Brothy Escarole and White Bean Soup

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A 30-minute Italian pantry soup: good chicken stock simmered with a Parmesan rind, plenty of sliced garlic, creamy cannellini beans and a whole head of escarole wilted in at the end. Brothy rather than thick, deeply savory from the rind, and finished with olive oil, lemon and chili. Add a handful of ditalini if you want it more filling.

Ingredients

• 1 large head escarole (about 1 lb)
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 medium carrot, finely diced
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 6 cups good chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
• 1 piece Parmesan rind, about 3 inches
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary or 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 15-oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup ditalini or other tiny pasta (optional)

• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 4 thick slices crusty country bread, toasted (optional)

Instructions

1. Trim the root end from the escarole and separate the leaves. Swish them in a large bowl of cold water, lift them out, and repeat with fresh water until no grit settles at the bottom — escarole is almost always sandy. Shake dry and cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch ribbons, keeping the tender pale inner leaves separate from the darker outer ones. You should have about 10 loosely packed cups.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, until softened and just beginning to turn golden at the edges.
3. Add the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant and pale gold. Do not let it brown or the broth will turn bitter.
4. Pour in the chicken stock and add the Parmesan rind and the rosemary sprig. Bring to a bare simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered for 15 minutes so the rind can release its savory depth. Nudge it off the bottom of the pot once or twice with a spoon so it doesn't stick.
5. If using pasta, raise the heat to a steady simmer, add the ditalini, and cook for 7 to 8 minutes until just al dente. (For leftovers, cook the pasta separately in salted water and add it to bowls at serving so it doesn't drink up the broth.)
6. Stir in the cannellini beans, the 3/4 teaspoon salt and the black pepper. Add the darker outer escarole leaves in handfuls, letting each wilt before adding the next, and simmer 4 minutes.
7. Add the tender inner escarole leaves and simmer 2 to 3 minutes more, just until everything is silky but still green. Fish out and discard the rosemary sprig. Remove the Parmesan rind — or, if it has gone soft and gooey, chop it and stir it back in as a cook's bonus.
8. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and taste hard: this soup wants more salt than you expect, since escarole is faintly bitter. Adjust with salt and a few more drops of lemon until the broth tastes bright and savory.
9. Ladle into warm bowls over a slice of toasted bread if you like. Shower generously with grated Parmesan, then finish each bowl with a slow drizzle of good olive oil and a crack of black pepper. Serve immediately.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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