Italian Soups

By Food & Wine
Updated May 05, 2017
These delicious recipes include a Sicilian meatball soup and a Tuscan-kale-and squash minestra.
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Stracciatella

Credit: © Abby Hocking
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Stracciatella is the Italian version of egg drop soup. This tasty one from chef Hugh Acheson includes shredded chicken, spinach, basil, peas, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and eggs.

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Hearty Minestrone Soup

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This satisfying soup from David Bull is an excellent source of fiber.

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Pasta Fazool

Credit: © Abby Hocking
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For his riff on pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans), F&W's Justin Chapple makes this pasta fazool with canned tomatoes and dried oregano; that way, it can be prepared any time of year.

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Tuscan Tomato Bread Soup with Steamed Mussels

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There are many versions of bread soup; this one, based on traditional peasant fare, is as thick as a bread pudding. The soup is delicious on its own, but we think the steamed mussels with their broth make a wonderful addition.

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Mixed Vegetable and Farro Soup

Credit: © Con Poulos
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Eataly's vegetable counter specializes in vegan dishes—specifically, vegan dishes that people might not suspect are vegan. One is this thick, hearty soup made with a colorful mix of carrots, peas, leek and onion. Mario Batali also adds borlotti beans and farro, which make the soup hearty enough to be a main course. The crunchy grissini on the side aren't vegan; they're sweetened with honey.

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Sicilian Meatball Soup

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Flavored with Parmesan and garlic and studded with raisins, scrumptious Sicilian meatballs turn vegetable soup into a tempting meal. If the soup waits, the pasta may absorb much of the liquid; just add water or more stock.

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Lentil and Garlic-Sausage Soup

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The inspiration for chef Tom Fundaro's garlicky lentil soup is the traditional cotechino pork sausage from the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, where it's cooked slowly until moist and almost sticky, then served over creamy lentils. Fundaro's recipe skews pan-European, with French lentils, Manchego cheese and any really good garlic sausage.

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Chunky White Bean Soup with Pan-Fried Salami

Credit: © Ethan Hill
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This Italian white bean soup is a hearty mix of cannellini beans, garlic, kale and carrots. What makes it spectacular is salty little bits of salami, which get quickly pan-fried until crisp, then stirred into the soup before serving.

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Ligurian Seafood Soup

Credit: © Rob Howard
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This gorgeous dish of layered shellfish and seafood is based on a recipe that sommelier Richard Betts found in a 1995 issue of F&W. He still has the original cooking-stained recipe, though the pot he makes it in is even older: a Dutch oven that's been in the Betts family since 1839. "It's pretty wild," he says. "Civil War meals were cooked in that pot!" Betts freely adapts the recipe to whatever looks best at the market, but he always follows the same formula: fish on the bottom, shellfish on the top. "It's so impressive," he says. "When you pull it out of the oven, people freak."

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Spinach and Egg-Drop Pasta Soup

Credit: © James Baigrie
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"In our house, stracciatella was a catch-all," Tom Valenti says about this simple, rustic soup. "We started with good homemade stock and added whatever was around: beans, leftover sausage, shredded chicken." With a few truffle shavings, this soup can be dressed up for a holiday dinner party.

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Fava Bean Pasta e Fagioli

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Chef Mike Lata's spring version of pasta e fagioli, the Italian soup, uses fresh fresh fava beans in place of borlotti or cannellini beans, along with meaty bits of bacon and a sprinkling of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

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Chestnut Soup with Grappa Cream

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Growing up in Italy's Marche region, Fabio Trabocchi roasted chestnuts in the fireplace to eat as a snack while playing cards with his family. At culinary school, he first transformed those chestnuts into this luscious soup. Incredibly creamy, it's best served in small cups as an hors d'oeuvre.

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Tuscan-Kale-and-Squash Minestra

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Minestra is a light, brothy Italian soup with vegetables. "In this version, I sauté Tuscan kale and butternut squash with onion, garlic and rosemary, then simmer them in chicken stock with pasta and white beans," Grace Parisi says.

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