This hearty escarole soup is bursting with chickpeas, tender pasta, and garlicky flavor. Easy to make and perfect for dinner with a crusty piece of bread!
Up until recently, escarole was nothing more than a salad green to me. I mean, it's my favorite salad green, but I never bothered to cook with it.
But that all changed recenty. I'd picked up a few heads of escarole for salads, and then got to craving some soup. I knew escarole soup was a thing, so I decided to give it a go. Now I have a new favorite soup!
What Does Escarole Taste Like?
Escarole in a salad tastes quite different than escarole in soup! In it's raw form, escarole is crunchy and mild. I even find it to be a bit sweet.
But cook it in some broth, and escarole releases a delicious bitterness. It's SO GOOD! It adds enough flavor to your broth that you'll barely need to season your soup. Some garlic and lemon juice is plenty for me!
How to Make Escarole Soup
Heat up some olive oil in a large pot. Once the oil is hot, add some garlic. I use 4 cloves, but I encourage you to go crazy if you're a garlic fiend.
Cook the garlic for just about a minute, until it becomes very fragrant. Now add some vegetable broth. Crank the heat and bring the broth to a simmer, then stir in some ditalini pasta, canned chickpeas, and red pepper flakes.
Let everything simmer for about 5 minutes, then stir in a whole bunch of chopped escarole. Bring the soup back up to a boil, lower the heat, and let it simmer for about 5 minutes, until the pasta is tender and the escarole is completely wilted.
Take the pot off of the burner and stir in some lemon juice. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
Grab a bowl! I like to top my escarole soup with a sprinkle of vegan Parmesan cheese.
Escarole Soup Tips & FAQ
- Can this soup be made gluten-free? Yup! Just use your favorite small gluten-free pasta.
- Is there a way to reduce the sodium in this soup? Most of the sodium comes from the broth, so try using a low sodium vegetable broth.
- Leftovers & storage: Store leftover soup in a sealed container in the fridge, where it will keep for about 3 days. The pasta will continue to suck up water as it sits, so add more liquid when reheating if needed!
- Feel free to switch things up and make this soup your own! Substitute a different type of bean for chickpeas — cannellini or butter beans would work great! Try a different type of small pasta, like orzo, or shells — or skip the pasta.
- Looking for more vegan Italian-inspired soup recipes? Try my pasta e fagioli, minestrone, Italian wedding soup, or ribollita.
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📖 Recipe
Escarole Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (14 ounce or 400 gram) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup ditalini pasta
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1 pound chopped escarole (about 5 cups)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a large pot with the olive oil and place it over medium heat.
- Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the garlic.
- Cook the garlic, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute, until it becomes very fragrant. Be careful to avoid burning the garlic.
- Stir in the broth, chickpeas, pasta, and red pepper flakes. Raise the heat and bring the broth to a boil.
- Lower the heat and let the broth simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then stir in the escarole.
- Raise the heat and bring the broth back up to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender and the escarole is wilted.
- Remove the pot from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and serve.
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This soup tastes incredible! The fresh escarole really lends a good color to the soup as well as a nice flavor.
This soup is so delicious! Perfect!
Oh this is so good! And so easy and fast =) I didn't have escarole but I did have kale and bok choy, so I used a combo of those for my greens. I saw your email with the recipe this morning, I wanted it, I made it haha. Yummo! Thank you. And yes, I did have a good bread I'd baked this morning to have on the side. What a feast. Happy New Year!
I will try this soup recipe it looks fantastic. I will try without the pasta trying to keep my carb intake down. Any suggestions for substituting the pasta? Aloha
Thank you! Cauliflower, quinoa, or beans would all be good in this soup. I hope you enjoy it!!
This is my new favorite soup!! So freaking easy (only took me 15 minutes including all prep) and so simple, yet so different! The escarole has a tangy flavor, accentuated by the lemon and red pepper flakes. I used Better than Boullion for the broth. My husband kept teasing as I cooked: "Lettuce soup?!" but it totally works and the two of us ate the entire pot! So filling we didn't even touch the second course I had prepared (risotto, which will now be leftovers for tomorrow). Totally making this again.
This is a really great soup that comes together fast. We got some escarole in our CSA and this was perfect! thanks!!
Delicious comfort food . This meal was tasty and simple to prepare. I used kale for the greens and added a little extra lemon juice. My husband loved this soup too.