Escarole & White Bean Soup

When I was buying the escarole for this soup recipe I realized that I had never cooked with it before. It's not a green I would think of to just saute with dinner, and I have mostly seen it used in soups and salad mixes. I knew what sort of flavor to expect, so I was looking forward to using it in this hearty but healthy soup.

I found the recipe on the Eating Well site. I read the recipe and immediately changed some things, including the amount of broth. They called for two 14-oz cans of broth, but I knew there was no way a full head of escarole and 2 cans of beans mixed with 28 oz of broth would end up a soup. I wanted something brothy (and you can see from the picture it is still a veggie packed soup) so I doubled the amount of liquid and changed the amounts of the veggies.

I really, really liked this soup as it was very filling and satisfying. The garlic added a great kick and the escarole really held up, adding nice texture. This is a perfect vegetarian soup, but if you want to turn it into a meaty meal, saute some hot Italian sausage and add it to your bowl. I prefer cooking the sausage separately, anyway, instead of in the soup so the soup doesn't get too greasy.

Escarole & White Bean Soup
Adapted From: Eating Well

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1 sm carrot, finely chopped
• 1/2 c grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 48 oz vegetable broth
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 can small white beans
• 1 head of escarole, washed well and chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Optional: shredded Parmesan cheese for serving
• Optional: cooked, crumbled hot Italian sausage, for serving

Directions

• Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat
• Add the onions, garlic, celery, carrots and tomatoes; saute 4 minutes
• Add the Italian seasoning and broth; bring to a simmer and let cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in the beans and escarole, season with salt and pepper to taste, and simmer until the escarole is just tender, about 5 minutes. 
• Optional: serve with cheese and/or sausage

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