Let me guess. You have some beans in your pantry? Then, feel free to whip up this delicious and satisfying dish. Escarole and Beans with Pancetta. Adding fresh grated Parmesan deepens the flavor, and good lord, don’t forget some crusty bread. If you don’t have escarole, try substituting spinach, kale, Swiss chard. No pancetta? How about bacon? Thank you thebeanbites for putting this together; I loved it! 👩🏻🍳. https://thebeanbites.com/recipe-for-escarole-and-beans-pancetta/ Ingredients
2 15 ounce cans cannellini beans
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
1 large yellow onion – quartered
2 carrots – sliced
6 garlic cloves – 4 whole, 2 diced
1 bay leaf
1 parmesan cheese rind
3 ounces of Pancetta, either diced or sliced
2 heads escarole, sliced
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 small lemon
crushed red pepper to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
If using dry beans, pre-soak the beans overnight. Otherwise, rinse the canned beans in cold water.
In a Dutch Oven or stockpot, combine beans, broth, and ¼ cup olive oil. Reserve the other olive oil for later.
Add onions, carrots, 4 of the whole garlic cloves (reserve two cloves for later), bay leaf, and parmesan rind.
Simmer for two hours on low heat. After 90 minutes the next step while waiting for the beans to finish.
About 30 minutes before the beans are done, heat ¼ cup olive oil in a skillet. Add minced garlic and sliced or diced pancetta. Cook until pancetta starts to brown.
Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste. Just a little bit of red pepper can go a long way. You can always add more but you can’t take the spice out.
Add escarole a handful at a time and toss to coat. Once escarole starts to wilt turn off the heat.
Remove the onion, garlic, bay leaf, and what remains of the parmesan rind from the beans with a slotted spoon. Let the carrot remain.
Once everything is done, combine the tomato and pancetta mixture and the beans in the dutch oven to warm. Add freshly squeezed lemon juice and stir.
Taste and adjust salt or pepper if needed.
Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, shredded parmesan cheese, and crusty bread.