Escarole and White Bean Soup with Italian Sausage

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An easy and very flavorful restaurant style escarole and white bean soup with Italian sausage recipe using minimal and affordable ingredients.

This recipe is meant for the home cook who wants a high-end restaurant quality one-pot Italian soup without all the hassle. Ingredients include: mild Italian sausage, yellow onion (optional), garlic cloves, chicken broth, red pepper flakes, and cannellini beans. This soup is comforting, very flavorful, and makes for a hearty and satisfying meal.

This recipe was created after my husband and I were dining at a well known Italian Restaurant in Chicago, Illinois that serves traditional Italian food known as Club Lucky. On June 13, 2025, I ordered their soup, “Escarole in Broth with Sausage and Beans” (photo below), and it was absolutely phenomenal! Since I was only visiting Chicago at the time I knew once I returned to my hometown in Kansas City that I had to recreate and add this Italian soup recipe to my collection. Since my escarole soup turned out just as phenomenal as Club Lucky’s I have to share my recipe with you!

What is Escarole?

Escarole is a leafy green vegetable similar to endive and is found in the lettuce section at your grocer. It is a staple in Italian cooking. Some say it has a slight bitter taste but I have never really experienced that. Escarole can be eaten raw in salads or cooked and is often used in Italian soups and side dishes like my Italian Style Greens.

Alternatives to Escarole

If your grocer does not carry escarole there are always other alternatives that you can use in its place like the following recommendations:

• Fresh Spinach: A milder option though it is more delicate and wilts more quickly.
• Curly Endive: This is closest in taste and texture to escarole and can be a great alternative.
• Bok Choy: Offers tender leaves and wilts quickly in the broth. The flavor works as well.
• Romaine Lettuce: This has a similar appearance and mildness to raw escarole.
• Collard Greens: This would work well too. It will result in a heartier texture and wilts well in the broth.

Escarole and White Bean Soup with Italian Sausage Recipe

This recipe will serve up to four and possibly six people depending on serving bowl sizes.

Ingredients

• 5 links mild Italian sausage (I used Scimeca’s Mild Italian Sausage links)
• 2 15.5-ounce cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed – white kidney beans
• 1 large head Escarole rinsed and sliced (I basically used the escarole green parts)
• 3 fresh cloves garlic minced (find my recommended garlic press here)
• 1/2 medium yellow onion diced (optional because I don’t always use the onion but I have in the past)
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 32-ounce chicken broth
• 1 cup water for preparing sausage

Instructions

Prepare Sausage

In a 6-qt Dutch oven add about 1 cup of water. Add Italian sausage links to the water and bring to a boil. Turn heat to medium and cook links, turning occasionally, until slightly browned and thoroughly cooked on all sides. Allow the water to evaporate some but do not allow the the pot to go dry. Slowly add additional water if needed. This method allows the juices to escape from the Italian sausage and therefore adds natural flavor to the soup. If using the yellow onion remove the links and add the diced onion to the pot and sauté in the seasoned water until they become translucent. You can keep the links whole or slice them at this time and set aside.

Combine Ingredients

Add the chicken broth, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, prepared escarole, and cannellini beans to the Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Cook until escarole wilts. Place sausage in the broth and continue cooking for 30-minutes.

Serve warm and enjoy!

I AM EXCITED YOU ARE VIEWING JETT’S RECIPE FOR ESCAROLE AND WHITE BEAN SOUP WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND WOULD LOVE TO HEAR HOW YOURS TURNS OUT SHOULD YOU DECIDE TO MAKE IT!

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