Escarole Soup with Beans

You can make Escarole Soup with Beans and potatoes in 40 minutes! You'll love its tremendous flavor from onions, garlic and Romano cheese. Once people try this recipe, they make it again and again!

If you've never had Escarole Soup with Beans, buckle up for one of the tastiest Italian soups around! My hearty version includes chunks of potatoes, plus a Romano cheese accent that'll make you swoon.

In fact, some Cooking with Mamma C readers say this is their favorite soup recipe. I can't blame them!

Read on for all the details, and don't miss our family's sautéed escarole and escarole-stuffed pizza from Naples!

Recipe ingredients

Escarole: Escarole (or scarola, in Italian), comes in bunches and looks like bright green lettuce. The inner leaves are paler.

You can find these Italian greens at the grocery store near the heads of Romaine and endive. Be sure to read the label on the rubber band so you know you're choosing the right one.

If you don't see any, ask someone who works in the produce department if the store carries it. You also can call ahead to ask.

Choose escarole that's not wilted or turning brown. If you need a substitute for escarole, try spinach, curly endive or arugula. You also could use kale in this soup.

White Beans: Escarole and white beans make a fabulous combination! Feel free to use either cannellini (white kidney beans) or great northern beans here.

They're my favorite beans for soup, and I use them in authentic pasta e fagioli and vegetarian minestrone.

Potatoes: Instead of pasta, we're adding potatoes to this Italian escarole soup for a filling dish that's gluten-free. I love using red potatoes here, because they won't fall apart like Russets can. You also could use white potatoes.

Stock: I always use vegetable stock (affiliate link) in this recipe and build flavor by sautéeing an onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil before adding the cubed potatoes. You could substitute chicken stock, if you don't need a vegetarian soup.

I prefer using stock instead of broth in all of my soups, because it provides full-bodied flavor.

Romano Rind: If you've never plopped a rind of salty cheese in your soup while it's cooking, wait until you try it! The Romano brings bold flavor and provides a melty treasure when you get spoonfuls of it.

You can use a Parmesan rind, which is milder, if you prefer.

Note that some vegetarians won't eat Romano or Parmesan cheese, so be sure to ask them first if you plan to serve this.

How to cut and clean escarole for soup

A head of escarole can have lots of dirt tucked inside, but don't worry. Here's what Mom taught me to do.

1. Cut off the root end of the escarole and place the bunch horizontally on your cutting board. Slice the escarole into three sections, or four if the leaves are long. Cut those sections in half.
2. Plunge the escarole leaves into a clean sink filled halfway with cold water and swirl them around. The dirt will sink to the bottom.
3. Place the escarole in a colander to drain and give it a rinse.

How to make escarole soup with beans

See the card at the end of this post for the full recipe, but here's an overview.

Pull out your tall, 8-quart soup pot (affiliate link), unless you're making half a batch.

1. Sauté the onions in olive oil until tender and add the garlic.
2. Add the peeled potato chunks, stock, cheese rind, seasonings and the bay leaf. Cover to let the pot come to a boil.
3. When the soup is boiling, add the cleaned escarole, bring it to a boil again, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook it for another 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the beans and cook the soup for another five minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Recipe tips

• Try to cut the raw escarole into pieces no more than three inches long, so they'll be easier to scoop up and eat.
• Be careful if using vegetarian broth instead of stock, because the broth can be quite salty. If that's all you have, don't add salt until the soup is done and you've tasted it to see if it needs any.
• Drain and rinse the beans before adding them to get rid of excess sodium. You don't want the soup to be overly salty.

What to serve with it

Escarole Soup with Beans is a meal in itself, but it's nice to enjoy it with some delicious rosemary-garlic focaccia.

You also could serve the soup as a first course before Parmesan breaded pork chops, Italian pork loin roast or roasted sausage, peppers and onions.

Frequently asked questions

More soup recipes to enjoy

• Chicken Pastina Soup
• Italian Beef Soup
• Pasta with Zucchini
• Nonna's Chicken Meatball Soup
• Smoky Lentil Soup

Enjoy!

If you try this Escarole Soup with Beans, please leave a comment and a rating!

Escarole Soup with Beans

You'll love this Escarole Soup with Beans and potatoes! It features tremendous flavor from onions, garlic and Romano cheese!

5 from 4 votes

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 231kcal

Author: Mamma C

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 large bunch escarole (can use spinach, kale, endive, etc.)
• ▢ 2 pounds red-skinned potatoes
• ▢ 1 medium onion (yellow or white)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic
• ▢ 2 quarts vegetable stock (Or chicken stock. See notes.)
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ rind of a Romano cheese triangle (plus grated Romano for serving)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ ⅓ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ⅓ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 2 15-oz cans cannellini or great northern beans (drained & rinsed)

US Customary - Metric

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Instructions

• Start by preparing the escarole. Make sure your sink is clean and fill it halfway with cold water.
• Before washing the escarole, place it horizontally on your cutting board. Cut off and discard the root end. Slice the remaining escarole bunch into three equal parts. To make smaller pieces, you can cut those in half horizontally.
• Plunge the escarole into the water in the sink and swirl it around. The dirt will sink to the bottom. Transfer the escarole to a colander and give it a rinse. Let it drain while you continue with the recipe.
• Rinse and peel the potatoes. Set them aside.
• Peel and chop the onion. In a soup pot, heat the olive oil on medium-high. Add the onions and stir them a bit. While the onions are cooking, press the garlic (discarding the skin). Cut up the potatoes into cubes or chunks.
• When the onions are tender, add the garlic to the pot and stir it in. Lower the heat a bit and let the garlic cook for about 30 seconds before adding the potatoes and vegetable stock.
• Add in the bay leaf, Romano rind, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper. Cover the pot, increase the heat to high, and let it come to a boil.
• When the pot is boiling, stir in the cut escarole. Let the soup come to a boil again before lowering the heat to a simmer. Partially cover the pot by laying a wooden spoon on the edge of the pot and letting the lid rest on it. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the beans.
• After 10 minutes, add the drained beans to the soup. Let the soup cook for another five minutes, then check to see if the potatoes are ready. The soup is done when the potatoes are fork-tender.
• Serve the soup with grated Romano (or Parmesan for a milder option). Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Do not freeze this, because the potatoes won't hold up well.

Notes

• • Escarole comes in bunches and looks like bright green lettuce. The inner leaves are paler. You can find it at the grocery store near the heads of Romaine and endive.
  • Choose escarole that's not wilted or turning brown.
  • Try to cut the raw escarole into pieces no more than three inches long, so they'll be easier to scoop up and eat.

• • Be careful if using vegetarian broth instead of stock, because the broth can be quite salty. If that's all you have, don't add salt until the soup is done and you've tasted it to see if it needs any.

Nutrition

Calories: 231kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 5g | Sodium: 1307mg | Potassium: 717mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1770IU | Vitamin C: 14.8mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 3.7mg

Tried this Recipe? Mention @cookingwithmammac or tag #CookingWithMammaC!

(Recipe Source: Cooking with Mamma C. Originally published on January 12, 2017 as Tuscan White Bean Soup with Escarole and Potatoes. Updated now with new photos and additional information.)