Escudella Catalana Recipe: Hearty Catalan Christmas Stew 2026

Escudella catalana is one of the most comforting dishes in Catalan cooking, a massive one-pot stew that fills the kitchen with warmth during the coldest months of the year. It is especially beloved around Christmas and New Year, when families gather around the table to share it.

The dish is built on a rich carn d'olla — a slow-simmered cocido of pork, beef and chicken with bones, chickpeas and vegetables — and it is served in courses: first a soup of galets pasta, then the meats, and finally the vegetables and chickpeas.

What sets escudella apart from other Spanish cocidos is the pilota, a large meatball made with minced beef and pork, bread, egg and parsley that becomes the star of the meal. Every region of Catalonia has its own version, from the mountains to the coast, but the comforting essence stays the same.

Making escudella is not difficult, but it does require planning: ingredients go into the pot at different moments so that everything cooks evenly. Below we explain in detail how to make a traditional escudella i carn d'olla to enjoy with family or friends.

Ingredients for Escudella Catalana

For 8 servings

• 200 g dried chickpeas, soaked for 12 hours
• 400 g beef shank
• 100 g pork belly
• 50 g ham
• 1 piece pork snout
• 1 pork ear
• 1 pork foot, split in half
• 1 chicken hindquarter
• 1 beef marrow bone
• 1 ham bone
• 2 salted spine bones
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 leek
• 1 small cabbage
• 1 turnip
• 2 parsnips
• 2 carrots
• 4 medium potatoes
• 1 white butifarra sausage
• 1 black butifarra sausage
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 bunch parsley
• 100 g white bread crumb
• 30 ml milk
• 1 egg
• 120 g minced beef
• 80 g minced pork
• Salt
• Pepper to taste
• 50 g wheat flour
• 200 g large galets pasta

How to Make Escudella Catalana Step by Step

1. Soak the chickpeas

Wash 200 g of chickpeas and place them in a large bowl. Cover them with plenty of cold water and leave them to soak for 12 hours.

2. Start the meats and bones

When you are ready to make the escudella, wash the meats and bones well and place them in a large pot: 400 g beef shank, 100 g pork belly, 50 g ham, 1 piece pork snout, 1 pork ear, 1 pork foot split in half, 1 chicken hindquarter, 1 beef marrow bone, 1 ham bone and 2 salted spine bones. Add cold water until it generously covers the meats without reaching the rim of the pot, then set the pot over high heat and start cooking.

3. Simmer and skim the broth

Once the water comes to a boil, lower the heat to low and simmer the meats for 1 hour. From time to time, use a ladle or skimmer to remove the foam and fat that rises to the surface of the broth.

4. Prepare the celery, leek and cabbage

While the meats are cooking, prepare the vegetables so they are ready to add to the pot. Wash and cut 1 celery stalk and 1 leek, cutting the leek lengthwise to clean out any dirt, then separate the leaves of 1 small cabbage and wash them.

5. Peel and cut the root vegetables

Separately, wash, peel and cut 1 turnip (use only half if it is very large), 2 parsnips and 2 carrots. Peel 4 medium potatoes, wash them and place them in a bowl covered with cold water to keep them from oxidizing.

6. Add vegetables and chickpeas

After the first hour of cooking, add the celery, leek, turnip, parsnip, carrot and the drained soaked chickpeas, placed inside a legume cooking bag. Simmer everything for 2 to 3 hours, until the chickpeas are tender. The exact cooking time depends greatly on the hardness of the water, so check the doneness of the ingredients as you go.

7. Alternative for the chickpeas

If you don't have a legume bag, another option is to ladle off a little broth into a separate saucepan and cook the chickpeas on their own until tender.

8. Make the pilota mixture

While the broth keeps cooking, prepare the pilota. Peel and chop 2 garlic cloves and chop 1 bunch of parsley, then place them in a bowl with 100 g crumbled white bread crumb, 30 ml milk and 1 egg.

9. Shape and flour the pilota

Mix all the ingredients and add 120 g minced beef and 80 g minced pork. Add 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste, and mix well until you have a uniform, consistent paste. Shape it into one large elongated ball (or several smaller round balls), coat it with 50 g flour and set aside.

10. Add the pilota, potatoes and cabbage

When about 30 minutes remain for the meats and chickpeas to finish cooking, add the pilota, the potatoes and the cabbage.

11. Add the butifarras and finish

Cook everything for about 15 minutes, then add 1 white butifarra and 1 black butifarra. Wait for the broth to bubble again and simmer the sausage for about 15 minutes. After this time, check the doneness of the sausage and potatoes, taste the broth, adjust the salt if needed and, if everything is cooked, remove the pot from the heat.

12. Cook the galets soup

Once all the ingredients are cooked, prepare the galets soup. Strain 3 liters of broth into another pot and set it over the heat. When it comes to a boil, add 200 g galets and cook them for the time specified on the pasta package. When done, remove the soup pot from the heat and the escudella is ready to serve.

13. Serve the meats

Arrange the meats on a large platter. You can leave them whole or cut them into pieces, ready to serve on the plate.

14. Serve the vegetables and chickpeas

Serve the vegetables and chickpeas on another platter, keeping them separate from the meats.

15. Serve the soup and bring everything to the table

Finally, serve the galets soup piping hot, as it is the first thing to be enjoyed. Bring everything to the table and enjoy the authentic Catalan escudella together, a delicious, comforting dish that is perfect for sharing with family.

Tips for the Best Escudella Catalana

Plan the cooking times

The secret of this stew is proper planning and controlling the cooking of each ingredient, adding them at different moments to achieve even, well-cooked results. Check the chickpeas and vegetables as they cook, since the hardness of the water can change the timing.

Adapt the pilota to your taste

There are many ways to shape and size the pilota: you can make one large piece and slice it to serve, or form individual meatballs that can be served alongside the soup. Either way, it always pleases every guest at the table.

Make it your own

Every region of Catalonia has its own variant of the recipe, reflecting the diversity and richness of the local cuisine. From the mountains to the coast, escudella is reinvented with local ingredients while always keeping its comforting, delicious essence.

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