Fantastic!
Anonymous
Nj
7/6/2022
I made this exactly as written.Absolutely the most wonderful soup I have ever. I've owned several Italian restaurants and would have put this one on the menu. Just amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Ron B
South Florida
10/23/2021
This recipe is delicious. I stewed my own tomatoes (Joy of Cooking) as I don't like using canned food. The broth is amazing, though next time, I'll put the herbs and garlic in a bouquet garni so I can easily remove it when done. I added fresh thyme to the broth. The broth was incredibly fragrant and full bodied. There is a sweetness to the broth which is wonderfully countered by the escarole. I switched out the pasta for two tarot roots about the size of a medium potato - they added a nutty-flavor and a thickness to the broth, though pasta would be yummy as well. My kitchen smells like heaven - I am definitely making this again!
Diane K.
Bakersfield, CA
10/23/2021
I read this recipe, looked at a few others and made a kind of mix of all of them without looking back at any recipe.First, a soffritto of carrot, leek, fennel (because I had leek and fennel)Then added garlic and fresh oreganoThen water, parmesan rind, couple of soups spoons of soya sauce, chilli, dried mixed herbs and soaked borlotti beans.Cooked the pasta (small penne) separately especially because it wasn't the greatest quality and it could easily get horrible and soggy and only added it just before servingThe beans were enough to last two meals: the first time I only wilted the "escarole" but the second time I cooked it for about 10 minutes because it was a bit tough. In Australia we don't have a vegetable we call escarole (that I'm aware of) and I assumed that escarole is what we call curly endive, however, I don't think it is and that's why it was better cooked longer.I left out the tomatoes just because.Served with lots of parmesan.Next time I'll make it more according to Chris's recipe but it was still very good as it was.
Petra
Sydney, Australia
5/11/2021
So I soaked some white navy beans overnight to make BBQ baked beans but had more beans then I wanted so I ended up cooking the extra very similarly to the beginning of this recipe. I was looking for something to make with these extra beans. I knew I had to make this when I found it. I had 3 cups of bean broth that I seasoned with garlic, parsley, rosemary, bayleaf, chicken fat, and olive oil, along with about 2 cups of beans. I added in 3 cups of veggie stock and a parmesan rind. Step one complete already with the stuff I had premade! I made a little mirepoix, added the tomatoes and wine, let it reduce, and just added it to the stock mixture. It tasted a little acidic so I helped it out with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Cooked the pasta in the pot and tossed in escarole right before serving. It was bomb! I am so happy I found this recipe AND I tried escarole for the first time. Escarole tastes like a slightly bitter romaine, but it holds up in the soup well.
Christie
Texas
2/2/2021
This is SO delicious! I took a page out of my mom's book and pureed some of the veg to add back into the broth. Really tasty!
M_Feldman1
North Carolina
4/27/2020
"Carla Lalli Music has outdone herself with this one. Extraordinary. Nothing left to say.ANONYMOUS TUCSON, AZ09/28/18"The recipe is by Chris Morocco, not Carla.
Anonymous
Palm Beach
1/24/2020
This was so tasty. I did not soak my beans overnight, just started them with the vegetables and the water. When they were al dente I turned off the heat. Before cooking the onions I cooked up some diced pancetta, then added the onions once they were just starting to crisp up. I removed the bay leaves and parsley from the bean broth, left all the veggies, then added the tomato mixture to it. Then the escarole. I cooked the pasta separately. It was perfect. Will definitely make it again, and again!
Anonymous
St. Paul
12/13/2019
This is an amazing dish! I put the dried beans/water/aromatics in my slow cooker during the day, and it greatly streamlined the process. I highly recommend using dried beans, as they soak up all the wonderful flavours of the parmesan rind, garlic, carrots, celery, etc. The cooking liquid adds SO much flavour to the end result broth. I didn't have escarole, so I used rapini, which worked great. Sooooo delicious!!!!
Anonymous
3/15/2019
This was really good! I wanted to use dried beans but did not have time to soak overnight so I used my instapot. (cannellini should take 40 min-mine took 60 but were perfect!) I followed directions to the letter but wrapped the garlic in cheesecloth so it was easier to fish out at the end. I did not have time to let the mixture sit for 30 min after cooking so just put beans and broth in with tomatoes and onion right when finished. I added some chopped fresh thyme as well. I also substituted in kale. I thought this turned out great! Was trying to keep it vegetarian but adding sausage sounds wonderful.
Chicago
3/7/2019
This was exceptional. Only changes I made were based on what I had lurking (or not lurking) in the fridge - no escarole; added some crumbled italian sausage to the tomato sauce and sprig of thyme in the stock. Otherwise followed the instructions to the letter and was well rewarded for my efforts.
Anonymous
Seattle
2/5/2019
This was great. I made a few additions and substitutions that worked really well to make this a full meal. For the stock I used chicken broth for half of the volume. I also added in a 1.5 pound uncured ham shank to the stock and chopped the lean meat and added it back at the end. I also used ditalini instead of lasagne noodles. Finally, I added chopped carrot and celery when the onion and garlic were almost done sautéing.
Anonymous
Los Angeles, CA
1/20/2019
Excellent recipe! I plan to make the soup again for the second time this week. Even my picky 4 year old gobbled this up.
Anonymous
Mountain Brook
10/12/2018
Carla Lalli Music has outdone herself with this one. Extraordinary. Nothing left to say.
Anonymous
Tucson, AZ
9/28/2018
I made this for a dinner party with many guests. It was absolutely delicious! The broth is light and fresh, while the pasta and beans add some heartiness. I did a few things different... I used swiss chard instead of escarole. It's a little easier to find vs. escarole and it was a little less expensive. Plus, it's beautiful! I added some ground sausage to this. It had a good amount of fennel seed in it, which paired wonderfully with the soup. Finally, I put a lot of fresh herbs in the soup just before serving. I used canned beans, but took the time to make the broth anyways. Definitely recommend doing that even if you use canned beans. The guests finished their bowls of soup with some really great olive oil, fresh cracked pepper, and pepper flakes. Overall, this was a huge hit at my dinner party, and I loved having it left over.
Tyler Knochel
Lafayette, Indiana
2/6/2018
