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Scarola e fagioli
Escarole and bean soup
Scarola e fagioli: Naples's escarole and cannellini bean soup with garlic and chilli
Scarola e fagioli is one of the oldest dishes of Neapolitan home cooking: tender escarole, a slightly bitter winter salad green, simmered with creamy cannellini beans, garlic, chilli and olive oil into a thick soup, sometimes with broken pasta stirred in. In Naples it is a cold-weather supper, eaten with toasted bread rubbed with garlic. Chef's tip: mash a ladle of the beans into the broth; it thickens the soup and makes it creamy without any cream.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 head escaroleabout 600 g, washed and roughly chopped
- 2 tins cannellini beans400 g each, with their liquid
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oilplus extra to serve
- 3 cloves garlicsliced
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 6 cherry tomatoes (optional)halved
- 2 cups water or vegetable stock
- 1 tsp salt
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a large pan and cook 3 cloves garlic and ½ tsp chilli flakes for 1–2 minutes, until the garlic is pale gold. Add 6 cherry tomatoes, if using, for 2 minutes.
4 minStep 2: Add 1 head escarole, a handful at a time, and stir until it wilts.
5 minStep 3: Add 2 tins cannellini beans with their liquid and 2 cups water or vegetable stock and 1 tsp salt. Simmer for 20 minutes, until the escarole is very tender.
20 minStep 4: Mash a ladle of beans against the side of the pan and stir them in to thicken the soup. Common mistake: boiling it hard; the beans break into a mush. Keep it at a gentle simmer.
Step 5: Serve hot with a drizzle of oil and toasted bread.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 12 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does scarola e fagioli take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of water or vegetable stock?
- Chicken stock, same amount (not vegetarian).
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