Friday, January 27, 2012

Italian Escarole, Bean and Meatball Soup

Yum
I watch a lot of cooking shows because I love to keep learning as much as I can about cooking and ingredients. One ingredient (of many) that I have seen and never tried was escarole.  Escarole is a leafy green that is related to the Endive family and works great in soups.  So when I saw a beautiful bunch of escarole at my gocery store I knew I had to take my chance to try it out and use it in a soup.  This is an Italian style soup that I rounded out with some cannelleni beans and ground chicken meatballs.  I made this for lunch on a cold winter's day and it made a perfectly satisfying meal for the veggie and meat lovers. Throw in some crusty bread and you have a meal that would make anyone happy.

Ingredients:
For the meatballs:
1lb ground chicken
2 slices of bread soaked in 1/4 cup of milk and crumbled
1tsp dried basil
1tsp dried oregano
1tsp dried parsley
1egg
red chili flakes (to taste)
seasoning salt to taste
2 cloves of grated garlic
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese

Directions for meatballs:
Mix all ingredients together and make your favorite size meatballs. Heat 2Tbs of canola oil in your soup pot on medium high heat and brown the outside of the meatballs until golden brown. Then remove the meatballs from the pan to start making the soup.



Ingredients to make the soup:
1 leek(optional)
1 medium onion
1tsp dried basil
1tsp dried oregano
1tsp dried parsley
red chili flakes to taste
seasoning salt to taste
3 cloves of grated garlic
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
4 cups of water
4 cups of chicken stock
1lb of chopped escarole
1 (15oz) can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans

Directions:
In the oil leftover from browning the meatballs, add your chopped onions and leeks.   Saute for a few minutes. Then add your chili flakes and garlic and saute for another minute.

Next add dried basil, oregano and seasoning salt and saute for 30 seconds.  Then add the chicken stock and water.  Bring soup to a boil.

Add your chopped escarole and the cannellini beans and browned meatballs. Boil for 5 minutes and allow the meatballs to finish cooking.  When they are floating in the pot, they are cooked.
In the last few minutes of cooking and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.  Stir well and taste for seasoning. If you soup is saltier than you like, because of the Parmesan, add a little more water.   Serve hot and Enjoy. You can also serve it with bread, over rice or pasta.



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23 comments:

  1. It looks like a delicious dish. The use of cannellini is great too, as I find they go particularly well with other strong flavours while adding healthy "body" in the form of carbs to a soup-style meal.

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  2. This is so filling and I would have to make a double batch so there would be leftovers.

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  3. I buzzed this. I would totally make this. Looks fantastic!

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  4. The last pictures should say: here, the best soup of your life! I have never tried escarole before, but I would totally make this soup. Thank you for sharing, Ramona!

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  5. I love food tv for the same reason! I'm always amazed there are still so many things I've never heard of. But escarole is already a love of mine! Have a great weekend.

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  6. I love escarole soup and make it the same way only no meatballs. Looks delicious.

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  7. I can't wait to make this! I like that you used ground chicken for the meatballs and I am a big fan of escarole, very healthy!

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  8. Oh, I want. Look how perfectly browned those meatballs are! This is a great-looking soup.

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  9. You have mastered making me drool over your meatballs every single time. Looks scrumptious! I hope you enjoy your weekend!
    ~Christi

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  10. Wow this looks gorgeous! I love all the different colors and textures. I bet it tastes amazing :) The beans and meatballs sounds fabulous in this soup. And with some crusty bread on the side, it's the perfect meal! Great job Ramona :)

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  11. YUMMY YUMMY

    Aarthi
    http://yummytummy-aarthi.blogspot.com/

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  12. Oh, Ramona! Another winner! I think this one is one of my favorite recipes you've ever posted! Absolutely stunning and your photos are perfect!

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  13. This looks wonderful! I can taste it just by looking at it. This is definitely my kind of food!

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  14. We lived in Connecticut where there are mom and pop Italian restaurants every where. They all sell a version of this which I have never heard of till coming here. Yours looks delicious. Warm, hearty, soup-soothing. Sounds pretty good to me.

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  15. Looks gorgeous! :) I love white beans with escarole, and since CLeveland is still getting showered with snow, soup is always welcome. Well done!

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  16. I really love this one, Ramona!! I've had something similar before and it's just delicious! I'm ready to dive right into this one!

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  17. There you go with your fabulous meatballs again...this looks so delicious, Ramona!

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  18. Oh wow. This looks so good! In fact, everything you do always looks delish :)
    Have a wonderful week!

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  19. Mouthwatering here, wat a terrific and super tempting soup...

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  20. This looks just as you discribed...warm, satisfying and perfect with crusty bread! I never used to pay much attention to greens back in the States, but now that fresh greens are harder to come by, I would love to cook with them more. Isn't that how it always goes, you want what you can't have?!

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