What Are the Best Pasta Shapes for Soup?
If you haven't tried Etto pasta in soup now is the time. On a chilly night or even better yet, a rainy one a great bowl of soup that includes Etto pasta and some Bread Bike bread on the side is super satisfying. Cooking pasta in soup requires a bit of skill and patience. I've found that using the cooking times on our box often isn't enough time because soup is rarely boiling the whole time. Use the box time as a starting point and then taste until the texture is right. I often don't mind if soup pasta is a bit beyond al dente (you remember our old friend from last week).
When making a soup with pasta use less than you think. When making a soup for four people I often add only a large handful or around an etto (100 grams or 1/4 pound). The pasta absorbs the liquid and grows in size and can overly dominate the soup. The starch from the pasta will act as a thickener too to help give the soup a richer feel.
There are a ton of different soups that can be made with pasta and a quick internet search will reveal many. The reality is almost any soup could benefit with the addition of a little pasta. I think The best pasta shapes to add to soup are ditalini or conchigliette, but the reality is, that any pasta including our cute Fido (dog pasta) and Figaro (cat pasta) can make a bowl of soup even more exciting. Can you imagine the joy from the little ones? Don't forget, pasta also adds protein and complex carbohydrates to your soup.
Tomato soup? Add some conchigliette
Vegetable Soup? Add some ditalini, or for the kids Fido and Figaro
Chicken Noodle? Make it with Etto reginette.
The classics however are minestrone, cioppino ( we stock some great ones in a jar that only need a bit of seafood and a dash of pasta) and my all time favorite pasta fagioli. This dish on the East Coast somehow became known as Pasta Fazool, but whatever you call it make sure you make it at least once this winter. It is a humble country dish that I consider to be a luxury and pasta is the star. (see the recipe below)
What's your favorite soup with Etto pasta?