Whenever you want to clear your cupboard shelves of those quarter-filled boxes of dried pasta, then it’s time to make some soup. Soup also provides an easy solution to the problem of what to do with odds and ends of roasted meat, steamed vegetables, and cooked legumes.
As in other types of dishes, pasta blends seamlessly with myriad flavors, so you can create an endless variety of soups with different ethnic accents.
The best pasta shapes for soups are the small and medium-size short ones, as well as thin ribbons and strands. These run the gamut from pastina, small bow-ties, tiny shells, stars, and miniature tubes to vermicelli and capellini broken into short lengths. Stuffed pastas are good in some instances, as are Asian pastas like soba, rice sticks, and glass noodles.
Thin, brothlike soups make the most of the narrow strands and small shapes, whereas chunky soups replete with beans, meat, poultry, and vegetables are better suited to thicker and medium-size pasta shapes.
Pasta soup leftovers should simply be covered, refrigerated, and eaten within a couple of days. Before you reheat the leftovers, however, you’ll need to add more broth, water, or vegetable juice because the soup will have thickened. Then go ahead and reheat the soup, either by the portion in a microwave oven or in larger quantities on top of the stove.
When you reheat a thick soup on the stove, be sure to stir frequently so the solids don’t sink to the bottom and scorch. Soups that contain melted cheese reheat best in a microwave oven. If this is not possible, reheat the soup in a heavy saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly so the cheese does not stick to the pan and burn.
To revive the flavor of leftover soup, add a fresh and different ingredient to it, or after reheating, sprinkle the top with chopped fresh herbs.
Pasta continues to absorb liquid and to soften even when cold, so it is not a good idea to freeze a pasta soup. If you like the idea of making soups ahead of time, cook the soup base to the point where you would add the pasta, and freeze the base. When you’re ready to serve the soup, thaw and reheat the base, adding the uncooked pasta once the base comes to a boil.
PASTA: Medium-size fancy shapes
MAKES: 4 servings
TIME: 5 minutes preparation plus 25 minutes no-work cooking time
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Pasta e fagioli simply means “pasta with beans,” and it is one of the most comforting dishes I know—easy to prepare, delicious to eat, and incredibly filling.
An authentic Italian pasta e fagioli calls for soaking dried beans. However, because this is too time consuming during the week, I’ve developed a way to make a very good version with canned beans. (Purists can of course substitute dried beans that have been soaked and cooked over the weekend.) I buy the health food store varieties, which are usually less mushy.
During the time it takes to cook the soup, you can prepare another course, such as a salad or a steamed vegetable. Or use the time to work on dessert.
4 cloves garlic
¼cup olive oil
¾ teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary
4 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
½ pound (2 cups) gnocchi, elbow macaroni or mezzani
2 cans (16 ounces each) small white beans, drained; or 4 cups cooked dried white beans, drained
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Peel and mince the garlic.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and rosemary, and cook until you can smell the garlic, about 10 seconds. Add the broth and bring it to a simmer. Then add the pasta, cover the pan, and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
3. Add the beans, cover, and cook until the pasta is very tender and much of the liquid has evaporated, 20 to 25 minutes. (The soup should be quite thick at the end.) When the soup is done, season it to taste with salt and pepper. Serve it while it is still very hot; pass the cheese on the side.
• With tomatoes: Substitute 1 can (14 ounces) crushed tomatoes for 2 cups of the broth.
• With vegetables: Finely chop 2 medium-size carrots, 2 celery ribs, or half a fennel bulb. Add the vegetables after you add the garlic. Cover, and simmer over low heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Then add the broth and proceed with the recipe.
• With herbs: Mince ½ cup (packed) fresh basil or parsley leaves. Add the herbs in step 3 after the pasta and beans have cooked; omit the cheese.
SECOND TIME AROUND
Thin leftovers with tomato or vegetable juice, and add narrow strips of roasted veal, turkey, or ham.
