Autumn Zuppa Italiano
Creamy, hearty, healthy bowl of Fall goodness! Butternut squash, lentils and carrots are pureed to perfection with Italian spices. Serve with crusty bread or a grilled cheese!
Equipment
- Immersion blender optional, can use regular blender if needed
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 approx 16 ounce container diced butternut squash
- 1 1/2 cups steamed lentils I use Trader Joe's steamed French lentils
- 4-5 cups chicken broth
- 1 15 ounce can roma tomatoes can substitute diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 small Parmesan rind or small handfull of Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 8 ounces vermicelli (thin pasta noodles), broken into small pieces cooked, tossed in small amount of olive oil and set aside for serving
- 1/2 cup heavy cream can sub unsweetened coconut milk, if desired
- 4-5 thin slices prosciutto
- 1 red jalapeno pepper sliced thin, for serving
- parsely flakes for serving, garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, add the oil, onion, red bell pepper, carrots and celery and cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute or two.
- Add the tomato paste and the red pepper flakes to the vegetable mixture, stirring and cooking another couple of minutes until well combined.
- Then add the butternut squash, the lentils, the broth, the tomatoes and the spices, along with a sprinkling of salt a pepper and the Parmesan rind. Stir and then bring to a boil over medium high heat. After soup comes to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, make sure you have your vermicelli prepared and set aside. Also, prep the prosciutto for serving. Preheat oven to 375° and when oven is ready, place prosciutto on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place in oven and cook until prosciutto is very crispy, about 8 - 10 minutes. When done, remove from oven, let cool, then crumble and set aside until serving time.
- After soup has been simmering 30 minutes or so, remove the bay leaf and Parmesan (if not completely melted into the soup). With an immersion blender, pulse mixture to desired consistency. I prefer on the smooth side with a little chunkiness for texture. If you are using a regular blender, carefully remove cupfuls at a time and pulse in blender, adding back into the pot when done. Add the cream and stir well. Cook another 5 minutes then stir in the prepared vermicelli.
- To serve, ladle into bowls and top with a sprinkle of parmesan, the sliced red jalapeno pepper, and the crunchy prosciutto. A sprinkle of parsley and grind of black pepper finishes it off perfectly! Serve with crusty bread. Mangia!