This White Bean and Escarole Soup is hearty and satisfying, delicious and comforting, easy to make and perfect for soup season. I love this white bean escarole soup recipe and often serve it as a complete meal in the cold winter months.

Chunky white bean, escarole and tomato soup with sliced sourdough in the background and a piece for dunking into the bowl.

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Why this is one of my Favorite Soups
Ingredients and Substitutions
How to make it
How to Serve and Store
Debra’s Pro Tips
More Vegan White Bean Recipes
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Why this is one of my Favorite Soups

White bean and escarole soup is the ultimate hearty soup, if you ask me. Pure comfort food that’s also vegan and gluten-free. Magic. In under 30 minutes.

There’s so much deliciousness in white bean soup….I use it in my creamy vegan tomato soup too and it’s off the charts nourishing and tasty. White beans are full of plant-based protein and fiber which keeps us full and satisfied.

I’m telling you, simple ingredients that are easy to find at your local grocery store is what it’s all about right now. Grab a loaf of crusty bread and you’ve got a perfect meal, any time of day.

I used to make kale and cannellini bean soup….all the time…it was a family favorite. But then I fell in love with the digestive benefits and the taste of escarole….so I tweaked a few things and the rest, as they say…is history. Like total rear view mirror.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Labeled ingredients: broth, leeks, diced tomatoes, escarole, white beans, nutritional yeast, miso, garlic and spices.

Leek: Substitute with yellow onion, any sweet onion, or use a couple of shallots.
Escarole: I used a whole head of escarole. You can substitute the fresh escarole with another bitter green like mustard greens or with any leafy greens you prefer. Collard greens, lacinato kale, green kale or swiss chard roughly chopped will also work.
Diced tomatoes: You can also use canned whole tomatoes and chop them yourself, or use fresh cherry tomatoes, when in season, and halve them.
White beans: Canned beans make this one-pot meal super quick and easy to make. Cannellini beans, great northern beans or navy beans are all good options.
Vegetable broth: Use my easy recipe to make your own homemade vegetable broth. I store mine in the freezer in 1 cup cubes so it’s easy peasy to use when you need it. If you buy store bought, make sure to read the ingredient label carefully and make a choice without added processed oils or too much sodium.
Miso: I used light miso and I think it adds a wonderful umami flavor to vegan soups, making it not necessary to use a chicken stock. I use miso in Vegan Split Pea Soup for the same flavor boost.

How to make it

Prep the escarole: Wash it as you would a head of lettuce and use a salad spinner to get out most of the water. Wrap it in a dish towel until you’re ready to begin.

Escarole leaves stacked and cut into strips, both the dark green and the yellowish part.

Stack the escarole greens and then slice through the green and yellow parts. You’ll have about 6 cups firmly packed.

Leeks being sliced thin, through the white part and some of the light green.

Wash leeks well and then thinly slice the whites and the lighter green parts.

Light blue dutch oven with sliced leeks in the bottom.

Heat a large dutch oven or a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the leeks and saute in couple tablespoons of olive oil or vegetable broth.

Sauteed leeks in a dutch oven with a pile of pressed garlic in the center.

Cook the leeks for a couple of minutes until they begin to soften and then use a garlic press to add the garlic cloves. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute, as garlic becomes fragrant.

Wilted greens at the bottom of a dutch oven.

Stir in the chopped escarole and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring, as it shrinks and wilts.

Bottom of dutch oven filled with wilted greens and then diced tomatoes and white beans.

Add the tomatoes, with their juices and the beans that have been rinsed and drained. Stir well.

Chunks of greens, tomatoes and beans in a orangish broth in a dutch oven.

Add 4 cups of broth plus 2 cups of water and stir well. Raise to medium-high heat to bring soup to a boil.

Cooked greens, tomatoes and beans in a thick broth.

Reduce to medium-low heat to keep at a gentle simmer for 10 minutes.

Whisking miso with hot water in a pyrex liquid measuring cup.

Whisk warm water into the miso to make it into a thick, creamy, pourable, uniform consistency.

Pouring miso slurry into pot of escarole bean soup.

Pour the miso mixture into the soup and mix well.

Nutritional yeast, sprinkled onto a pot of chunky soup.

Turn off the heat. Sprinkle on the nutritional yeast and thoroughly mix.

Close up of a ladle full of chunky white bean and escarole soup.

Ladle into bowls while still hot.

How to Serve and Store

Serve with garlic bread or a crusty Italian bread. A simple green salad or caesar salad makes this a hearty vegan meal.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Freeze for up to 3 months in freezer safe containers.
Reheat over medium heat until heated through.

Debra’s Pro Tips

Bowls of chunky soup with wilted greens, tomatoes, and white beans. Also some sliced sourdough with pieces dipped into the bowls of soup.

Garnish: Pass around some red pepper flakes and more nutritional yeast. Trust me on this one and before you go for the parmesan cheese…give the nooch a try!
Heat a thermos, pour in hot soup and take it work for a satisfying healthy lunch.
This escarole recipe is a delicious way to get in some bitter greens…without the bitter taste. You can also use escarole in any salad that calls for romaine or arugula.
This is the easiest soup recipe and comes together quickly, so have your ingredients prepped and ready before you begin.

More Vegan White Bean Recipes

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