Makes a big batch of soup, freezes well, tastes extra-flavorful after a day or two in the fridge, can be made vegetarian or vegan, and can include additional veggies you’d like to use up
olive oil, divided
2 slices of bacon, chopped in ½-inch pieces (optional)
2 medium yellow onions (or one very large), peeled and diced
3 large carrots, peeled and diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
¼ cup white wine (optional)
1 large bunch of Swiss chard or kale, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped, or 6 ounces of baby kale or spinach leaves
1 large russet or Yukon Gold potato, peeled and chopped in ¾-inch cubes
leaves from 1 stem of fresh rosemary or 3 stems of fresh thyme
1 28-ounce can of either high-quality crushed tomatoes or whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, crushed by hand or cut up with scissors
5 cups water (or light vegetable or chicken stock)
rind from Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, or Pecorino Romano cheese, plus freshly grated cheese for serving (both optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 15-ounce cans of cannellini or Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
8 ounces small pasta, such as ditalini (optional)
Ingredient Note: if you’d like to pack in (or just use up) some more veggies, feel free to increase the carrots, celery, or potato, also increasing the amount of liquid added as necessary. We also sometimes add in other veggies, like fennel (added with the onion) or zucchini (added with the potatoes).
Put one tablespoon of olive oil and the chopped bacon in a large (minimum 5 quarts) pot over medium heat. If omitting the bacon, use two tablespoons of olive oil. Add onions, carrots, and celery, stir to coat with the oil and bacon fat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and softened, about 10 minutes.
Add the minced garlic, the chopped potato, and the greens, stir everything together, and cook for one minute. (If using baby kale or spinach leaves, they can be added later, with the beans, since they take less time to wilt.) Pour in the white wine, if using, and cook for an additional minute or two, until most of the wine has evaporated.
Add the tomatoes, the water or stock, the rosemary or thyme leaves, and some salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
Before adding the beans, put about 1 cup of them into a small bowl, and mash them up a bit with a potato masher or the back of a fork. Add the mashed and the whole beans to the soup (and the cheese rind and baby greens, if using), and simmer for another 5 minutes or more, until the potatoes are tender and the greens are wilted, tasting for seasoning. Remove and discard the cheese rind, if you used one.
If you’d like to include pasta, about twenty minutes before serving the soup, bring a large pot of water to a boil and stir in some salt. Add in pasta and cook until al dente, then drain pasta and place in a medium bowl and stir with a smidge of olive or neutral oil, so the pasta won’t stick together. Alternatively, the pasta can be made ahead, stirred with oil, and kept in a sealed container in the fridge until needed.
Serve the soup with any desired additions; we add pasta, grated Grana Padano, and a drizzle of olive oil.
First Thursday Recipes 