Italian Sausage, Escarole and White Bean Stew
This escarole with beans and sausage is an easy, hearty, and nourishing one-pot meal that's mostly hands-off, and can be on your table in under 45 minutes! Beans and greens is a Southern Italian classic that I've amped up with sweet Italian sausage, plenty of garlic, and good-quality stock for a versatile recipe you'll want to make again and again. Serve it thick like a stew, thinned out like a soup, spooned over toast, or tossed with pasta for a super satisfying meal that's perfect for chilly winter nights.
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Beans and greens are a traditional Italian peasant food that's a staple in many homes, including my own!
There are a million different ways of making it, and it can be easily adapted to use whatever you happen to have on hand or are in the mood for that night.
This dish is a variation on the classic, made a bit richer and heartier thanks to the addition of Italian sausage.
Bitter greens and creamy beans are a traditional pairing in Southern Italian cooking, and when you add well-seasoned sausage, plenty of garlic, and a splash of good stock, it becomes even better!
What is escarole?
Escarole is a leafy green from the chicory family. It's on the bitter end like radicchio and endive, but it's milder and looks more like a head of lettuce. It's not as tough or hearty as kale, but it's still great for cooking since it holds its shape and doesn't completely wilt like spinach.
In this recipe for escarole with beans, the bitter greens balance out the richness of the sausage, while creamy cannellini beans add body to the broth without needing cream or flour. However, if you want to make it extra rich and satisfying, a splash of cream won't hurt!
Italian sausage is key for adding a solid backbone of flavor. You can use sweet or hot Italian sausage, just make sure it's good quality for best results. I get mine from our local butcher shop, which is made in-house and really delicious.
I like to brown the sausage really well first before adding the garlic and spices to create depth. All of the browned bits, called fond, will get scraped up off the bottom of the pan and melt into the broth.
This is an easy, flavorful, and nourishing one-pot meal that's perfect for cold winter nights. It's mostly hands-off, ready in 45 minutes and is super easy to riff on.
You can keep it thick like a stew and spoon it over toasted bread, toss it with al dente pasta, or add more broth to make it into a soup.
Just be sure to top it with plenty of grated cheese and serve with a big hunk of crusty bread to mop up every last bit.
Want more Italian sausage recipes? Try this classic orecchiette with broccoli rabe and sausage, simple baked Italian sausage and peppers or my family recipe for authentic Italian Sunday sauce.
Why This Recipe Works
- Italian sausage adds tons of flavor, minimizing the need for extra ingredients.
- Cannellini beans add body and creaminess without any dairy or flour.
- Mostly hands-off and ready in about 45 minutes or less.
- Easy to adapt with different beans, greens, Italian cured meats, or sausages.
- Incredibly versatile! Serve over toast, toss with pasta or add more broth for a soup.
Ingredient Notes
Beans - Canned white cannellini beans are traditional, but use any variety of beans you have on hand, including chickpeas or even lentils.
Sausage - Use sweet or hot Italian sausage, just make sure it's good quality for best results. Look for it at Italian markets, butcher shops or local meat farmers.
Escarole - Seasonal during fall and winter months. Find it at your local grocery store or farmers market. If you can't find it, substitute with other greens like kale, mustard greens or Swiss chard.
Garlic - This recipe has a lot of garlic because I love it, but feel free to adjust the amount to suit your taste.
Spices - Fennel, oregano and red chili flakes give the dish depth and a little bit of heat. If your sausage is lacking, feel free to add more of these.
Chicken stock - Use homemade chicken stock if you have it, otherwise go for store bought low sodium chicken stock or broth.
Lemon - The acid from the lemon cuts through the richness to add balance. You can also use a shot of vinegar instead.
*Find the full ingredient list in the recipe card below!
Helpful Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven
- Wooden spoon
- Cheese grater or Microplane
How to Make Escarole with Sausage and Beans
- Heat a large heavy-bottomed pot, or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the olive oil, then add the sausage. Break it up with a wooden spoon and cook until browned, about 6-8 minutes.
- Add the garlic, fennel seed, oregano, and red chili flakes along with a small pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the garlic softens but does not take on any color, about 2 minutes.
Pro Tip: If your sausage is lacking in flavor, you can double or even triple the other spices to make up for it. Garlic, red chili flakes, fennel seed and oregano are all classic, but you can certainly riff on the spices and add more or less to taste. You can also add a splash of vinegar and a pinch of sugar if needed, since those are commonly added to Italian sausage.
- Pour in the chicken stock and bring up to a simmer, then add the beans and stir to coat.
Pro Tip: If you want your dish thicker, lightly mash some of the beans against the side of the pot.
- Add the escarole, then cover and let it cook down. If your pot can't fit it all at once, add a few handfuls at a time and let it wilt down before adding the rest. Give it a good stir to combine.
