Nannu’s Sicilian Escarole soup is a dish that Joe remembers fondly from his childhood. It is simple yet comforting and very easy to make. Joe’s grandfather made this dish for lunch on a regular basis. Nannu is Sicilian for Grandfather. Sicilian is one of the many different dialects of the Italian language.
Nannu’s Sicilian Escarole Soup uses only four ingredients
Escarole is the main ingredient in this dish. A variety of lettuce is not something most people would think of putting into a soup, but in this case it works very well. The outer leaves of the escarole head tend to be a little tough making them great for soup. You can use the more tender inside leaves for soup or a salad.
Add some chicken broth, to your sautéed onions and escarole and then sprinkle with cheese and you have a classic soup. This soup can serve as a light mid-day meal, likewise it can be eaten as a soup course for dinner.
Homemade chicken broth adds an extra layer of flavor
You can make a good soup using quality store bought chicken broth, but Joe and I like to make our own chicken stock. It is rather quick to make in an Insta Pot. We make big batches of stock and store it in small containers in the freezer. By adding it to soups and sauces, it adds another layer of delicious flavor.
When making Nannu’s Sicilian Escarole soup, your choice of cheese is very important. When people think of adding cheese to an Italian soup or pasta, they tend to think of Parmesan. In this recipe, the best cheese choice is Pecorino Romano. Pecorino Romano is a hard, salty Italian cheese made from sheep’s milk. Its used quite often in Sicilian and Southern Italian cooking. You can use it for grating and the flavor is a perfect compliment to this soup.
Next time you are looking for a quick, but satisfying lunch make a batch of Nannu’s Sicilian Escarole Soup. Eat it with some fresh crusty Italian bread and you will not be disappointed.
Nannu’s Sicilian Escarole Soup
4
servings5
minutes15
minutes20
minutesNannu’s Sicilian Escarole Soup is a comfort food classic. It is a light soup made from escarole, chicken broth, onions and cheese.
Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup onions, chopped
8 cups escarole, roughly chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
Directions
- Heat a big pot with the olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the onions. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt. Cook for 3-5 minutes until softened.
- Add the escarole to the pot. Season with 1/2 tsp salt. Cook for 3-5 minutes until thoroughly wilted.
- Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes, just to bring all the flavors together. Season with remaining 1/2 tsp salt and ground black pepper.
- Sprinkle Pecorino Romano cheese just before serving.
This sounds like winter comfort food. I’m saving this recipe for next month!!
Excellent! I grew up with my Italian grandma’s escarole soup and this is close to it and EASY! I did add a tad bit more salt. Quick and easy- will definitely be making it again and again!
So glad you enjoyed it!
So simple, clean and flavorful! Would this work with rainbow chard and spinach? My farm share sent these this week instead of escarole and I want to make it again.
Yes, those would be delicious in this soup.
I love that you’ve shared the very basic, elemental escarole soup!! This is it and it’s wonderful! I make just as written, but with some added fresh garlic. Sometimes I add corona (or cannellini) beans. And/or make little meatballs out of spicy chicken Italian sausage. And for some reason I like some carrots in mine.
But when all is said and done, the recipe you shared is perfect escarole soup. It’s so comforting and nourishing and great way to use those tougher outer leaves (which tenderize nicely in soup.)
That sounds delicious!