Escarole and Brown Rice Soup

This easy vegetarian-friendly soup with escarole and brown rice is surprisingly filling thanks to the brown rice. And with less than 150 calories per serving, it's guilt-free too!

Enjoy this soup with a simple side salad or warm crusty bread for a satisfying lunch or light dinner.

Simple Escarole and Brown Rice Soup

Having finished with vegetables and fruits, our little group of bloggers working its way through Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients (by Martha Stewart and the editors of Whole Living Magazine) move on to grains and legumes, beginning with Brown Rice.

Rice is a significant part of the diet for much of the world. Did you know that each day about half the world's population gets as much as half of its daily calories from this grain? (I sure didn't.)

Brown rice, considered a whole grain because it's bran and germ is still present, is much more nutritious than white rice which has had it's bran and germ polished away. Each cup of brown rice has about 3.5 grams of fiber and is an excellent source of manganese, as well as a good source of selenium, magnesium, vitamin E and the B vitamins.

Whole grains, like brown rice, are great for weight loss too. According to a long running Harvard Medical School / Brigham and Women's Hospital study, women who consume more whole grains consistently weigh less than those who eat less of these fiber-rich foods!

I chose a simple escarole and brown rice soup that is slightly adapted from The UltraMetabolism Cookbook: 200 Delicious Recipes that Will Turn on Your Fat-Burning DNA (affiliate link). It's thick, hearty and satisfying, but with a delicate flavor. With just a few ingredients it's easy to make.

Escarole and Brown Rice Soup

While I made it on the stovetop, I think it would work well in the slow cooker too.

I made a few adjustments to this recipe, cutting back on the olive oil and using yellow onion instead of shallots to avoid having to make a trip to the grocery store.

How Many Calories and WW Points in this Soup?

According to my calculations, each 1-cup serving has about 144 calories and:

3 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
3 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
3 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
4 *PointsPlus (Old plan)

To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!

More soups under 200 calories per serving you might also like: Skinny Slow Cooker Back-on-Track Soup, Potato Leek Soup, Crock Pot Potato Onion Soup, Easy Asparagus Minestrone and Crock Pot White Bean Soup with Fennel

If you've made this Brown Rice Soup with Escarole, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.

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4 from 1 vote

{38 Power Foods} Escarole and Brown Rice Soup

Simple comfort food, thick and hearty, yet delicate in taste from The Ultrametabolism Cookbook

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Servings (adjustable): 6

Calories: 144

Author: Martha McKinnon | Simple Nourished Living

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 head escarole (about 1 pound)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ 3 tablespoons minced shallot (I used onion instead)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons minced celery
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ¾ cup brown rice
• ▢ 4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Remove any discolored or damaged outer leaves from the escarole. Wash the escarole thoroughly. The best way to do this is soak the leaves in a large bowl of water for several minutes and then gently remove them without disrupting any sand or dirt that may have settled in the bottom of the bowl.
• Cut the escarole leaves crosswise into ¾-inch thick ribbons.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Add the shallots and celery and cook, stirring often, until the shallots are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the salt and rice and stir to coat with oil.
• Add the escarole and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until it wilts.
• Add the broth and bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and cook covered, until the rice is tender, about 35 minutes.
• Stir in the black pepper.
• Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if necessary.

Equipment

Large Saucepan

Chef Knife

Soup Bowls

Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1 cup

Click here to see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site.

3 *SmartPoints (Green plan)

3 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)

3 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)

4 *PointsPlus (Old plan)

Nutrition Facts

{38 Power Foods} Escarole and Brown Rice Soup

Amount Per Serving (1 cup)

Calories 144 Calories from Fat 30

% Daily Value*

Fat 3.3g5%

Carbohydrates 22.6g8%

Fiber 3.5g14%

Protein 6.2g12%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: soup with escarole, vegan soup, vegetarian brown rice soup

Did you make this recipe?Mention @simplenourishedliving on Instagram and tag #simplenourishedliving - we love to see your creations!

*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.

• Alyce @ More Time at the Table
• Ansh @ Spice Roots
• Jeanette @ Jeanette's Healthy Living
• Jill @ Saucy Cooks
• Mireya @ My Healthy Eating Habits
• Sarah @ Everything in the Kitchen Sink
• Casey @ Bookcase Foodie
• Bambi @ Adobo Down Under

• The UltraMetabolism Cookbook: 200 Delicious Recipes that Will Turn on Your Fat-Burning DNA (affiliate link)
• Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients (affiliate link)
• The World's Healthiest Foods

More Weight Watchers Friendly Brown Rice Recipes...

• My post and recipe for Tomatoes, Basil and Brown Rice
• Mexican-Style Brown Rice Casserole - like a burrito in a bowl (Weight Watchers)
• Simple to make and very healthy Pineapple Brown Rice (Skinny Kitchen)
• How to make foolproof oven baked brown rice (A Veggie Venture)
• A skinny healthy recipe for Brown Fried Rice (SkinnyTaste)

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