cooking, Winter Comfort Food

Super Simple Italian: Escarole and Bean Soup

Posted on by littlea

This is the perfect soup for Sweater Weather. It is as delicious and satisfying as it is easy to make.

This is one of Grandma’s recipes, unchanged for who-knows-how-long.

Escarole and Bean Soup (Scarola e fagioli)

  • 1 head escarole, trimmed and cut into 2-3″ strips
  • 1 15-16 oz can Great Northern Beans or cannelini beans, undrained
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
  • olive oil (about a 1/4″ on the bottom of a large pot)
  • grated romano cheese

Clean the escarole by either soaking it in a large bowl of cold water for a few minutes, or using a salad-spinner to remove all the sand. Do not dry. Sautee garlic in olive oil over low – medium heat in a large pot, with a little salt. Add the wet escarole, season with salt and pepper, and sautee until it becomes wilty and bright green. Add the beans, and then fill the can with hot water, and add the water (Big A says using chicken stock instead of the water adds nice flavor).


Cover and let simmer until it looks like this (about 30 minutes):

Ladle into bowls, top with grated romano cheese, and mangia!

Print

Escarole and Bean Soup (Scarola e fagioli)

Ingredients

  • 1 head escarole trimmed and cut into 2-3" strips
  • 1 15-16 oz can Great Northern Beans or cannelini beans undrained
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic coarsely chopped
  • olive oil about a 1/4" on the bottom of a large pot
  • grated romano cheese

Instructions

  1. Clean the escarole by either soaking it in a large bowl of cold water for a few minutes, or using a salad-spinner to remove all the sand. Do not dry.

  2. Sautee garlic in olive oil over low - medium heat in a large pot, with a little salt. Add the wet escarole, season with salt and pepper, and sautee until it becomes wilty and bright green. Add the beans, and then fill the can with hot water, and add the water (Big A says using chicken stock instead of the water adds nice flavor).

  3. Cover and let simmer until it looks like this (about 30 minutes):
  4. Ladle into bowls, top with grated romano cheese, and mangia!

.a

0 thoughts on “Super Simple Italian: Escarole and Bean Soup”

  1. Carol says:

    I’m going to make a pot this weekend! I love “Scar’ole” Soup! It’s been a staple in our family for years. Our recipe is basically the same but I like to add some chopped up sun-dried tomatoes. It adds color as well as taste. Don’t forget the warm, crusty Italian bread for dipping!

  2. Amanda Jellen says:

    Yum. I love escarole soup. That picture of you and your mom from when you were little is so cute. Hope you’re doing well 🙂

      • Cassandra says:

        This looks so good! I’m definitely going to give this a try!
        So the only water/chicken broth you add is from the bean can? Also how many people do you think this can serve?

        • Ann says:

          You add the undrained can of beans, and then an additional can of water/chicken broth (I really prefer the chicken broth). As you simmer it, you can judge whether you need additional liquid. With one can of beans and one small to medium head of escarole, you should be able to feed four. Good luck, and hope you like it as much as we do 😉

          Ann