SOUP SERIES RECIPES
Minestrone Soup
Minestrone soup dates back to 2nd Century BC Rome. This dish takes a page right out of the “cucina povera” (literally “poor kitchen”). To this day this soup is called “the poor man’s soup”, because peasants would traditionally put whatever leftover ingredients they had into it. This explains why no one exact recipe is the same.
This is my mom’s version. It includes so many delicious vegetables, and chickpeas and red kidney beans to give it some extra protein. I can remember walking in the house as a kid from school and smelling this soup on the stove. It was one of my favorite things to eat. It just warms your soul.
Ingredients
(Serves 12)
½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Onions (14 oz.), Diced
8 Celery Stalks (7.5oz), Diced
1 lb. (about 8 large) Carrots, Diced
1 (28 oz) Can of Whole Tomatoes, Pureed
2 (32 oz) Low Sodium Beef Broth
1 (32oz.) Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
1 Cup (4oz.) String Beans, Trimmed and cut into ¼ inch pieces
3 tsp. Salt
3 tsp. Pepper
2 Potatoes (1.5 lb, I use Idaho), Cut in ¼ inch cubes
1 Yellow Squash (6 oz.), Diced
3 Zucchini (1.5lb), Diced
2 19 oz. Cans of Chickpeas
2 19 oz. Cans Red Kidney Beans
1 Pecorino Romano cheese end (optional)
1 lb of Ditalini Pasta or the pasta of your choice
Method
Heat the olive oil in a pot on a low flame and add the onions. Sautee for 5 minutes and then add the carrots and the celery. Saute for another 10 minutes until the veggies start to get soft. Add the pureed tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes on low. Add the beef and the vegetable broth. Raise the temperature to medium and bring to a slight boil. Add the string beans and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes and add the potatoes. Boil for 10 minutes and add the yellow squash and zucchini. Cook for 5 minutes. Drain a little of the liquid off the top of each can of beans. Pour the chickpeas and the red kidney beans in the pot. Add the Pecorino end (optional but highly recommended). Cook the soup on low for about 1 ½ hours. Boil the pasta and serve with the soup.
NOTE: This soup serves 12. Even if you don’t need to feed this many people, this soup freezes really well.
Escarole and Beans
Escarole and Beans is a dish that I grew up eating. It was a typical weeknight meal that was often served as a first course, maybe followed by chicken cutlets and a salad. I can remember my grandpa making this dish and the smell of the garlic filled my nostrils. Now every time I make it, the smell takes me back to a great time in my life.
The wonderful thing is that my kids and even my Irish husband love it now, so it's a meal I make often.
Also, escarole is rich in antioxidants and improves digestive health. The cannellini are high in protein and fiber. So, this is an all around healthy meal.
Ingredients
Serves 8
1½ Cups Olive Oil
15 Garlic Cloves, Whole
⅛ Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (More if You Like It Spicy)
5 Small Bunches Escarole (about 6 Pounds). Remove the Bottom Stem, Wash and Cut up Each Leaf into ½“ Pieces.
3 Cans (15½ Ounce) of Cannellini Beans
3 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Ends (See Cheese Hack Page ??), Optional
Method
In a large saucepan, heat up the oil on a low flame. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper. Slowly cook the garlic until it is fork tender. Use a fork to smash the garlic into the olive oil. Sauté for about 1-2 minutes, breaking the garlic up into the oil even more with a wooden spoon.
Add the escarole to the pot, season with salt, and let it start to wilt for about 2-3 minutes.
Drain 2 cans of the beans and add to the pot. Then add 1 full can of beans.
Sauté for 2-3 minutes and add the chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and add in the Pecorino Romano cheese block. This is highly recommended but optional.
Cook for another 15 minutes and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and crusty bread.
Bean Soup
This healthy Bean Soup is so delicious and hearty AND so easy to make.
In this video I used spinach in the soup, but I have also used broccoli rabe or kale and it's amazing.
You can also eat this soup without the pasta. But I love the pasta it.
I like to break the spaghetti into tiny pieces and then boil them up separately. I do this because if I have leftovers, this keeps the pasta from getting too mushy.
