Shortcut Italian Wedding Soup
It’s soup weather!!
This is one of our favorite new soups, and I got to use some new ingredients I’ve never used in my whole life.
Watch the video for the recipe HERE.
I feel like the garden keeps me continually learning how to grow new foods and cook them.
I’ve been gardening for over 25 years and attempting to feed my family dinner for about that long and I STILL feel like I’m constantly learning.
If you love learning and you love food a garden is a gift that keeps on giving.
This soup is adapted from a version Martha Stewart makes, but it’s when you need something delicious fast! Warning: it’s got a lot of kick. Definitely on the spicy side!
Plus you get to use fennel and endive from the garden - the flavor and texture is so delicious!
INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground hot Italian sausage
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2-3 carrots, sliced
2-3 celery stalks (leaves included), sliced
1 bulb fennel, finely chopped (1 cup), plus fronds for serving
Salt and pepper
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable)
1 Parmesan rind, plus shaved Parmesan for serving
1 cup pastina, such as acini di pepe (get it at Whole Foods) cutest pasta ever!
Optional, but delicious:
3 cups endive leaves, torn into bite-size pieces
2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
DIRECTIONS:
In a large soup pan, cook the sausage. Pour in a strainer to remove excess fat (I rinse it with hot water). Leave in strainer while you cook the veggies. In the soup pan, add a little olive oil or butter. Cook the onion, fennel, carrots, and celery until soft - about 10 min.
Add broth, 3 cups water, and rind. Season well with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
Toast pastina in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, until golden, about 4 minutes. Add to simmering broth. Cook, stirring, until pastina is al dente, 6 to 8 minutes.
In a small bowl: Drizzle chopped endive with vinegar; season with salt and pepper.
To serve: add endive to bowl. Top with hot soup. Garnish generously with shaved Parmesan and fennel fronds.
The crunch of the endive, the flavor from the Parmesan rind, the adorable noodles, and the fennel (fronds included)? This soup is on the winter rotation! Serves 6.
HELPFUL LINKS
Want to learn to garden? In Monarch Garden Society we help Houston-area gardeners go from confused about growing in our area, missing important planting deadlines, and wasting precious time and money to feeling confident, eating more from their garden, and saving valuable time and resources!
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Need help designing and installing landscaping beds or rethinking your outdoor spaces? We'll be right over. Get started HERE.
Shop Monarch Garden Company for trellises, planters, and more!
Check out our Amazon Storefront for products we love in the garden and other fun items we use to bring the garden to our table!
Want seasonal recipes and ideas for how to make the garden a part of your everyday life? Check out Monarch Living!
Looking for ongoing help taking care of your vegetable garden? Check out what Monarch Garden Company Maintenance has to offer (it's a lot)!
