Sausage Bean Soup with Spinach & Tomatoes (Slow Cooker OR Instant Pot)

 

A delicious and easy sausage bean soup with spinach (or any greens) and tomatoes that you make in your slow cooker (Crockpot) or pressure cooker (Instant Pot) for a one dish dinner. It’s even better the next day!

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I love my slow cooker for so many reasons – from pulled pork or roast to stews and soups, meals made in the slow cooker find their way onto our menus almost weekly (you can check out all our slow cooker recipes here). And while I do use it more in the colder months, I also try to use it in warmer weather, too, for non-oven dinners like meat for chicken tacos.

Update: now with an Instant Pot in the house, I can choose to make this either slow or fast! Directions for both methods are included in the full recipe.

I really do adore soups in the fall and winter months. There’s something so comforting to me about a hearty, healthy, meal-in-a-bowl when it’s blustery and cold outside. I also appreciate how soups make it so easy to use my preserved food, and that it’s such a great way to use up bits and pieces of leftovers. #soupforthewin

So you can imagine that I love this easy slow cooker sausage bean soup with spinach and tomatoes for all these reasons and it would be true. But the number one reason? It’s just plain delicious. Really. And soaking up the flavorful liquid with a piece of crusty easy artisan bread? Heaven.

Bonus! It’s even better the next day, so you can look forward to a wonderful lunch, too. Having leftovers for lunch is one of my favorite ways to not have to think about lunch (decision fatigue is real, right?), eat healthy, and maintain weight.

Sausage Bean Soup with Spinach and Tomatoes

Making this sausage bean soup is easy – and of course you know I’m all about easy, healthy eating. Here are the steps you’ll take:

1. Gather your ingredients.
2. Brown the sausage in a skillet (for slow cooking) or in an Instant Pot using the sauté function.
3. Add the remaining ingredients except spinach and cheese.
4. Let cook.
5. Add spinach and let sit a few minutes.
6. Serve with shredded cheese and a good crusty bread.

See, soup really is easy and should be on everyone’s menu at some point!

Here is the newer version of the slow cooker I have and love (the lid is cushioned so it doesn’t spit hot liquid out like some do).

Here is the Instant Pot I have and am trying to use more.

Soup is also ripe for substitutions. Here are a few ways you can adapt this recipe:

• Use any green for the spinach in this soup: chard is wonderful and I’ve also used kale, though I do cook these tougher greens with the soup instead of adding it at the end.
• Use frozen chopped spinach or kale – both of these can be added at the end since they’re already tender.
• Use any variety of bean that you have on hand, either beans you’ve cooked and frozen or canned beans.
• Use fully cooked sausage or kielbasa instead of bulk sausage – simply slice and brown for less time.
• Use chicken sausage and change the broth to chicken broth.

No matter how you make it, I hope most of all that you enjoy it!

Click the arrow for the full sausage bean soup recipe (with print options)!