Giuliano Hazan

Vegetable Soup with Pasta

Minestra di Verdure con la Pasta

Preparation info

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Serves

    4

Appears in

Giuliano Hazan's Thirty Minute Pasta

Giuliano Hazan's Thirty Minute Pasta

By Giuliano Hazan

Published 2009

  • About

Often Italian vegetable soups require long cooking times to achieve the desired depth of flavor. This soup, however, cooks fairly quickly, so the vegetables retain a fresh and fragrant flavor. I like a larger, more substantial pasta shape here, particularly the tubular, corkscrew-shaped cavatappi.

Ingredients

  • ½ small yellow onion
  • 1 medium carrot
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 ounce prosciutto, sliced ⅛ inch thick
  • 2 medium leeks
  • Salt
  • 1 zucchini (6–7 ounces)
  • ¾ pound tomatoes
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large beef bouillon cube
  • 6 ounces cavatappi
  • 4 ounces frozen peas
  • ¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Method

  1. Peel the onion and finely chop it. Peel the carrot and cut it into small dice, about ⅛ inch. Put the butter in a 3- to 4-quart soup pot and place over medium-high heat. When the butter begins to melt, add the onion and carrot and sauté until the onion turns a rich golden color, about 5 minutes.
  2. While the onion is sautéing, cut the prosciutto into ⅛-inch dice. Gut off the root end of the leeks and trim the tough dark-green tops of the leaves. Cut the leeks ½-into Winch chunks, put them in a bowl, and cover with water. Swish the leeks with your hands to loosen any dirt.
  3. When the onion is ready, add the prosciutto and sauté briefly until it loses its raw color, about 1 minute. Lift the leeks out of the water in the bowl and add them to the pot. Season lightly with salt and continue cooking, stirring periodically.
  4. Wash the zucchini, remove the ends, and cut into ½-inch chunks. Peel the tomatoes and coarsely chop. Add the zucchini and tomatoes to the pot. Season with pepper and lightly with salt. Add 4 cups water and the bouillon cube, raise the heat, and when the soup comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium. Cook, covered, for 15 minutes, then add the pasta and frozen peas. Cook until the pasta is al dente. Stir in the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve hot.

© 2009 Giuliano Hazan. All rights reserved.