Sausage, White Beans & Escarole

Italian sausage is browned and combined with sautéed escarole, garlic, and cooked white beans, then simmered gently to meld flavors. The savory sausage enriches the vegetables and beans, while the escarole adds a slightly bitter contrast and the beans provide creamy texture, creating a balanced, hearty dish.

During cooking, the sausage juices coat the escarole and beans, and gentle simmering allows the flavors to integrate without overcooking the greens. The preparation emphasizes layering flavors, careful seasoning, and timing to produce a flavorful, satisfying combination of tender sausage, greens, and beans.

Print Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Sausage

Italian

Beans

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Italian sausage, hot or sweet, crumbled
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 small bunch of escarole, chopped
• 2 15.5 oz. cans cannelini beans
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• ¾ cup dry white white
• 1 cup chicken stock
• pinch red pepper flakes if using sweet sausage
• ½ tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• salt
• pepper
• juice of ½ lemon

Instructions 

Don’t Sleep

Brown

• Heat dutch oven on medium-high heat.
• Add olive oil and heat until oil shimmers.
• Add crumbled sausage to the oil and brown on all sides.
• Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel to drain.

Sauté

• Add chopped onion to the oil and sauté until the onions are clear (about 5 minutes).
• Add dried thyme and red pepper flakes to onions and sauté for 1 minute.
• Add crushed garlic and escarole to the pot and sauté until the escarole is wilted (about 5 minutes).
• Add lemon zest and blend.
• Add white white and reduce (about 4 minutes).

Simmer

• Add sausage, beans, and chicken stock to the pot and heat until the liquid begins to boil.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Before serving, finish with a splash of lemon juice.