Italian Greens and Beans Recipe with Escarole

Here’s a simple, comforting and delicious soup that’s nothing more than greens, beans, fresh escarole and a wonderful, flavorful broth. This Italian Greens and Beans Recipe with Escarole is delicious and so satisfying…

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• Ingredients You’ll Need
• Step-By Step Instructions
• Tips and Possible Variations
• Serving Ideas
• Frequently Asked Questions
• More Recipes to Try
• Italian Greens and Beans Recipe Escarole
• Subscribe

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

There’s nothing quite like a bowl of well-made of homemade soup, especially one with a fragrant and flavorful broth, creamy beans and vegetables. This Italian Greens and Beans Recipe with Escarole is filling & restorative and delicious any time you’re in the mood for something warm and tasty.

Here’s some good reasons to make it:

• This is an easy soup to make and other than the escarole, which is found in the produce section, we’ll use mostly pantry staples such as canned beans
• This soup has a deep, wonderful flavor. Escarole is one of my favorite greens, and it really gives this soup a fresh vegetable taste and slight bitterness that’s toned down with a big squirt of fresh lemon juice. So good!
• This homey, Italian classic reminds of one of those “little Italian restaurants around the corner” 🙂
• Make this hearty dish any time of year – it’s light and perfect and restorative no matter what the season is. Perfect as a main dish or side.
• If you like these flavors, bookmark these favorites for later – this brothy, chunky Tortellini Soup, this outstanding dairy-free Corn Chowder, and this creamy, seasonal Pumpkin Soup (also dairy free).

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the full recipe, please scroll down to the recipe card below.

• Escarole: A bitter green & leafy member of the chicory family, it looks a lot like romaine but is slightly bitter and very flavorful
• Vegetable Broth: Light & flavorful, but chicken broth if you prefer
• Shallot: To give lots of flavor and substance to the soup
• Miso: Mellow white miso gives this soup a deep, cooked all-day flavor
• Cannellini Beans: Creamy, hearty & so, so good
• Garlic: For an extra bump of flavor
• Lemon: To balance the bitterness of the escarole
• Seasonings: Black pepper and kosher salt

Step-By Step Instructions

For the full recipe, please scroll below.

Leafy escarole is a slightly bitter green that’s part of the chicory family, and it lends a substantial punch of flavor to this soup.

1. Start by washing the large, leafy greens the same way you do a head of romaine lettuce, rinsed well and drained in a salad spinner or soft (clean) kitchen towel.
2. Break it down by removing any rough-looking outside leaves first
3. Remove the core, cutting about 2″ inches off the bottom
4. Cut into small pieces, about 2″ (and the cuts don’t need to be perfect)

To put the soup together, add these ingredients to a heavy large pot:

1. Saute the shallots and crushed garlic cloves, stir with a wooden spoon over medium-high heat in a large skillet.
2. Add the chopped escarole
3. Add the red pepper flakes and other seasonings, beans and broth to the sauteed escarole
4. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes on medium heat.
5. If you have a Parmesan rind in your refrigerator, add it in too! (just remove what’s left of it before serving…)
6. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and drizzled tablespoons of olive oil and serve!

Tips and Possible Variations

This is a soup you can definitely adjust with your favorite add-ins, such as:

• Sliced and grilled cooked sausages (above)
• Chunky country pork sausage (cook on the stove top, then add to the soup)
• Shredded chicken (try some rotisserie chicken for a time saver)
• If you’ve never used miso paste, it gives any soup you make just a wonderful, Umami flavor that makes it taste like it’s been cooking all day, without the “all day” part. Use mellow white or yellow miso, and find it in the cold section of the grocery store. It’s worth seeking out!
• That said, if you can’t find miso or don’t want to, add a reduced sodium vegetable bullion cube instead.
• Fresh lemon takes the bitterness out of the escarole, and gives a fantastic balance of flavor to this soup
• If you have a rind of Parmesan cheese laying around, add it to the pot for even more flavor…just remove what’s left of it before serving! 🙂
• Use homemade chicken stock instead of vegetable broth if you’d like.

Serving Ideas

This is a soup that’s quick to make, and then you’ve got a great lunch or easy dinner for a few days.

• Store the soup in the refrigerator in large canning jars with a lid for convenience.
• This is a perfectly satisfying meal with some hot crusty bread served on the side
• Cooked sausages are a perfect addition for meat eaters. Just slice and quickly saute them for a little color, then add them to the soup bowl.
• Have a little green salad too! Some salad ideas are a Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad, this wonderful Blackberry Salad with Hazelnuts, or something even simpler like an Italian Green Bean Salad.
• Might as well plan a little dessert too, right? Try some fresh fruit crepes for something different, or a fresh cherry milkshake, or these outstanding Philadelphia Strawberry Cheesecake Snack Bars, or go simpler with these really, really good Chocolate Covered Rice Krispie Treats!

Frequently Asked Questions

More Recipes to Try

Try these delicious recipes too!

• Green Bean and Pea Salad: Clean, fresh and super tasty
• Authentic Pasta Fagioli Recipe: A wonderful comfort food recipe.
• Chicken Sausage and Vegetable Skillet: Really tasty, really quick & easy!
• How to Store and Reheat Rotisserie Chicken: Which would be great to add to this soup!
• Parmesan Potatoes with Roasted Broccolini: A fabulous veggie main or side.

If you’ve tried Italian Greens and Beans Recipe Escarole, or any other recipe on Studio Delicious, please rate the recipe 5 stars and tell me how you liked it in comments below!

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