It ain’t always easy bein’ green. Take one step at a time and get to know this diverse and accessible lettuce with 21 tasty, simple escarole recipes.
Before we can jump into escarole recipes we probably should clarify and classify exactly what we are discussing.
Escarole is a leafy vegetable with broad undivided leaves and a slightly bitter flavor.
Escarole is considered a flat-leafed variety of endive and belongs to the chicory family.
As is easily assumed, escarole lettuce recipes abound as its inner leaves are most commonly used in salads.
It has a sharp bitterish taste when leaves are dark green, but a bit sweet if the leaves are on the yellowish side or from the inside of the bunch.
It has a short storage life, so make plans for how to prepare escarole so it does not go bad in the crisper drawer!
Being a bit bitter, it is complemented with items that have sweet, like fruit, or mild tastes and is often found in Italian escarole recipes.
There are indeed ways to cook escarole like sauteing or adding into soups.
Escarole recipe ideas capitalize on the fact that the texture of escarole allows it to be cooked and still be tasty since it does not completely break down.
Whether using it in salads or dishes, the key part in preparation is to rinse the leaves well to remove all the dirt from the base of the leaves.
If you are wondering how to cook escarole, there are several ways.
In a soup the best way is to add it toward the end of the cooking time.
It also makes for a great add-in for a casserole or even a side by itself.
From soup to salad to pasta, incorporate leafy escarole into your meals with these escarole recipes!
It is similar in nature to arugula, endive, radicchio, dandelion green, mustard greens or even chard or kale.
It is easy to miss on the produce aisle unless you are looking for it, so perhaps when you see it on your next shopping trip, you will know just which one of the escarole recipes to try!
Light and lovely are what some escarole recipes can be accurately described as!
This salad is exactly that!
Fuji or Gala apple slices are tossed in the dressing of apple cider vinegar, shallot, mustard, salt, pepper, olive oil.
Then athe escarole, blue cheese, red onions, parsley and hazelnuts are added.
Toss well and serve!
There are many Italian escarole recipes for soups.
Here a White Bean Escarole Soup is started with onion, celery, garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes.
The escarole is added and sauteed until wilted completely.
Next, the seasonings, broth, cannellini beans, parmesan rind, and bay leaves are brought to a boil.
Simmer and mash some of the beans.
Just before serving add in lemon juice and stir well.
Garnish with parmesan in individual bowls.
This recipe goes through clear steps on how to cook escarole.
Bring a large pot ⅔ filled with salted water to a boil.
Carefully add the cleaned and cut down escarole.
After cooking, drain in a colander with cold water and eventually on a towel to squeeze out all the liquid.
In a skillet, saute the garlic in olive oil, and then add back in the escarole, salt and pepper for a few minutes.
Lastly, add the raisins and pine nuts gently stirring to combine.
Best enjoyed hot or at room temperature.
Seafood, specifically tuna filets with chickpeas, pair well in escarole lettuce recipes.
The tuna is cooked in a slow cooker with oil, shallots, garlic, rosemary, and bay leaf.
The sauce is made of lemon juice, salt, pepper, and the tuna slow cooker drippings.
The escarole and chickpeas are combined in a large bowl and topped with the tuna and drizzled with dressing.
In each serving add Parmigiano-Reggiano!
My next escarole recipe is preparing it as a side dish.
Boil the escarole with salt.
In a large skillet, saute garlic and red kidney beans or cannellini beans and the liquid from the can and cook.
Drain the escarole and add to the bean mixture.
Now it is ready to be plated.
The key is in the flavor combinations!
Different recipes will instruct on how to prepare escarole depending on the desired use.
Here we have a bitter green salad that might not work on its own, but is a solid choice to balance a rich main course like some type of savory beef.
The dressing is olive oil, lemon juice, orange juice, honey, mustard, salt and pepper.
The salad is made of finely sliced radicchio, escarole, frisee lettuce, red onion, and crumbled feta cheese!
Different and delicious!
Sweet, salty and bitter collide in many escarole recipe ideas.
Here that is especially true with the bitter escarole, the sweet honey and the salty nuts and cheese.
Excellent texture combinations as well.
This prep style is different cutting the head in quarters lengthwise for washing and then searing in olive oil.
Plate and top with feta cheese, walnuts and a drizzle of honey!
These branded “Utica Greens” originated in the Upstate Utica and Rome New York areas.
The ways to cook escarole given here are fairly standard practice and three different versions have been included because if you know, you know.
I lean towards the first version that boils the escarole after being cored, washed and chopped.
Then it is coated with oil to saute and seasonings are added.
When served they are topped with olive oil, bread crumbs, and Locatelli cheese!
That’s Italian!
Escarole recipes for soup have some basic elements in common but each has a unique flavor or ingredient making the end result a specialty to enjoy!
The spiced lamb meatballs certainly are the standouts here made of lamb, garlic, coriander, cumin, oregano, turmeric, and paprika.
The soup is luscious as well with the onions, tomato paste, broth, escarole, and beans.
Meatballs added in after being fully cooked and this soup is stunning!
This might be one of my all time favorite Italian escarole recipes, Italian Wedding Soup!
It is called that because of the “marriage” of flavors and ingredients used in the soup.
The bitesize meatballs can be any combination of meats you prefer.
Saute garlic, carrots, and onion before adding chicken and beef stock and boiling.
Then escarole, orzo and meatballs are added and gently simmered till the orzo is cooked.
Bread served on the side is a MUST!
If you are considering how to prepare escarole for a salad, this recipe groups yet another combination for a delightful salad base of radicchio, endive and romaine.
