Spring Herb Soup

Name: Spring Herb Soup
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: Olive oil 3 tbsp; Pancetta 4 oz; Yellow onions 1; Kosher Salt ½ tsp; Black pepper ½ tsp; Dry white wine ½ cup (4 oz); Fregola sarda 1 ¼ cups; Parsley 3 tbsp; Garlic 2 cloves; Fennel seeds 1 tsp; Crushed red pepper ½ tsp; Chicken broth 8 cups; Cannellini 1 (15-ounce) can; Chives ½ cup; Tarragon ¼ cup; Pecorino; Lemon wedges

with Fregola and Pancetta

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45m
Serves 6
Easy
(1)

Ingredients

Adjust Servings:

	3 tbsp Olive oil extra-virgin
	4 oz Pancetta finely diced
	1 Yellow onions medium-sized, finely chopped, about 2 cups
	½ tsp Kosher Salt plus more to taste
	½ tsp Black pepper plus more to taste
	½ cup (4 oz) Dry white wine
	1 ¼ cups Fregola sarda uncooked, orzo, or Israeli couscous
	3 tbsp Parsley finely chopped fresh flat-leaf stems plus 1 ½ cups finely chopped parsley leaves, divided
	2 cloves Garlic large, thinly sliced
	1 tsp Fennel seeds
	½ tsp Crushed red pepper
	8 cups Chicken broth low-sodium
	1 (15-ounce) can Cannellini drained and rinsed
	½ cup Chives finely chopped fresh
	¼ cup Tarragon finely chopped fresh
	For garnish:
	Pecorino finely grated,
	For serving:
	wedges Lemon

Nutritional information

207

calories

10.8g

fat

14.8g

carbohydrates

11.8g

protein

13mg

cholesterol

377mg

sodium

Cuisine:

Italian Recipes

Spring Herb Soup recipe

This easy-to-make Spring Herb Soup with Fregola and pancetta beams with vibrancy and flavor. Inspired by a classic Sardinian soup, this brothy soup gets extra body and heft from the cannellini beans, crispy bits of pancetta and Fregola Sarda, and a hint of the Mediterranean from fresh parsley, tarragon, and chives. Fregola Sarda, a small pearl-shaped pasta originating in Sardinia, is similar to Israeli couscous but toasted in an oven. It is chewy and holds up well in soup. Instead of Fregola, which can be challenging to find, you can use Israeli couscous or orzo with equally delicious results.

This recipe calls for using dry white wine to make the rich and fragrant base of the soup, so don’t skip it. Make sure to serve each bowl of soup with a hefty sprinkling of freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese and lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over. Enjoy!

To make the Spring Herb Soup, you will need the following ingredients:

Steps to make Spring Herb Soup

1
Heat oil and cook pancetta
5

In a medium Dutch oven over medium heat, heat 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Add 4 ounces finely diced pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat is rendered, 4 to 6 minutes.
2
Add onion, salt and pepper
10

Add 1 finely chopped onion, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 to 12 minutes.
3
Add wine
5

Pour in ½ cup (4 ounce) dry white wine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has almost completely reduced, 4 to 5 minutes.
4
Add Fregola, parsley, garlic, fennel seeds, and red pepper
3

Add 1 ¼ cups uncooked Fregola, 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley stems, 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, and ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until aromatic, 2 to 4 minutes.
5
Add broth
1

Pour in 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
6
Simmer
15

Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fregola is al dente, 14 to 16 minutes (or 8 to 10 minutes for orzo or couscous).
7
Add beans
2

Reduce the heat to low and stir in 1 can drained and rinsed cannellini beans. Cook for about 2 minutes until heated through.
8
Add herbs and seasoning
3

Remove from the heat and stir in ½ cup finely chopped fresh chives, ¼ cup finely chopped fresh tarragon, and 1 ½ cups finely chopped parsley leaves. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
9
Serve

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.

Vibrant and flavorful, this Spring Herb Soup makes the most of fresh herbs. It’s easy to make and delish. Give this recipe a go, and let us know what you think in the comments below!

About the author

Lilly Mathuse

Lilly is an enthusiastic and cheerful young mom. She knows as well as any parent that children can be really picky when it comes to food. And she’s had plenty of experience trying to cook meals that are both tasty and nutritious, and able to satisfy the tastes of a fussy kid right away! To save you some precious time, Lilly's going to share with you all the tricks she learned the hard way, so you don’t have to! She has a wealth of recipes for quick and easy meals for kids and families on a budget.