Busy days and chilly nights call for a heartwarming Crockpot Italian Bean Soup!
This soup is jam-packed with our favorite Italian flavors, sausage, veggies, and of course the perfect mix of beans in a zesty tomato broth. The best part is how easy this soup is with no soaking required!
I am excited to partner with Hurst’s HamBeens® to bring you this delicious recipe!
Bean soup is a hearty belly-warming kind of meal. It is a delicious, nutritious meal you can feel good about serving your family.
Ingredients
A Crockpot makes this recipe as easy as can be and you do not need to pre-soak the beans.
15 BEAN SOUP MIX Hurst’s HamBeens® 15 BEAN SOUP® is truly one of my favorite pantry staples and the base of this soup recipe. All the colors of the bean rainbow are included in this mixture of dried beans, peas, and lentils.
Each package of beans comes with a ham flavor pack adding another layer of deliciousness. You can find HamBeens 15 Bean Soup in the dry bean section of almost any grocery store (or you can order them online).
SAUSAGE Italian Sausage adds great flavor to this recipe, use hot or mild (we prefer hot). If you don’t have sausage, you can substitute ground beef but be sure to add some extra seasonings like Italian seasoning.
VEGGIES Once the beans are tender, we add some tomatoes and marinara to add some zest to the broth.
Sliced zucchini adds freshness to this soup. If you like the zucchini to be softer, it can be added a bit earlier.
How to Make Italian Bean Soup (overview)
- Brown Sausage and onion (per recipe below).
- Add Beans to Slow Cooker with sausage, seasonings, and broth/water.
- Cook Cook until beans are tender.
- Add Veggies including zucchini, tomatoes, ham flavor packet, marinara sauce, and red wine vinegar. Cook until zucchini is tender.
IMPORTANT: Adding acidic ingredients (like tomatoes & tomato sauce) can prevent the beans from softening. Add these ingredients after the beans are already tender.
To Soak or Not to Soak
There is no need to soak the beans when making a Crock Pot Bean Soup.
If you’ve already soaked your beans, you can proceed as directed making sure to discard the soaking liquid and use fresh broth/water. The liquid in the recipe can be reduced by 1 cup for soaked beans.
To Serve
This soup is delicious and is an entire meal in itself. We love to serve it with some garlic bread or toasts for dipping and dunking.
Top the soup with some fresh herbs like parsley or basil and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese (and even some chili flakes if you’d like).
Leftovers
This is a great recipe because it makes enough soup for more than one meal for us!
Bean soup will keep in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days and reheats well on the stove or in the microwave.
This soup freezes beautifully! Ladle the cooled bean soup in single-sized freezer bags labeled with the date. Once the bags are frozen, store them upright (like books) to save freezer space. Take out as many servings as you need, perfect for quick meals or lunches!
More Bean Favorites
- Instant Pot Ham & Bean Soup
- Ham and Bean Soup {Crock Pot Version}
- 15 Bean Slow Cooker Chili
- Homemade Refried Beans
- Slow Cooker Turkey Soup (Cajun Bean)
Did your family love this Italian Bean Soup? Be sure to leave a comment and a rating below!
Crock Pot Italian Bean Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 package Hambeens® 15 BEAN SOUP® with seasoning packet
- 1 pound Italian sausage mild or spicy
- 1 large onion diced
- 8 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 red pepper diced large
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 15 ounces diced tomatoes with juices
- 1 zucchini sliced ⅛" thick
- 1 cup marinara sauce or pasta sauce
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
For Serving
- parmesan cheese
- fresh parsley
- fresh basil
- garlic toast
Instructions
- Rinse beans and drain. Sort any unwanted debris and set seasoning packet aside.
- Brown sausage and onion in a skillet over medium heat until no pink remains. Drain fat.
- Place beans, sausage & onion, broth, red pepper, garlic, and Italian seasoning in a 6qt slow cooker.
- Cook on high 5 hours (or low for 7-8) or until beans are tender.
- Once beans are soft stir in diced tomatoes, zucchini, seasoning packet, marinara sauce, and red wine vinegar. Cook for additional 45-50 minutes or until zucchini is tender.
- Serve with toppings and garlic bread if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Entree, Lunch, Main Course, Slow Cooker, Soup
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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Made this yesterday. One of the most delicious soups that I’ve ever made
So glad you loved this recipe Pat!
what weight of mixed beans would I use if the package of Hambeans 15 bean mix is not available? Soup looks delicious!
A package of bean mix is 20 ounces, so I would use an equivalent amount of mixed beans. Enjoy Joan!
What a delicious, hearty soup! I added kale because I wanted a little more “green” in it, and did not add the seasoning packet because the soup was already flavorful enough, and I didn’t want to add more sodium. This recipe is a keeper! I wish that I could share my picture of this beautiful soup with freshly grated Parmesan and a slice of crusty bread.
I am so glad you loved this recipe Andi! If you are on Instagram, you can post a photo there and tag us at @spendpennies so we can see your photo!
This recipe is filling and delish.
So glad you loved it Julia!
Your recipes look yummy delicious. Cant wait to prepare some. Thank you
Enjoy the recipes Sandra!
What other vegetables, besides zucchini, could you use?
Celery, carrots, other root veggies, mushrooms (they should be added early in the process so they cook through).
Hi Holly! I live in Colorado Springs, CO and have a pet peeve about recipes that assume that everyone lives at or near sea level. No, the beans will NOT get soft at this altitude in a slow cooker without presoaking, even with added time. Nor will they in Denver CO or Santa Fe NM or many other places in the Mountain West. (They will in a pressure cooker that raises the water temperature.)Long-time residents know this and adjust but newcomers and visitors may not. I had some epic fails when first moving here! Thanks!
Thank you for sharing this info with us. Enjoy the recipe!
I cook every night, and your recipes are used all the time! You have awonderful palate. I can always trust your recipes.
Thank you so much Vickie, I’m glad you’ve loved the recipes! Happy Cooking.