Green Soup

Naturally, green soup is a tasty and nutritious dish, perfect both as an appetizer and as a first course. Here is the classic Italian recipe.

Ingredients

• 300 g of Swiss chard or spinach
• 1 medium onion
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 carrot
• 200 g of potatoes
• 1.5 liters of vegetable or meat broth
• 100 g of rice (preferably Carnaroli or Vialone Nano)
• 50 g of butter
• 50 g of grated Parmesan
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Clean the Swiss chard or spinach by removing the toughest parts. Rinse the leaves thoroughly under running water and pat them dry.

2. Finely chop the onion, celery, and carrot to make a soffritto. Dice the potatoes.

3. In a large pot, heat a drizzle of oil and add the chopped onion, celery, and carrot. Sauté gently until soft and translucent.

4. Add the diced potatoes and the Swiss chard or spinach, stir, and let the flavors meld for a few minutes.

5. Pour the broth into the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

6. Once the vegetables are tender, after about 20 minutes, add the rinsed and drained rice.

7. Cook according to the time indicated on the rice package (about 15-18 minutes), making sure it does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Adjust salt and pepper during cooking.

8. Once the rice is cooked, turn off the heat and add the butter in pieces and the grated Parmesan. Stir well to cream the soup.

9. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

Trivia

Green soup is a very versatile recipe that can be easily adapted according to seasonality and the availability of green vegetables. For a more rustic touch, in some areas of Italy legumes such as beans or lentils are also added.