Italian Potato-Pasta Soup With Greens
Published January 30, 2018
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for garnish
2 cups diced onion
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced fennel or celery
Salt and pepper
1 bay leaf
1 large thyme sprig
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons paprika
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 quarts/12 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth or water
2 pounds medium-size starchy potatoes, such as Yukon Golds or russets, peeled and cut in 1-inch chunks
8 ounces kale or chard, stems removed, leaves sliced across into ½-inch ribbons (about 4 cups total)
½ pound dried pennette, orecchiette or other small pasta
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary or marjoram, for garnish
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)
64 grams carbs; 11 milligrams cholesterol; 414 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 11 grams fat; 7 grams fiber; 1417 milligrams sodium; 17 grams protein; 11 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add onion, carrot and fennel, stir, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened and golden, 5 to 10 minutes. Adjust the heat to prevent vegetables from browning or scorching.
- Step 2
Stir in bay leaf, thyme sprig, garlic, paprika and tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth, potatoes and a large pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a brisk simmer. Cook until potatoes are cooked through but still firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
- Step 3
Stir in kale and pasta and simmer another 10 minutes, or until greens are well cooked and pasta is done. (Soup can be made up to this point, without the pasta, cooled and refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
- Step 4
Ladle soup into bowls, and sprinkle with chopped rosemary and Parmesan. Drizzle each serving with a teaspoon of olive oil. Pass extra Parmesan at the table.
Private Notes
Comments
Adding a rind from parmesan or romano cheese adds a lot to the soup-grandmother used to make it and in her broken english called it "pasta padon". We always found it a welcome treat over the pasta fagioli, which we had once a week. The macaroni used was always ditali. And the green of choice was escarole (the green leaves, the tender ones went into the salad). We didn't know about kale in the last century!
If you are Italian, escarole is the green of choice for this soup.
Not to get fussy, but even in a soup I like my veggies to have texture, not mushy, and my pasta al dente. I would cook only the onion and fennel at the start (plus minced garlic), then add potatoes and carrots and stock, plus spices, to simmer until just shy of al dente, then finish with a handful or two of pasta. Kale cooked this way turns slimy; go with chard, escarole or spinach (last minute). The rosemary needs some time in the pot to soften.
I have made this soup several times. Celery or fennel and always with kale. Don’t simmer kale, add it once the soup is done and mix in. Add Parma rind to broth. Also lightly fry the rosemary in salted butter until crispy and top your soup with a bunch of crispy buttery rosemary after you add freshly grated parm and black pepper. My toddlers gobble this up!
It was outstanding!! I took others’ advice: Half smoked paprika, half regular. (KEY CHANGE!!) Halved the potatoes. Didn’t add pasta. Added a can of chickpeas. I also added Wagyu fat I kept in fridge. And I used bok choy I had instead of chard. My son added sour cream to his bowl and that added another layer of flavor with the sourness. He loved it, too, and he doesn’t like chickpeas in his food.
Great hardy meal, will cook it again!