PASTA: Thin strands, made of semolina, rice, or mung bean
MAKES: 4 to 6 servings
TIME: 20 minutes
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This soup is delicate enough to serve as a starter for an elegant weekend menu, but the luscious combination of eggs, cheese, and noodles also makes a dinner. If you like, serve it with hearty whole-wheat bread and follow it with a vegetable salad.
Kids like this soup a lot (if they like scrambled eggs, that is).
6 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
2 cups (loosely packed) fresh parsley, basil, or mint leaves
¼ pound vermicelli, capellini, or thin rice or cellophane noodles
4 eggs
⅓ to ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Bring the broth to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat.
2. While the broth is heating, rinse, pat dry, and mince the herbs. Break the noodles into 2- to 3-inch lengths. In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs with the Parmesan.
3. When the broth boils, taste it for seasoning. (If you are using frozen saltless broth, add enough salt and pepper to bring out the flavor or your soup will be bland.) Add the noodles, cover, and simmer over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the herbs. Then, whisking constantly, pour the beaten eggs into the soup. Stir for about 30 seconds or until the eggs have curdled into ribbon-shaped strands. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
Vegetable and Egg Vermicelli Soup: When the broth comes to a boil, add 2 finely chopped carrots or 1 package (10 ounces) frozen petite peas or chopped spinach, thawed. Then add the vermicelli and proceed with the recipe.
Cholesterol-Free Vermicelli Soup: Substitute 8 egg whites for the whole eggs, and omit the cheese.
• Asian version: Add ¼ cup soy sauce and 1 tablespoon lemon juice to the broth as it is coming to a boil. Substitute 4 thinly sliced scallions for the Parmesan, adding them when you add the herbs in step 3, and use rice or cellophane noodles if possible.
• Thick and rich version: Double the quantities of vermicelli and Parmesan, and stir in 6 eggs. This thicker soup makes a more substantial meal by itself.
PASTA: Small or medium-size shapes
MAKES: 4 to 6 servings
TIME: 35 minutes
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After garlic cooks for a long time, it loses all of its pungency and becomes delicately sweet, smooth, and aromatic. To make it easier to fish out the garlic cloves after cooking, thread them on a bamboo skewer or on a couple of toothpicks.
This soup is wonderful as a main course. It’s also a practical soup, one for using up any leftover dried pasta you might have in the house. It accommodates vegetables in season and leftover cooked pasta, as well as bits of leftover meat or poultry. Serve grated cheese with this if you wish; at times I like Parmesan or Romano, other times I opt for shreds of a gooey mozzarella, grated sharp Cheddar, or a crumble of blue.
This is so filling that a simple fruit salad for dessert will round out the meal.
6 to 8 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
2 medium-size carrots 2 ribs celery
½ pound mushrooms 10 cloves garlic
¼ teaspoon ground dried sage
¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup small broccoli or cauliflower florets
2 to 3 cups orecchiette, penne, or fusilli, or 1 cup pastina
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup grated cheese of your choice (see headnote; optional)
1. Bring the broth to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat. While the broth is heating, prepare the vegetables and add them as each is done: Peel and thinly slice the carrots. Finely chop the celery. Trim the mushrooms, wipe them clean with a damp paper towel, and thinly slice them.
2. Peel the garlic, leaving the cloves whole. String them on a bamboo skewer (make sure it fits into your saucepan) or thread them on several toothpicks, and add to the broth. Add the herbs.
3. When the broth is at a full simmer, cover the saucepan and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
4. Add the broccoli and pasta, cover the saucepan, and simmer over medium heat until the broccoli is tender and the pasta is cooked, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the garlic, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve while very hot. Pass the grated cheese.
• Substitute 1 cup chopped fennel bulb or diced white turnips, parsnips, or rutabagas for either the carrots or the celery; these vegetables have an affinity for garlic.