- Cover the pot and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pro Tip: Add a parmesan cheese rind to the broth as it simmers to add even more body and depth.
- Add the lemon juice, taste, and adjust seasoning with additional salt or chili flakes if needed.
- Spoon into bowls and serve hot with plenty of crusty bread and grated Pecorino Romano on the side.
Coley's Tips For Success
- Make sure your escarole is washed very well since grit likes to hide in the leaves.
- Add more stock or water if you want a brothier stew or soup.
- Don't skip the squeeze of lemon at the end. That hit of acid really helps to wake the whole thing up. You can also use a shot of vinegar in a pinch.
- Leftovers taste even better the next day! The stew will thicken naturally as it cooks from the starch in the beans. Thin it out with more stock or water as needed.
Variations
- If you want to make it extra rich and satisfying, add a splash of cream.
- Use other varieties of beans like navy beans, butter beans or even chickpeas.
- Use any type of greens instead of escarole like kale, mustard greens or Swiss chard. You can even use endive or radicchio if you like extra bitter leaves!
- Add a few lemon zest rinds to season the broth. Use a vegetable peeler to get big pieces of zest that you can later remove so they don't overpower.
- Try serving with other cheeses like Parmigiano Reggiano or a nice sharp cheddar.
- Experiment with other herbs and spices like sage, basil, rosemary, bay leaves, nutmeg or sweet paprika.
- For extra complexity and acidity, add a splash of white wine to deglaze the pot before incorporating the chicken broth.
What to Serve with Escarole, Sausage and Bean Stew
This dish is a complete and satisfying meal all on its own, just add a nice hunk of bread, crostini or homemade focaccia to mop up every last bit of sauce!
For an extra helping of greens, add a classic tableside Caesar salad or an easy arugula salad on the side.
How to Store and Reheat
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stove over medium-low heat with a splash of extra broth or water to loosen the mixture as needed.
You can also freeze leftovers for up to three months, but the delicate greens will lose some of their texture when reheated.
FAQs
Of course, just cook them so they're soft but still maintain their shape. Use a pressure cooker or Instant Pot to cut down on the time!
Spinach won't have as much flavor but can be used nonetheless. Just add it at the very end as it wilts much faster than escarole.
Italian sausage is most recommended, either sweet or hot, as long as it is good quality. Most of the commercial Italian sausages sold at grocery stores can be a bit bland. If your sausage is lacking in flavor, try adding some extra spices, a little bit of vinegar and sugar to liven it up.
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Escarole with Sausage and Cannellini Beans
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb Italian sausage sweet or hot, casings removed
- 5-6 cloves garlic very thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes to taste (omit if using hot sausage)
- 4 cups chicken stock low sodium, homemade if possible
- 2 15-oz cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 1 large head escarole roughly chopped
- salt to taste
- ½ lemon juiced (about 2-3 tablespoons or to taste)
- freshly grated Pecorino Romano for serving
- crusty Italian bread for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the olive oil, then add the sausage. Break it up with a wooden spoon and cook until browned, about 6-8 minutes.1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1 lb Italian sausage
- Add the garlic, fennel seed, oregano, and red chili flakes along with a small pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the garlic softens but does not take on any color, about 2 minutes.5-6 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon fennel seed, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
- Pour in the chicken stock and bring up to a simmer, then add the beans and stir to coat.4 cups chicken stock, 2 15-oz cans cannellini beans
- Add the escarole, then cover and let it cook down. If your pot can't fit it all at once, add a few handfuls at a time and let it wilt down before adding the rest. Give it a good stir to combine.1 large head escarole
- Cover the pot and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the lemon juice, taste, and adjust seasoning with additional salt or chili flakes if needed.salt, ½ lemon
- Spoon into bowls and serve hot with plenty of crusty bread and grated Pecorino Romano on the side.freshly grated Pecorino Romano, crusty Italian bread
Notes
- If your sausage is lacking in flavor, you can double or even triple the other spices to make up for it. Garlic, red chili flakes, fennel seed and oregano are all classic, but you can certainly riff on the spices and add more or less to taste. You can also add a splash of vinegar and a pinch of sugar if needed, since those are commonly added to Italian sausage.
- Add a parmesan cheese rind to the broth as it simmers to add even more body and depth.
- Make sure your escarole is washed very well since grit likes to hide in the leaves.
- Add more stock or water if you want a brothier stew or soup.
- If you want it thicker, lightly mash some of the beans against the side of the pot.
- Don't skip the squeeze of lemon at the end. That hit of acid really helps to wake the whole thing up. You can also use a shot of vinegar in a pinch.
- Leftovers taste even better the next day! The stew will thicken naturally as it cooks from the starch in the beans. Thin it out with more stock or water as needed.