Lots of different flavors in the lettuce before the toppings and dressing are even added.
Cherry tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, parmesan cheese and chicken are mixed together first.
The homemade honey mustard dressing is just right to make the salad shine!
Soup in escarole lettuce recipes really stand out because of the savory broths and varying textures.
There are a crazy number of variations!
This recipe uses ham, cannellini beans and escarole.
The broth profile includes garlic, pepper, rosemary, and sage!
Parmesan cheese as a garnish is the perfect touch!
Combinations of greens in an escarole recipe adds flavor and depth to the side dish.
This recipe pulls together spinach, collard greens and escarole to boil in chicken broth with previously sauteed onion and garlic until all are tender.
And that’s it!
Ready to drain, serve and top with parmesan!
You do see this as a pattern, right?
Pasta has entered the discussion on how to cook escarole for a main entree!
One dish that includes veggies, carbs and protein is definitely my favorite.
Similar ingredients to other recipes but in a different presentation!
Clean the escarole and tear into pieces.
Cook pasta of your choice al dente.
Saute onions and garlic before adding in Italian chicken sausage.
Set aside and start chicken broth, beans and escarole to cook.
Then add back in sausage and pasta.
Season to taste.
Comforting right down to the bones!
Escarole recipe ideas are really delicious and this one has indefinitely been added to my rotation!
I would describe it as the Italian version of egg drop soup, which I also love!
To be completely honest, this recipe has a LOT of ingredients so it is important to take inventory before beginning.
It also has a whole lot of steps but I promise they are very easy to follow!
It has veggies, chicken, pasta and escarole, all in just the right amounts!
Here is another one of the creative ways to cook escarole, in a lasagna!
This one is also notably comforting and layered and cheesy as you would expect anything titled lasagna to be!
There is browned sausage and sauteed escarole which make up two of the five layers.
The others are tomato sauce, ravioli and the every meltable mozzarella cheese!
Yes, it’s good.
Very good.
17. Escarole Soup
For those who prefer the simple side of life, a few escarole recipes are indeed accommodating.
Here is one that is a stripped back soup that focuses on flavor profiles of the broth and the escarole without adding a lot of extras.
As most do, it starts with oil, onions, and garlic, followed by chicken stock, parmesan cheese rind and escarole.
Simmer for as long or as little as you like.
Prepare the pasta separately.
When ready to serve, add lemon juice to the soup, fill the bowls with pasta and pour the soup on top.
Simple and savory.
Italian escarole recipes are really creative and this pizza is not something I would have ever thought was for real.
Oh, but it is, and it hails from Naples no less!
Double crust, here we come!
Prepare your pizza dough before beginning with their recipe or your own.
There are a TON of relatively easy steps to follow.
The combination of crust, escarole, garlic, olive oil, Romano cheese and black olives makes this pizza worth the trip!
This garlicky light salmon pasta is how to cook escarole for a quick meal.
The pasta is a long thick shape called Collezione Bucatini but any spaghetti style pasta would work.
The salmon will need to be cooked separately while the escarole is sauteed with the garlic.
Then the pasta is added in.
Last, add grated Pecorino Romano, crushed red pepper and the flaked salmon.
Drizzle on top olive oil and toasted sesame seeds.
Many of these escarole lettuce recipes have been brand new to me, just like this one!
First, bake the hazelnuts and remove skins, cool and chop.
Second, toss the diced acorn squash with olive oil, coriander, salt and pepper and roast until tender.
Third, make the buttermilk mixture with buttermilk, mayo, garlic, salt and pepper.
Lastly, on a platter, combine half the arugula and escarole to create the base, add half the squash, hazelnuts and pomegranate seed on top.
Repeat those layers again.
After serving, pass the bettermilk drizzle!
Low calorie yet very filling and hearty are the high points of this next escarole recipe!
This Escarole And Brown Rice Soup could be served for lunch with bread or fruit or as a side for a dinner with an entree or salad.
Saute shallots and celery, adding the rice to coat with oil.
Add the escarole and continue stirring.
After it wilts, add the broth and simmer covered until rice is done.
Season to taste and enjoy!
The bottom line
I do hope that these escarole recipes have piqued your curiosity about experimenting with this vegetable.
Change is fun and so are delicious new escarole recipe ideas!
21 BEST Ways To Cook Escarole
From soup to salad to pasta, incorporate leafy escarole into your meals with these escarole recipes!
Ingredients
- Apple And Escarole Salad With Blue Cheese And Hazelnuts
- White Bean Escarole Soup
- Italian Sauteed Escarole
- Slow-Cooker Tuna Steaks With Escarole-Chickpea Salad
- 4-Ingredient Escarole And Beans
- Frisee, Radicchio And Escarole Salad With Citrus Dressing
- Wilted Escarole With Feta, Walnuts, And Honey
- Italian Utica Greens
- Spiced Lamb Meatball And Escarole Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Radicchio Endive Chicken Salad
- Ham, White Bean And Escarole Soup
- Italian Style Greens
- Pasta With Italian Chicken Sausage, Escarole And Beans
- Chicken Escarole Soup With Egg & Pasta
- Ravioli & Escarole Lasagna
- Escarole Soup
- Escarole-Stuffed Pizza-Pizza Di Scarola
- Garlicky Salmon Pasta With Escarole
- Acorn Squash And Escarole Salad
- Escarole And Brown Rice Soup
Instructions
- Skim through our Escarole Recipes list.
- Select the recipe you’re looking for.
- Prep the ingredients as instructed.
- Spill your thoughts on our Facebook page!