• Omit the broccoli or cauliflower, and after the pasta is cooked, add ½ cup chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley or dill. Or add 2 cups shredded watercress, arugula, or spinach.
SECOND TIME AROUND
If there are any leftovers, change the character of the soup and thin it at the same time by adding tomato juice or a can of stewed tomatoes, chopped.
PASTA: Thin strands or ribbons, made of mung beans, semolina, buckwheat, or rice
MAKES: 4 servings
TIME: 25 to 30 minutes
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This soup appears to be light but is filling nonetheless. “Glass” noodles have more texture than flavor, but they do swell up as much as wheat noodles, and are great for people who are allergic to wheat.
1 package (3¼ to 4 ounces) mung bean noodles
4 cups water
5 or 6 small carrots
½ pound mushrooms
6 cups chicken broth or water
cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
½ pound snow peas
½ cup (loosely packed) fresh cilantro leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Place the mung bean noodles in a large bowl. Bring the water to a boil and pour it over the noodles. Let them stand until they are tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, peel and thinly slice the carrots. Stem the mushrooms and wipe the caps with a damp paper towel; then thinly slice them.
3. Combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, carrots, and mushrooms in a large saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the saucepan, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the carrots and mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.
4. While that is cooking, snap off the stem ends of the snow peas and pull off the strings; discard any yellow or bruised snow peas. Rinse the cilantro, pat it dry, and mince the leaves. When the noodles are soft, drain them and cut them into manageable pieces, about 4- to 5-inch lengths.
5. Right before you are ready to eat, add the noodles to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Add the snow peas and simmer for 1 minute, just to soften them slightly. Add the cilantro and remove the saucepan from the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
If you are using vermicelli or rice noodles in the soup, cook them separately, then ladle the soup and vegetables over them. This way the pasta will not absorb too much of the liquid and become mushy.
PASTA: Small or medium-size tubes or fancy shapes
MAKES: 4 to 6 servings
TIME: 10 minutes preparation plus 25 minutes no-work cooking time
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Plan to make this soup, which comes in as many versions as there are regions in Italy, on a cold night when you know you’ll be coming home late and exhausted. The work consists of peeling and dicing the potatoes and the carrots. After that, you just put your feet up while the soup cooks by itself.
This is a filling soup that requires only some slices of crusty bread to round out the meal.
4 carrots
2 medium-size boiling potatoes
8 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable broth or water
1 cup canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 cup elbow macaroni, small shells, or orzo
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ to ⅓ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1. Peel and thinly slice the carrots. Peel the potatoes and cut them into ½-inch dice.
2. Combine the broth, carrots, and potatoes in a large saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the beans, spinach, and pasta to the soup. Bring the soup back to a boil and simmer over medium heat, covered, until the pasta is cooked, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat. Add the cheese, stirring until it is softened. Serve immediately.
• Substitute ½ pound chopped rinsed fresh spinach for the frozen spinach; add it in batches after the pasta is cooked—not before, because it takes only a couple of minutes to wilt.
• To give the soup a smoky flavor, add 1 cup diced smoked ham or turkey after the pasta is cooked, and simmer until heated through, about 1 minute.
SECOND TIME AROUND
Cheer up leftovers by adding 1 can crushed or stewed tomatoes, with their juice, and season the soup with some dried oregano or marjoram.
PASTA: Tiny shapes
MAKES: 4 servings
TIME: 10 minutes preparation plus 30 minutes no-work cooking time
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This uncomplicated-tasting, thick lentil-and-pasta soup provides comfort and warmth on a raw winter’s night. The preparation is minimal and the flavor is maximum.
What makes it especially pleasing is the textural balance between the lentils and the acini de pepe, a type of pasta often mislabeled “barley.” Other small shaped pasta would be equally welcome.
Whenever I am in the mood for such a hearty soup, I am in the mood for nothing else. If this soup meal falls short of your appetite requirements, however, serve either sandwiches or a salad alongside it.
