Escarole + Bean Soup

Escarole + Bean Soup

I have found that most of the soups I didn’t like as a child, I enjoy eating now. Growing up, my mother made this escarole and bean soup often. The only soup I disliked more than this soup was lentil soup. Now both soups have become my favorite go-to meals in cold weather. 

Escarole is a leafy green with a crisp bitter flavor. It belongs in the chicory family along with radicchio and endive. On a nutritional note, escarole is high in fiber and rich in potassium. 

I was recently introduced to an escarole Caesar Salad at Campeillo’s Restaurant in Naples, which has become my favorite salad on their menu. When escarole is cooked, the leaves have more of a nutty and buttery flavor. You can sauté it with olive oil, garlic, and chopped pancetta as a side, or put it in soup. Of course, always remember to sprinkle a little parmesan on top whether it is served cooked or in a salad. 

Ingredients 

• 3 tablespoons of good olive oil
• 2 large cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 head of escarole cleaned, rinsed and drained
• 1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 32-ounce container of your favorite chicken broth 
• 1 pat butter
• Parmesan cheese for topping 
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Directions

Trim off the root end and break the cleaned escarole leaves into pieces. Heat a medium to large soup pan on medium high heat with olive oil. Next add the garlic and sauté just a few minutes, do not let the garlic turn brown otherwise it becomes bitter. Pour in the chicken broth, and let the broth come to a simmer, then add the escarole leaves. It only takes a few minutes for the leaves to soften and shrink down. Next add the cannellini beans, butter, salt, and pepper to taste. Let soup simmer around 15-20 minutes. 

This soup literally takes no time to make. It will serve around four people. My daughter substitutes the beans for Arborio rice for her girls to eat too. To do so, bring the pot of soup to a boil and add 1/3 cup of rice, simmer on medium heat until the rice is cooked. Top off your soup generously with parmesan cheese, or a drizzle of virgin olive oil and black pepper. 

Mangia!

Read: >> Lentil Soup Recipe

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