Slow Cooker Potato Soup with Tuscan Sausage is a warming and hearty soup that can easily serve as the main course. Pair it with a crisp, green salad and crusty bread rolls, and dinner is served!
Soup season is definitely here. Cold days and even colder nights call for hearty, warming soups that warm us up from the inside out. And, despite the fact that most of us spend plenty of time inside during the winter, we still want recipes that come together quickly and easily.
Thankfully, this Slow Cooker Potato Soup with Tuscan Sausage delivers. It requires a few quick prep steps (browning the pancetta and pureeing one can of the cannellini beans), and then everything goes into the slow cooker for a few hours before adding the final ingredients. Soup perfection? Pretty much!
A Few Reasons to Love Slow Cooker Potato Soup with Tuscan Sausage
It's hearty enough to stand on its own. Slow Cooker Potato Soup with Tuscan Sausage is not a "side dish soup." With sausage, beans, and potatoes, it has plenty of staying power. Pair it with a side salad and (if desired) rolls, and you have a complete meal.
It contains kale, an incredibly healthy vegetable. My entire household is in love with kale, and for good reason. It's tasty (really, it is!) and super nutritious. This soup sneaks in a whopping three cups of kale, added in at the very end.
It will make your house smell amazing. After your slow cooker has done its job, your whole house will smell like this delicious soup.
It reheats easily. Slow Cooker Potato Soup with Tuscan Sausage is perfect to pack for lunch and will reheat easily in the microwave.
There is certainly a lot to love about this soup, and I think it will quickly become a favorite in your household like it has in mine.
Why Cannellini Beans?
Slow Cooker Potato Soup with Tuscan Sausage uses cannellini beans, which you may sometimes see referred to as "white kidney beans." Cannellini beans have a great flavor — they're kind of nutty and buttery (yum!). They also have a silky smooth texture, which is why you'll blend one can of them in your food processor or blender to add directly to this soup. Doing this really thickens the soup and adds a wonderful creamy texture.
Note that if you want to lower the sodium content of this soup, rinse and drain your cans of cannellini beans before using them in this recipe. (If you do this, the can that you add to the food processor or blender will need to be refilled with water, keeping the beans in the can when you refill.)
You can also buy a low-sodium canned version, or, better yet, make your own! Canned beans are certainly convenient, but you can save a lot of money (and sodium) by making them at home using an Instant Pot or other type of pressure cooker.
Enjoy This Easy Crockpot Potato Soup? You'll Like These Other Soup Recipes
If you've enjoyed this easy crockpot potato soup recipe, you'll love a few other easy slow cooker soup recipes I've shared on the site:
Slow Cooker Cheesy Broccoli Soup
Split Pea Soup with Sausage Slow Cooker Soup Recipe
Spicy Crockpot Pork and Cabbage Soup
Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Potato Soup with Tuscan Sausage
Ingredients
- 4 ounces pancetta cubed
- 2 pounds bulk mild sausage
- 2 15- ounces cans cannellini beans*
- 6-7 cups chicken stock divided
- 1 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 2-3 cloves fresh garlic finely minced
- 1 small yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 pounds Russet potatoes peeled and cut into small chunks
- 3 ” hard Parmesan cheese rind
- Salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- ½ cup half and half tempered**
- 3 cup fresh kale finely chopped
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
Instructions
- Over medium-high heat, brown pancetta in large skillet for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- To the same skillet, add sausage and cook until browned. Break it up into bite-sized chunks with a spatula while it cooks.
- Remove pancetta and sausage from the heat and drain the excess fat from the pan. Transfer to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.
- In a food processor or blender, puree one can of undrained cannellini beans. Add to slow cooker.
- Drain and rinse the other can of cannellini beans and add it to the slow cooker.
- To the slow cooker, add 6 cups chicken stock, red pepper flakes, onion, potatoes, and Parmesan cheese rind. Stir to combine. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours. When slow cooker cycle ends, remove lid and add kale, tempered half and half (see notes), Parmesan cheese, and remaining chicken stock. Stir to combine and wait 5-10 minutes to serve (to allow kale to soften).
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