The cheeses that blend well with this flavor are Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Romano, and Parmesan.
2 slices regular bacon or turkey bacon ½ medium-size onion
1 tablespoon vegetable oil 4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
½ cup lentils
½ teaspoon ground dried sage
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
½ cup acini de pepe or other tiny pasta shapes, such as pastina, anellini or orzo
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Plain yogurt or grated cheese (optional)
1. Mince the bacon. Peel and finely chop the onion.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring constantly, until crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onions and stir to coat them with the oil. Cover, and cook over low heat until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the chicken broth and water, raise the heat and bring to a boil. Add the lentils, sage, oregano, and coriander. Cover, and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 20 minutes. Stir the soup every now and then to make sure the lentils are not sticking to the bottom of the saucepan.
4. Add the tomatoes and bring the liquid back to a boil. Then add the pasta, cover, and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Again, stir it every now and then so the pasta does not stick.
5. When the pasta is tender and the soup is very thick, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately. Pass the yogurt or cheese on the side.
SECOND TIME AROUND
Thin the soup to a desirable consistency with water or vegetable or chicken broth, and bring it to a boil. Add 1 cup diced cooked ham, pork, beef, chicken, or turkey, or 1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn or chopped spinach, thawed. Perk up the flavor even further with a handful of chopped fresh herbs.
PASTA: Thin egg noodles or tiny shapes
MAKES: 4 servings
TIME: 35 minutes
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A chicken noodle soup recipe is essential to your repertoire, and this one is clean-flavored and uncomplicated.
Although you cannot really taste the lemon juice, it is essential in the soup to balance and sharpen the other flavors. This makes a meal when served with bread, although hearty appetites will perhaps want a salad before the soup or a robust dessert after to complete the meal.
6 to 8 carrots
6 cups chicken broth
1 clove garlic
¾ pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
⅓ cup (packed) fresh parsley or dill leaves
2 cups fine egg noodles
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Peel and thinly slice the carrots. Combine them with the chicken broth in a large saucepan. Peel the garlic and drop the whole clove into the broth. Cover the saucepan and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the carrots are tender, about 5 minutes.
2. While that is cooking, cut the chicken into ½-inch chunks. Rinse, pat dry, and mince the parsley or dill.
3. Add the chicken and egg noodles to the broth, cover, and cook until the noodles are tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and the parsley or dill. Fish out the garlic clove, and season the soup to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
If you are making this soup with canned broth, which can be salty, use only 3 cups and make up the remaining liquid with 3 cups water. To help pick up the flavor of the canned broth, add a bay leaf or ½ teaspoon thyme or marjoram to the soup.
ESPECIALLY GOOD FOR CHILDREN
Except for the herbs, this soup is a great hit with most kids I know. If your offspring are as fussy as mine about green things floating in their soup, then save the herbs for the adults’ portions and leave the fussy eaters’ bowls plain.
PASTA: Stuffed pastas
MAKES: 6 servings
TIME: 15 to 20 minutes
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This unusual combination of stuffed pasta with cucumbers works beautifully. The colors are lovely together, especially if you use a spinach-stuffed pasta, but try the combination with all sorts of stuffed pasta, including the cheese and meat varieties.
I finish the soup with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, just enough to enhance the flavor but not so much as to flavor it with cheese.
Another light course will make a meal with this delicate soup.
8 cups chicken broth
1 pound stuffed pasta, such as spinach-meat tortellini or mushroom-stuffed cappelletti
6 scallions (green onions)
2 medium-size cucumbers
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese
1. Bring the broth to a boil, covered, in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the stuffed pasta and boil gently, uncovered, until they are cooked through and tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, trim 3 inches off the tops of the scallions and thinly slice the remainder. Peel, seed, and chop the cucumber into ¼-inch dice.
3. When the pasta is cooked, add the scallions and cucumbers. Simmer the soup just to warm the cucumbers, less than 1 minute (they should remain crisp). Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately. Pass the Parmesan separately.