Bean Soup
Ingredients
(Serves 6)
⅔ Cups Olive Oil
⅛ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
4 oz. Onion, chopped
6 oz. Carrots, peeled and diced
5 oz. Celery, diced
1 lb. Potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
2 tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Pepper
2 (15oz) Cans Cannellini Beans, rinsed and drained
1 Small Can of Whole Tomatoes, remove the tomatoes from the can and chop (about 5 plum tomatoes)
5 Cups Water
4 Cups of Spinach, chopped
1 Pecorino Romano Cheese End
¾ lbs. Spaghetti, broken into tiny pieces
Method
In a small soup pot, heat up the olive oil. Add in the red pepper flakes and onions. Cook on low for 5 minutes.
Add in the carrots and celery and continue to cook for about 6 minutes.
Add in the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir gently and cook for about 8 minutes until the potatoes start to soften.
Add in the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes combining with the rest of the ingredients.
Next, get in the beans. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
Add in the water. Bring to a simmer and add in the Pecorino Romano cheese end, stir and cook for about 8 minutes.
Boil your pasta water and boil the spaghetti. Drain
OR YOU CAN
Add the pasta directly to the soup. Cook the soup until the pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes.
Add in the spinach to the soup and cook until it begins to wilt.
Serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with grated Pecorino Romano.
NOTE: when you are cooking the pasta in the soup it may become too thick. Use your judgment. If it becomes too thick add a little water.
Wedding Soup
Italian wedding soup is a kid friendly, easy and delicious soup that everyone will love. The soup is made up of broth, veggies, pasta and the star of the recipe is cute mini meatballs. It is a perfect soup for a cold winter day.
This Neopolitan soup is originally called “minestra maritata”, which translates to “married soup” It is not served at Italian weddings but its meaning refers to how its flavors come together in a beautiful marriage!
Growing up this soup was a dish that my Grandpa made all the time. I can still remember helping him roll the mini meatballs. He taught me to sear the meatballs first. It adds such great flavor to the soup. The smell of it just brings me right back to his kitchen.
Italian Wedding Soup (Ingredients)
(Serves 7)
For the Meatballs
½ lb. Ground Pork
¼ lb. Ground Beef
¼ Cup Bread Crumbs
¼ Cup, Plus 2 Tbsp. Pecorino Romano
1 Egg- Beaten
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
¾ tsp. Garlic Powder
3 tbsp. Chopped Fresh Parsley
½ Cup Olive Oil
For the Soup
1 Onion (about 7 oz.)- Diced
6 Celery Stalks (about 6 oz)- Diced
3 Carrots (about ½ lb.)- Peeled and Diced
10 Cups - Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 ½ Tsp Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
4 Cups Spinach
2 Pecorino Ends- These are cubed chunks of Pecorino Cheese
1 lb. Pasta- I used Acini Di Pepe
In a bowl, combine the pork and beef with the bread crumbs, Pecorino, beaten egg, salt, pepper, garlic powder and chopped fresh parsley. Form into mini meatballs (about 1 tsp. Or less each). In a soup pot over low/medium heat add a ½ cup of olive oil. Add in about 10 to 15 meatballs. Once browned on all sides (about 8 minutes), remove from the pan and add in more meatballs. Repeat this process until all the meatballs are cooked and removed from the pan. This oil has great flavor but you will need to remove half of it from the pan or else the soup will be too greasy.. Also, try to strain out most of the remaining brown bits from the pan.
Next add in the onion and cook until it becomes translucent and add the carrots and the celery. Cook on a low flame for about 10 minutes or until they become soft. Season with salt and the black pepper. Stir the mixture and cook for about 2 minutes. Add back the meatballs and then add in the broth. Raise the temperature to low/medium and bring to a simmer (about 10 minutes) Add in the Pecorino end. Cook for 20 more minutes, making sure the veggies are cooked, Then add the spinach. Cook until the spinach wilts. Taste for seasoning and add salt or pepper if needed.
Meanwhile, cook your pasta and drain and put in a bowl. You can add a small amount of olive oil to the pasta so that it does not stick together. I don’t like to cook the pasta in the soup because I find it becomes too soft. Serve with the pasta and top with grated Pecorino.