Italian Braised Escarole and White Beans with Sausage

Italian sausage

🥗Healthier: chicken sausage

💰Cheaper: pork sausage

Chicken sausage is lower in fat, while pork sausage is often less expensive.

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grated pecorino

Nutritional yeast is dairy-free, and pecorino is often cheaper than parmesan.

Introduce the dish as a traditional Italian-American recipe of braised escarole and beans.

Discuss the history and variations of the dish, mentioning substitutes for escarole like rapini and dandelion greens.

Soak white beans in water overnight for better flavor and control.

Prepare a clove-studded onion by inserting 10 dried cloves into a peeled onion.

Drain the soaked beans and add them to a pot with the clove-studded onion, a couple of peeled carrots, bay leaves, and a pinch of salt.

Cover with fresh water and cook the beans until tender, then remove the aromatics and drain the beans.

Cut the escarole into manageable pieces, about 1-inch dice, after washing and draining it.

Cook Italian sausage in the pan, optionally using lump sausage, and bake it beforehand if preferred.

Start the pan with garlic in the sausage drippings, then add the escarole and cook until wilted.

Add the cooked beans and homemade chicken stock to the pan with the escarole and sausage, stirring to combine.

Show the consistency of the dish, noting it’s not quite a stew or soup but can be made into a soup with extra chicken stock and vegetables.

Garnish with parmesan cheese before serving.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens