As soon as the days start to cool down I crave legumes again, like a nice warm plate of pasta and beans or a soup like this beans and escarole one. Of course, legumes are also good in summer, cold in salads or as a soup served warm for a refreshing effect.
However, when I’m on a diet I prefer to avoid the simple combo of pasta and legumes, because to stay within Weight Watchers points I’d end up with a very small portion. My solution is to prepare a base of legumes and vegetables and then add a bit of bread, fresella (twice-baked bread) or pasta to complete the dish.
For cannellini beans I couldn’t choose anything but escarole! In fact, beans and escarole was a dish my mother often made — I don’t know if it’s a Neapolitan recipe, but it was frequently served at my home and much loved by everyone. I’ve made it in a vegan, simple and light version. Here’s how I make it…
Here are some similar legume-based recipes:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Rest time: 8 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
- Portions: 2 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Winter, Autumn, Winter and Spring
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried cannellini beans (or 21 oz (about 3 1/2 cups) already cooked)
- 1 1/4 cups tomatoes (ripe or a can of diced tomatoes)
- 1 bunch smooth escarole (alternatively use Swiss chard)
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil (2 measuring teaspoons)
- to taste basil
- to taste salt
- Points per serving = 9 WW points
Tools
- Pot
- Wooden spoon
- Colander
- Knife
Steps
If you use dried beans, soak them in cold water overnight: in the morning rinse them well and boil them in unsalted water over low heat for about 2 hours, until the beans are very soft. At the end, drain the beans but keep the cooking liquid.
In the meantime, cut the escarole into strips and rinse it 3-4 times in the sink full of water to remove any traces of soil. Drain it well and set aside.
Lightly fry the garlic sliced with 2 teaspoons of oil and then add the diced tomatoes or fresh tomatoes cut into small pieces. Add a little salt and fresh basil and cook for at least 5-10 minutes.
Add the beans and stir well. Add the reserved bean cooking liquid and bring to a boil.
Add the escarole a little at a time, waiting for it to wilt before adding more.
When all the escarole has wilted, turn off the heat, add a few more basil leaves and adjust the salt.
And here our beans and escarole soup is ready to be served at the table! A dish for the whole family, for those on a diet and those not.
You can serve it with good whole grain bread (toasted if you like), croutons, add fresella broken into pieces at the bottom of the bowl as I often do, or even with pasta. In the latter case, cook the pasta before adding the escarole, using more of the beans’ cooking water, otherwise the vegetable would overcook.
I recommend soaking the beans right away so you can make it tomorrow. Let me know if you liked it prepared this way.
Enjoy your meal!
by Giovanna Buono
Storage
You can prepare this soup in advance and reheat it when needed. In fact, if you make it ahead the flavors meld better and it will taste even better.
You can also freeze it for 4-5 months; then thaw and reheat.
FAQ (Questions & Answers)
How much pasta can I use?
The amount depends a lot on how many WW points you have available. I usually add 3 or 4 points per person of bread or pasta, so for the whole dish 2–3 ounces (about 60–80 g) of pasta will be fine.
What can I use instead of cannellini beans?
This soup is also very tasty with borlotti beans: try it!
What can I use instead of escarole?
I suggest using Swiss chard or Tuscan kale (cavolo nero): both are very good paired with cannellini beans.