Instead of cucumbers, you could add other quick-cooking vegetables. Two or 3 small carrots, grated, would be a good substitution, as would a 10-ounce package of frozen petite peas, thawed.
ESPECIALLY GOOD FOR CHILDREN
If those cucumber pieces turn your kids off, ladle a portion of the plain soup into their bowls and save the scallions and cucumbers for the adults.
PASTA: Tiny shapes
MAKES: 4 to 6 servings
TIME: 20 minutes
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This soup is lemony, zingy, and fresh. You can serve it as a first course if you omit the tofu, or turn it into a plentiful main course by adding a few more vegetables. However you choose to go, you’ll find it an easy soup to make and refreshingly simple.
I always serve bread with soup, and the combination is enough to turn this into a meal—but if you’re still hungry, vanilla frozen yogurt makes an ideal dessert.
1 lemon
8 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
½ pound mushrooms
½ pound firm tofu
1 cup (packed) fresh parsley leaves
2 scallions (green onions)
¾ cup tiny pasta, such as orzo, anellini, farfallini, or stelline
Salt
¼ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1. Grate the zest from the whole lemon, and then juice the lemon. Combine the zest, ¼ cup lemon juice, and the broth in a large saucepan. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat.
2. While that is coming to a boil, trim the mushrooms and wipe them clean with a damp paper towel. Cut the mushrooms into thin slices and add them to the broth. Cut the tofu into small dice and add it to the broth as well. Rinse and mince the parsley. Trim the scallions, cut the white and green parts into thin slices, and set them aside with the parsley.
3. When the liquid is at a full boil, add the pasta and cook until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat, and add the parsley and scallions. Season to taste with salt and red pepper flakes. Serve the soup immediately.
Lemon Parsley Fish Soup: Substitute fish stock or clam juice for the broth, and 8 ounces of diced fresh fish for the tofu. Add the fish at the same time you add the pasta.
Lemon Parsley Chicken Soup: Use chicken broth, and substitute ½ pound boneless, skinless chicken breast for the tofu. Cut the chicken into thin long shreds, and add them when you add the pasta.
SECOND TIME AROUND
Vary the broth on the second pass in a dramatic fashion: Spoon a few teaspoons of miso paste into the leftovers and voilà—an instant Japanese-style soup.
PASTA: Thin strands
MAKES: 4 servings
TIME: 30 to 35 minutes
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This incredible soup will soothe you on a cold winter’s evening, not only because of its satisfying flavor but also because of the minimal effort required to cook it.
Toasting the skinny noodles gives their flavor an intriguing taste, and simmering the soup uncovered makes it thick and appealing. This is popular with children.
With the soup serve crusty whole-wheat bread and a green or cabbage salad.
1 onion
6 ounces vermicelli, capellini, or very fine egg noodles
⅓ cup olive oil
6 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional)
Salt
GARNISHES (OPTIONAL):
Sour cream or plain yogurt
Chopped green olives
Sliced pimientos
1. Peel and finely chop the onion. Break the noodles into 1-inch pieces.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, over medium-high heat. Add the broken noodles and sauté them, stirring constantly, until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes. (Don’t worry if they do not all brown or if they do not brown evenly.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the golden noodles to a bowl and reserve them for later.
3. Add the onions to the remaining oil in the saucepan, and sauté for a minute or so. Then cover the pan and simmer the onions over low heat until they are tender and golden, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the broth, tomatoes, oregano, cumin, Tabasco, and sautéed noodles. Season with salt (you’ll need 2 teaspoons at least). Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, uncovered, until the noodles are very soft and the soup is quite thick, 15 to 20 minutes. Adjust the seasoning, and serve with the optional garnishes.
Add some zip by garnishing each portion with a spoonful of plain yogurt or sour cream, topped with chopped green olives and sliced pimientos.