This escarole and beans recipe is the perfect side dish. Leafy escarole is boiled, and then sautéed with beans and garlic. The result is a hearty dish that pairs well with red meat, or eggs, or is a filling dish all on its own.
My mom makes escarole and beans quite often, and my nonna in Italy makes it too (pretty sure that's where my mom got the recipe)! So that's how I got the idea to make this recipe for the blog. I saw the escarole at my favorite produce store and the idea to make escarole and beans came to me right away. Escarole and beans is exactly what it sounds like - a dish that combines escarole and beans (and olive oil and garlic). That's it. 4 ingredients. But the ingredients work so well together. It's a simple dish, one that gets almost creamy from the cooked beans. It makes for a hearty side dish at dinner, or is amazing topped with poached eggs to make a great one-bowl dish.
Here's a little more information on escarole:
What is Escarole?
Escarole is a dark, leafy green that is part of the chicory family, which means it's related to greens like radicchio and endive, but its appearance resembles a head of romaine lettuce. Escarole is not common in North American cooking, but instead more common in Italian cooking.
What Does Escarole Look Like?
Escarole looks a lot like lettuce, romaine lettuce or green-leaf lettuce specifically. It has broad outer leaves that are large and dark in color, and become smaller and lighter in color towards the center. Its leaves are smooth, and not curly.
What Does Escarole Taste Like?
Since escarole is part of the chicory family (which includes endive and radicchio), it does have a slight bitter taste to it, but it's not as bitter as its other endive family members like radicchio or belgian endive. Boiling the endive will remove it of any bitter taste, and in fact, in this escarole and beans recipe, the endive is boiled, so it's not bitter at all.
When Is Escarole in Season?
Escarole can be grown year-round, but it's typically associated with and sold in the colder, winter months.
Are Romaine and Escarole the same thing?
They may look very similar, but no, escarole and romaine lettuce are not the same thing. Romaine lettuce is harder and crunchier than escarole, and is more adapt to be eaten raw. Escarole can be eaten raw (especially the sweeter center of the head of escarole), but it's more commonly cooked down, like in this escarole and beans dish.
How to Make Escarole and Beans - Step by Step
Fill a large pot with water (to fit the escarole), and with the lid on, bring it to a boil (photo 1)
Add the escarole to the boiling water along with a pinch of salt (photo 2), and with the lid off, boil escarole until tender. About 6-8 minutes.
Just before the water for the escarole starts to boil, on medium heat, heat the olive oil in a large pan. Once olive oil is hot, add garlic and sauté until fragrant (photo 3)
Add beans and liquid from the can of beans and cook beans until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Season the beans with salt and pepper to taste (photo 4)
Once escarole is cooked, drain it well in a colander (photo 5)
Add the escarole to the pan with the beans and garlic, and cook all ingredients together for about 5 minutes. Add more salt and pepper if needed (photo 6)
Plate, and finish with additional olive oil and chili flakes if desired.
Extra Tips to Make this Escarole and Beans Recipe:
- Cannellini beans or red kidney beans both work really well in this dish. It's a matter of personal preference; I like both and it just depends on what I have in my pantry!
- Don't skip out on the liquid from the canned beans. It adds so much flavor to the dish.
- The amount of escarole listed in the recipe (2 heads of escarole, or 16 cups!) may sound like a lot but once it's boiled, it will reduce greatly in size and volume.
More Recipes You Might Like:
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Recipe
4-Ingredient Escarole and Beans
Ingredients
- 16 cups chopped and washed escarole (cut into bite-size pieces) about 2 heads escarole
- 3 tablespoon olive oil, plus more to garnish
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ¼ cup canned beans, rinsed I suggest to use cannellini beans or red kidney beans
- 4 tablespoon reserved liquid from the canned beans
- salt and pepper to taste
- (optional) chili flakes for garnish
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water (to fit the escarole), and with the lid on, bring it to a boil.
- Add the escarole to the boiling water along with a pinch of salt, and with the lid off, boil escarole until tender. About 6-8 minutes.
