Spinach, Parmesan, and Garlic Soup

Serves 8

This remarkably easy soup is based on one of those Italian dishes I grew up on. I can still remember my grandmother heating up some chicken broth, throwing in a handful of chopped spinach (she rarely used measuring cups or written recipes), and topping it with grated Parmesan at the table. This recipe is almost as elementary, and goes from pot to bowl in record time. It features just three primary components, but the trio is so well balanced—the green flavor of spinach, the bite of garlic, and the salty cheese—that it registers as satisfying and complete on the palate.

You can also make this soup with other greens like escarole (more bitter than spinach) and kale (more toothsome than spinach), just be sure to increase the cooking time by 4 or 5 minutes, depending on how tender you want them.

Because the stock itself plays such a major role here, this is one case where your homemade stock would be put to good use. You can also reinforce the cheesy flavor by serving Cheese Croutons on the side, or the garlic flavor by topping each serving with a few Garlic Croutons.

 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small Spanish onion, peeled and minced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds spinach (about 3 large bunches), stems discarded, roughly chopped, rinsed, and left a little damp

2 quarts homemade Chicken Stock or store-bought, reduced-sodium chicken broth

¹/₄ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Extra-virgin olive oil, optional

 

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the spinach to the pot and season with salt and pepper. The spinach will kick and spit a bit, which is what you want. Stir it with a kitchen spoon or tongs so that the spinach soaks up the flavor of the garlic and onion. Cook until all of the spinach takes on a bright green color, about 2 minutes.

3. Add the stock and stir. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and let the soup simmer for 5 minutes. If not serving immediately, let cool, cover, and refrigerate for a few days or freeze for up to 1 month. Reheat before proceeding.

4. Stir in the ¹/₄ cup cheese and ladle some soup into each of 8 bowls. Top with a sprinkling of black pepper, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil if desired, and serve, passing extra grated cheese in a small bowl at the table.

VARIATIONS

Creamy Spinach, Parmesan, and Garlic Soup

To make a thicker, richer soup dominated by cheese, don’t add the Parmesan in Step 4. Instead, strain the soup through a fine-mesh strainer, reserve the spinach, and blend the cheese into the broth using an immersion blender or regular blender (see safety tips). Return the broth and reserved spinach to the pot to rewarm. You can also break an egg into a bowl, beat it, and stir it into the soup, off the heat, just before serving. Alternatively, you might top each serving with a poached egg and let each diner break it open and stir it in.

Spinach and White Bean Soup

Drain and rinse one 15-ounce can of cannellini beans and add them in Step 4 to heat though in the hot broth.

Spinach and Chicken Soup

Stir chopped leftover chicken, perhaps from these recipes, into the soup for a more substantial dish.

Gnocchi with Spinach, Parmesan, and Garlic

Use the soup to flavor cooked gnocchi: Put the gnocchi in a deep-sided, heavy-bottomed sauté pan, pour 2 cups of the soup on top, and warm over moderate heat, stirring or tossing, for 3 to 5 minutes, then divide among individual plates. Top with extra grated Parmesan.