Escarole, Bean and Sausage Soup with Parmesan Cheese

I was so excited this month when I saw my Wegman's magazine arrive in the mail advertising pre-packaged, pre-cut escarole.  At the same time, I had my new issue of Cooking Light with a recipe that called for what else but....ESCAROLE!  So I figured we'd give it a shot. 

It was delicious. I don't know if it was the type of sausage we used (I think that had a lot to do with it) but it was so tasty.  It was italian sausage but I think Wegman's had pork rather than turkey and I think ours was 'spicy' rather than 'sweet'. So technically this recipe is supposed to be turkey but considering my love affair with pigs this tasted pretty delicious.  It was also ridiculously easy. Cook sausage and flavorings (garlic, fennel, onion) then throw in some broth and beans, cook more, then throw in the escarole until it wilts. So simple.  Escarole raw is a bit bitter, so you want to make sure it cooks down appropriately.  The parmesan is a must, it gave it this tangy bite on the end, and pre-chopped onion makes this super fast.  It's already in the book and we will be making this again. I think this will be great even in the summer since you're not slaving over a hot stove.

Only 2 people have rated this recipe so far. I haven't put mine in so I better get on that. But the two people gave this a 4 out of 5.  If you like beans, sausage and soup, this is for you. I'm sure if you used sweet links rather than spicy it will also be delicious.  I almost wish we were making this soup again this week, it was that tasty.


Recipe by David Bonom, Cooking Light, March 2011

Total: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups soup and 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese)

Ingredients

• 2  teaspoons  extra-virgin olive oil
• 1  cup  prechopped onion
• 1/2  cup  thinly sliced fennel bulb
• 1  tablespoon  minced garlic
• 3  (3.2-ounce) links sweet turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
• 2  cups  fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1  cup  water
• 1  (15-ounce) can no-salt-added cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
• 4  cups  chopped escarole
• 2  tablespoons  grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, fennel bulb, garlic, and sausage; cook 7 minutes or until sausage is browned, stirring frequently to crumble. Add broth, 1 cup water, and beans. Cover; bring to a boil, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in escarole; cook 4 minutes or until escarole wilts. Divide soup evenly among 4 bowls; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 230

Fat: 4.6g (sat 2.6g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.3g)

Protein: 17.9g

Carbohydrate: 15.5g

Fiber: 4.7g

Cholesterol: 49mg

Iron: 1.3mg

Sodium: 624mg

Calcium: 87mg