White Bean and Escarole Soup
Cooking is not a chore. It should be easy and enjoyable. For this reason, I encourage using ingredients that are at your disposal when cooking. The great thing about this soup, aside from its hearty flavor that warms you to the core, is that it allows for substitutions. You can follow the exact recipe, or throw in ingredients that are already in your fridge… like leftover turkey.
This soup is a one-bowl-meal; it is overflowing with healthy vegetables and enriched with succulent meat that leaves your guests reaching for another spoonful. Serve on a cool winter night or a lazy summer day. You will undeniably find that any occasion is befitting of this appetizing dish.
Ingredients
– ¼ cup olive oil
– 1 onion
– 4 garlic cloves
– 2 quarts (64 oz.) chicken broth
– 2 (15 oz.) cans white cannellini beans, drained
– 2 cups diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
– 1 head escarole, chopped and thoroughly washed
– salt and pepper (according to taste)
– 8 oz. chicken or sausage
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Heat olive oil in a 6-quart soup pot (or larger), on medium heat. Sautee onions and garlic until onions are soft (5-10 minutes).
Add chicken broth. Increase to high heat. Bring to a boil. Add beans. Stir once then let simmer for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring to boil. Once boiling, add escarole, salt, and pepper. (Note that the escarole will cook down.) Simmer for 10-20 minutes so that the escarole is soft.
(If you like chicken or sausage in your soup, add it while the escarole is cooking down.)
Make sure to stir the soup at least twice while it cooks, to keep the ingredients from sticking to the bowl.
Place pot in oven and allow soup to bake for 10 minutes. Once removed, you can either return the pot to the stove-top and continue simmering for 20-30 minutes in order to enhance the flavor, or ladle into soup bowls and enjoy.
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