- Just before the water for the escarole starts to boil, on medium heat, heat the olive oil in a large pan. Once olive oil is hot, add garlic and sauté until fragrant.
- Add beans and liquid from the can of beans and cook beans until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Season the beans with salt and pepper to taste.
- Once escarole is cooked, drain it well in a colander.
- Add the escarole to the pan with the beans and garlic, and cook all ingredients together for about 5 minutes. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Plate, and finish with additional olive oil and chili flakes if desired.
Recipe Notes
- Cannellini beans or red kidney beans both work really well in this dish. It's a matter of personal preference; I like both and it just depends on what I have in my pantry!
- Don't skip out on the liquid from the canned beans. It adds so much flavor to the dish.
- The amount of escarole listed in the recipe (2 heads of escarole, or 16 cups!) may sound like a lot but once it's boiled, it will reduce greatly in size and volume.
AnnMarie Burgess says
I grew up in a Northern Italian household, my mom and dad always made escarole and beans....we sautéed the escarole with extra virgin olive oil and garlic, then we added the beans with the liquid from the can and maybe one or 2 cups of chicken broth. Absolutely delicious .
Pina says
Thank you AnnMarie!! I absolutely love this recipe. I got this recipe from my nonna in Italy (she lives in Lazio)
Shari Olas says
Great recipe, do you ever add sausage to make a full meal?
Pina says
Awesome, thanks Shari! No, I've never actually added sausage, but it's a great idea!
I do however add sausage to my rapini sometimes to make it a full meal. There's actually a recipe for it on my site: https://pinabresciani.com/italian-sausage-rapini/
Erica says
Pepperoni and pancetta are great!
Daisy Sunshine says
Why isn’t it a full meal now? Why not add some nice bread to make it a “full meal”. Why do some people need meat at every single meal?
Maryann Borrelli Dickinson says
This recipe is a PERFECT "10"!
Love your blog!
Keep the recipes coming!
Pina says
Thanks so much Maryann! This means a lot. Thanks again.
Pina says
Thanks so much Maryann! This means a lot. Thanks again.
Rosalie says
This recipe brings back memories of my mom making this for us! She made it without the beans, but since we're scaling back on meat, the beans add protein to make it a proper meal with macaroni. Thank you!
Pina says
Yay so glad you liked it Rosalie! I just made it the other night too - a staple in our household for sure 🙂
Grace says
Making this tonight for the first time. Planning to make it as a side - any suggestions for main course pairings?
Thanks.
Pina says
Awesome! Let me know how it turns out! I like serving it with steak or any type of veal - like a saltimbocca or piccata. Or oven roasted chicken would go well with it too!
Ann says
I don’t know. You said to cook the beans 5 -7 minutes and then again for another 5 with the escarole. However... beans get mushy and your photo does not show that creamy texture you mention in your recipe. Beans look intact. Please comment.
Pina says
Hi Ann! The beans will break down a bit during the cooking, but not completely. They will remain mostly intact like you see in the photo, Hope that helps!
Michael Lagana says
My mom made it more like a soup,have you ever known of it this way
Pina says
Hi Michael! Yes! I have seen lots of people that make it like this. So they would add chicken stock. I grew up eating it as a side dish instead of a soup! It's cool to see the different variations.
Virginia says
Outstanding! Love it, as a reminder of my two nonnas, one Napolitana, the other Siciliana. Make it often!
Pina says
Thank you so much Virgina! It's a classic!
Jackie C. says
I make this recipe with one major difference. I get the stock, beans and herbs simmering while I cut up the escarole into bite sized pieces and then add to to the broth and allow the greens to cook down til soft and tender. I have used spinach and romaine as alternate greens when escarole is not available. All work great. My pan is a 12" sautè pan and one head is plenty for one person. If I double it, I also double the beans. It was eaten as a soup in my family.
David says
Great recipe. Very similar to mom's. We would reserve the blanching liquid from the escarole and add a bean can of this liquid. It increases the escarole flavor and makes it more soup like. We also use (2) 1/8" slices of pancetta diced into 1/4" squares and sauté a few minutes then add the garlic. It gives a really rich mouth feel.