Everything is in this meal of beans and greens! It can be served as a main meal, side dish, soup, vegetable stew, or — my personal favorite — an appetizer. It is also incredibly simple and affordable to prepare. This is now my favorite homemade variation, made with tasty, lovely escarole.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 45 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 pinches red pepper flakes, divided
- 2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini (white) beans, drained
- 1 anchovy fillet
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 head escarole, chopped
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; cook and stir until bubbling and sizzling, about 20 seconds. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook until liquid is reduced by half, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Stir in cannellini beans and bring to a boil. Cook until you can see the tops of the beans just below the surface of the liquid, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in anchovy fillet, oregano, and lemon zest; simmer for 3 minutes.
- Add escarole and reduce the heat to low. Cook and stir until escarole wilts, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and add another pinch of red pepper flakes.
- I like to serve these with my
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Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 203 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 25 g |
| Cholesterol | 4 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 9 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Sodium | 1007 mg |
| Sugars | 1 g |
| Fat | 8 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
If you add the anchovy in step 1, it will melt into the dish and you will not have the risk of anyone getting an “anchovy bomb” in the soup.
This was ok, a bit bland/watery tasting though, probably won’t make it again.
I have always loved this soup. This recipe is amazing. I relocated from NY and for some reason escarole is hard to find, so I use spinach and or kale. The anchovies give it that touch of umami while the lemon gives it a brightness, just gorgeous. We think it’s better than the versions we have had in NY restaurants
In Utica, NY and the area you will find Greens & Beans (Greens comes first) and it’s cousin, Utica Greens, in most restaurants. I make this 1-2 times a month. I was intrigued at the anchovy addition, so used some anchovy paste I had on hand and otherwise to the letter. I liked it a lot! Very simple to make, I recomend everyone try it, it is healthy & delicious. I’m going to stick with my secret recipe but I think I will see how the anchovy works with mine. Couple notes, escarole isn’t commonly found in many places, swiss chard is the closest thing I’ve used. I’m intrigued at the use of other greens. Spinach can be used but you have to be really careful not to wilt it into sogginess. The greens need some resistance to the bite.
Made it as directed here. Delicious! I accidentally bought escarole instead of romaine a few days ago, so tried this recipe. It was 90 degrees and super humid out but no one complained about soup on a soupy day!
This was a fantastic, super easy Beans and Greens recipe. I left it a titch more soupy as that is what I was wanting. Flavours are fantastic. Other than soupiness, I followed recipe to the T. Thanks Chef John!
This soup is delicious and very easy to make. I followed the recipe exactly. My husband said it was better than his Grandmother’ s recipe! I will definitely make it again.
I’ve never heard of this dish, so I’ve nothing to compare it to. We’ve recently been eating vegetarian and this recipe spoke to me. I followed the recipe as is, with a few minor tweaks: I used veggie stock, added some baby spinach, and had to use rolled anchovies as that’s all the store had. They’re actually my only issue with the dish. I love anchovies and the umami they add to a dish, but I did not care for them in this dish. When I make this again, I’ll nix the anchovies, increase the salt a touch, and include some of the bean liquid to help make up for the lost umami. I think I’ll also add some diced leeks or shallots and increase the greens. All in all, a winner; thanks, Chef John!
Loved this recipe. The results were creamy sauce from the beans and the reduced chicken stock. Very good flavor. Better the second day. I would make it again, but increase the escarole.
Homey, satisfying, and filling, I cook up a batch to have on hand for quick, guilt-free lunches. So simple, but so delicious. The escarole adds a little bit of chew, and be sure not to leave out the anchovy and lemon zest–they give just the right amount of complexity to the flavors (I use anchovy paste just because it’s easy to keep on hand.)
This is so very healthy! With the Parma Crisps, it’s a good light weekday meal, and very quick to prepare. It’s not my favorite Chef John recipe, but a solid choice if you’re in a pinch and don’t want to resort to whatever your normal go-to meal is.
Made it exactly. Just like my husband’s family (he’s second gen Sicilian) They add chopped peperoni instead of pepper flakes. They also cook up lots of escarole when it is pretty and available at the market in a big batch, divide into smaller bags and freeze. Makes whipping up a pot a breeze at any time.
I had some hot sausage already cooked in the fridge, so I added that at the start before garlic. Added raw fennel and raw cherry tomatoes on top because I had a lot extra. Also served with Cheesy Garlic bread or Warm bread stuffed with olive tapenade.
I’ve made this countless times, with whatever greens we have on hand. Escarole or baby bok choy give the most authentic results but it’s delicious with everything I’ve used. My daughters are vegan so we leave out the anchovy (add some salt) and use Better than Bouillon. Sometimes, I’ll add extra broth to make it soupier, if I’m in the mood…but basically this recipe is perfect.
easy & delicious!
One of my favorite comfort foods. I omitted the anchovy and it still had a wonderful flavor.
Added 1onion and a thinly sliced pepperoni stick. Left out lemon zest and anchovy.
Excellent, tons of depth and flavor, added a squeeze of lemon juice too.
I used instant pot- added 1 onion chopped and sauteed with garlic in oil in instant pot. Added the rest of ingredients and set for 5 minutes of pressure cooking. Immediately vented – family loves, loves loves this- me too!
Delicious. I had a nice bowl for lunch and big bowl for dinner. Just like my grandma would make. Thanks Chef John!
Better than the restaurant version!