Recipe: Escarole and Bean Soup

One of my favorite Italian dishes is greens and beans. It's such a simple dish, but because of the beans, it's very satisfying. I also love escarole; you don't see many dishes with that ingredient! Escarole is a leafy green that looks similar to lettuce. The flavor is bitter, kind of like arugula (another fave of mine). Greens and beans are made with a broth, but only a little. This made me think this would be a delicious soup if there was more broth! So I started making a list of what I thought would be good in a 'greens and beans' soup. I mulled it over for a few days and finally got the ingredients. 

Since I made this up off the top of my head, I assumed I would have to make tweaks after my first try. However, this was one of the best things I've ever made, and I nailed it on the first try. My husband agreed it was insanely good. I could not recommend this more. So here is what you will need... 

Ingredients

1 can northern beans

1 can cannellini beans

4 cloves garlic

1 yellow onion

1 celery bunch

1 container of Chicken Stock

1lb Mild Italian ground sausage

1 large head of escarole

Parmesan cheese

Black Pepper

Garlic Salt

Red chili flakes

Yields 6 large portions

I cooked all of this in one pan, my Staub Dutch oven. It took me about an hour from start to finish. 20 minutes of that time was just the soup simmering, so I wasn't actually doing anything. The only time-consuming part is washing the escarole and chopping the veggies. I removed each leaf of escarole (I recommend organic), scrubbed it with my hands, rinsed it, and then laid it on a towel to dry. You could soak the escarole, but the head of escarole I found at Whole Foods was larger than my sink! Otherwise, this is quick and easy. This is such a hearty and brothy soup; I loved it SO much. The flavor had so much depth. This soup is also easily modifiable to suit your own dietary preferences/needs and is the perfect fall and winter dish. 

Directions

1. Finely chop one yellow onion, a few celery stalks, and four (ish) garlic cloves. 

2. Brown 1 lb of ground mild Italian sausage.

3. Once browned, add in onion, celery, and garlic on low-medium heat, add in a drizzle of olive oil (for flavor)

4. Once the onion and celery begin to look translucent, rinse both cans of beans and add to the pot. 

5. Immediately after adding the beans, add the entire container of chicken stock, keep on low heat, and let it simmer. I added a few parmesan rinds to the broth that I had sitting in my freezer. This adds a bit of flavor but is not necessary (you remove them once cooking is done). 

6. Slowly add in a full head of escarole. Escarole can be hard to find. I found mine at Whole Foods. Be sure to wash well beforehand. It wilts down quickly, so I added a bunch, let it wilt down, and added more.

7. Add a generous amount of cracked black pepper and chili flakes (if you like spice). The spice is SO good in this soup.

8. Add a pinch or two of garlic salt. The mild Italian sausage adds a good amount of flavor, so you really don't have to add a ton of seasonings. And this is coming from someone who loves well-seasoned food. 

9. Let this simmer for 20ish minutes to allow all the flavors to combine. 

10. Before serving, add a generous amount of grated parmesan cheese and let it melt into the broth. 

11. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan on top. It tastes delicious with crusty bread! 

We ate this over the course of a few days. It was so good that we didn't have any leftovers to freeze, but I think it would freeze well. I could not recommend this recipe more; it's one of the best things I've ever made!