Escarole and Beans with Sausage
This easy Escarole and Beans with Sausage recipe takes the classic Italian combination of tender escarole, creamy cannellini beans, garlic, olive oil and Parmesan and turns it into a cozy one pan meal. I add spicy andouille sausage, which gives the whole thing a little kick and makes it hearty enough for dinner.
This one goes way back for me. Escarole and beans was always on the table growing up. Did I reach for it as a kid? Nope. Never.
But that’s what Italian American families do. Put enough food on the table to feed a horse. So alongside the 50 other dishes, there was usually a bowl of escarole and beans.
My Nanny called it “scarole” (something like shka-ROLE). I don’t say it that way. I sound like I’m trying way too hard. But remembering how she said it is one of those little food memories that sticks with you.
It wasn’t until much later that I really appreciated this dish. I started frequenting farmers markets and one day the escarole was just so gorgeous. Big, fresh, leafy heads of it. Seeing it immediately brought me back to that bowl that was always on our table.
So I went home and pulled out my dad’s old recipe book. There it was. My Nanny’s recipe.
From Nanny’s Recipe to My Dinner Table
Her recipe was simple: escarole, cannellini beans, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan and sun dried tomatoes. It just goes to show, make it your own. Nanny did. Traditionally, this recipe doesn’t call for sun-dried tomatoes.
When I started making it myself, I left out the sweetness from the tomatoes and tried spicy andouille sausage instead. Probably because my husband would happily have sausage in anything and everything. So why not Nanny’s escarole and beans?
Is andouille Italian? Absolutely not. I’m not sure how Nanny feels about that from up there, but Jeff loves it.
The sausage brings a little spice to the creamy beans and tender escarole and turns what was always a side dish in our house into a full meal. Then douse the whole thing with freshly grated Parmesan and give me some crusty bread.
Every now and then, I’ll go back and make Nanny’s original with the sun dried tomatoes. That’s the beauty of a recipe like this. Start with simple ingredients and make it your own.
Ingredients for Escarole and Beans with Sausage
- Olive oil: Use a good quality olive oil here. With so few ingredients, you’ll taste the difference.
- Andouille sausage: It brings spice and smokiness and turns this into a full meal. Any sausage you like will work.
- Garlic: Four cloves, minced. I like a lot of garlic in this one.
- Cannellini beans: My first choice because they’re tender, creamy and almost buttery. And don’t drain them. That starchy liquid helps create the creamy consistency. Great Northern beans or another white bean can also be used.
- Escarole: One whole head, thoroughly washed and roughly chopped.
- Parmesan: No going around this one. Grate it fresh. It makes such a big difference in this dish.
- Salt and black pepper: To taste. Season after everything comes together since the sausage and Parmesan are already salty.
How to Make Escarole and Beans with Sausage
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add 2 to 3 sliced andouille sausage links and cook until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
Add 4 minced garlic cloves to the same pan and cook for about one minute, just until fragrant.
Add 1 can cannellini beans with all of their liquid, followed by the washed and roughly chopped escarole. And don’t worry about the mountain of chopped escarole going into your pan. It cooks WAY down. Use the whole head.
Cover and let the escarole wilt. Stir and continue cooking until tender, about 8 minutes total.
Return the sausage to the pan. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then stir in freshly grated Parmesan.
Spoon into a serving bowl for a side dish, or into individual bowls as a main dish. And don’t forget plenty of freshly grated Parmesan over the top.
Make It Your Own
That’s really what happened with this recipe over the years. Nanny made her version. I made mine. You can make yours.
Make Nanny’s version: Skip the sausage and add sun dried tomatoes with the garlic for that little bit of sweetness I remember from her recipe.
Make it more like a soup: After adding the escarole, pour in some chicken broth until it’s as brothy as you like. Let everything simmer together until the escarole is tender. Grab the crusty bread. You’re going to want it.
Change the sausage: Hot or sweet Italian sausage, chicken sausage or whatever you have works.
Use another white bean: Great Northern beans are a good substitute.
Want more heat? Add crushed red pepper flakes with the garlic.
What to Serve with Escarole and Beans
With sausage, this is dinner for me. A big bowl, freshly grated Parmesan and good crusty bread is really all it needs.
Leave out the sausage and it goes right back to being the side dish I remember from childhood.
Serve it alongside my Caprese Chicken for an Italian dinner or pair it with Nanny’s famous chicken bake.
And if you’re feeding people the way my family always did, start with these Parmesan Polenta fries too.
“Ska Role” Through the Questions (FAQ’s)
Escarole is a leafy green in the chicory family. It has broad leaves and a slightly bitter flavor that becomes milder when cooked.
Escarole prefers cooler growing conditions, so fall and winter are particularly good times to look for it.
Oh Yeah. Thoroughly. Dirt and grit hide between the leaves, so I wash mine in cold water at least three times before spinning it dry with my trusty salad spinner.
Look for a fresh, firm head of escarole with crisp leaves and no slimy or badly wilted spots.
Absolutely. Leave out the sausage for a more traditional escarole and beans recipe. You can also add sun dried tomatoes like my Nanny did for a little sweetness.
Ok, Now I Want To Hear Yours
What was the dish that showed up on your childhood dinner table that you wouldn’t touch? The one you passed right over every single time. And do you love it now? Please tell me I’m not the only one who needed a few decades to come around to this vegetable.
If you make this escarole and beans, let me know what you think. And even better, tell me if you changed something. Team spicy sausage? Sun dried tomatoes? Red pepper flakes? Made it brothy? I want to hear it.
And if you’re not already part of the Cozy Crew, come join me and subscribe to my newsletter. I’ve got plenty more recipes coming your way, along with entertaining ideas, old family recipes, stories from my kitchen and the occasional ramble I probably could have kept to myself.
Escarole and Beans with Sausage
Equipment
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2-3 links andouille sausage sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 15 oz. can cannellini beans
- 1 whole escarole rinsed, roughly chopped
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese plus more to finish
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat.
- Add the sliced andouille sausage and cook until lightly browned. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside.
- Add the minced garlic to the same pan and cook for about 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don’t let it brown.
- Add the cannellini beans along with all of the liquid from the can.
- Add the chopped escarole. It will look like a lot, but don’t worry. It cooks way down.
- Cover the pan and let the escarole wilt. Stir and continue cooking until the escarole is tender, about 8 minutes total.
- Return the sausage to the pan and stir everything together.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Go easy on the salt at first since the sausage and Parmesan are already salty.
- Stir in freshly grated Parmesan.
- Spoon into bowls and finish with plenty more freshly grated Parmesan.
