Escarole with Bacon and White Beans

Branch out by trying escarole, a pleasantly bitter selection that contains more fiber than other common salad greens. It works in both raw and cooked applications; here its earthiness complements the creamy beans and smoky bacon. It's also great in soups--toss a handful of chopped escarole into your favorite recipe during the last 10 to 15 minutes of cooking.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 2  bacon slices, chopped
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 1  garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 6  cups  chopped escarole (about 2 [8-ounce] heads)
• 1  teaspoon  sugar
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1  (16-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained

Preparation

Cook bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan; set bacon aside. Add onion to drippings in pan; cook 12 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add escarole, and cook for 2 minutes or until escarole wilts, stirring frequently. Add sugar, salt, pepper, and chicken broth; cook 15 minutes or until escarole is tender, stirring occasionally. Add beans; cook for 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with bacon.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

123 (29% from fat)

Fat:

3.9g (sat 1.3g,mono 1.6g,poly 0.7g)

Protein:

5.7g

Carbohydrate:

16.3g

Fiber:

5g

Cholesterol:

6mg

Iron:

1.7mg

Sodium:

525mg

Calcium:

62mg