingredient substitutions, let us know in the comments!
- Make it vegetarian - Omit the sausage and use a vegetable stock. This soup is hearty enough with the kale, beans, and farro that it's still a complete meal in a bowl.
- Swap the Greens - Use spinach instead of kale if that's what your family prefers. Spinach will take a bit less prep work and wilts into the soup quickly.
- Use Fresh Herbs - When I have fresh oregano available, I use that instead. Add about twice as much fresh oregano as you would dried oregano. You can also swap the garlic powder for two cloves of minced or pressed garlic.
Equipment
This recipe was developed using a 6-quart Instant Pot. A large Dutch oven or soup pot can be used if you are preparing the sausage, kale, and white bean soup on the stovetop.
To puree the beans, an immersion blender is the handy tool I reach for most often. I can puree the beans right in the can without dirtying another bowl! You can also use a blender or food processor to blend the beans. In a pinch, use a potato masher to break the beans down into a chunkier puree.
Serving Suggestions
Sausage, kale, and white bean soup with farro is definitely a meal in a bowl, but it’s nice to have some buttered bread for dunking or a crisp green salad to balance out the rich broth. This recipe will serve 6 generously, but we love it as leftovers.
Make This Recipe Kid Friendly
This soup is mild in flavor and surprisingly popular with my kids. One of them refuses the kale, but I serve a plate of veggie sticks along with the soup for a kid-friendly way to keep vegetables in the meal. I find that buttered bread goes a long way in enticing kids to the table for this soup!
More Pork Recipes
Pork is an easy protein to incorporate into the family dinner rotation. Here are some great recipes to start with:
Try It and Share
Give this Sausage, Kale, and White Bean Soup with Farro a try and let me know what you think of it in the comments. I want to see your results! Tag your photo with #planeatpostrepeat and mention me @planeatpostrepeat on Instagram or Facebook. I can give you a virtual high five and thank you for cooking one of my recipes! Comment below with any questions and please leave a review so others can find this recipe more easily.
Recipe
Sausage, Kale, and White Bean Soup with Farro
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
- Blender or food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage (chicken or pork)
- 2 quarts chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon oregano (dried)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper (ground)
- 30 oz white beans (canned canellini or great northern beans)
- 1 8-9 oz. package quick cooking farro
- 6 cups kale leaves (separated from the stems and chopped)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
Instructions
- Drain and rinse both cans of beans and puree half of the beans with 1 cup of stock in a blender, food processor, or with an immersion blender.
Instant Pot Directions
- Preheat the insert of the Instant Pot using the "saute" function.
- Cook the sausage, garlic powder, oregano, and black pepper until the sausage is browned and broken into bite-sized pieces.
- Add in the broth, pureed beans, and farro. Scrape the bottom of the pot to make sure none of the sausage is sticking and to bring up all of the browned bits.
- Pressure cook using manual high pressure for 6 minutes. Allow a quick release of the pressure.
- Stir in the remaining beans and the kale. Allow the soup to sit for 5 minutes and taste for seasoning, adding salt or pepper as needed.
Stove Top Directions
- Heat a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add in sausage, oregano, garlic powder, and pepper and cook for 5 minutes or until browned, breaking up the sausage into small bite-sized pieces.
- Add remaining stock and the pureed beans to the sausage in the pot. Increase heat to bring to a boil.
- Add in farro and reduce heat to maintain a gentle boil for 10 minutes (or as directed on the farro package).
- When the farro is tender, add in the remaining whole beans and the kale. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes until the kale is tender. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.
Nutrition facts are sometimes provided below and are calculated using an online calculator. With specific brands of ingredients and additions, omissions, or substitutions the nutrition facts may change. We encourage you to use your own nutrition facts caculator to obtain the most accurate nutrition facts for your meal.
Cassie says
Let me know if you have any questions, I'd love to help!
Helen says
Is it really 2L for broth? Or did you mean 2 lbs
Cassie @ Plan. Eat. Post. Repeat. says
Hi Helen. The recipe calls for 2 quarts of broth, very close to 2L. I hope you still tried the recipe and enjoyed it.