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A pot of vegetable soup with leafy greens, tomatoes, and chunks of bread on top, steaming on a stovetop.
Melissa Jo

Sicilian Leek Soup

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Make Sicilian Leek Soup when you want bunches of leeks, sliced peperoncini, and crushed red pepper in one delicious soup.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 51 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients
  

  • 2-3 tbsp. of olive oil
  • 2 bunches of leeks
  • 5 peeled and chopped carrots
  • 7 cloves of chopped garlic
  • 4 tbsp. of sliced peperoncini I used medium heat don't be afraid to add a little of the brine in the soup too when dropping them in
  • 1 tsp. of crushed red pepper
  • salt and cracked black pepper to taste
  • 2 zucchinis quartered
  • 2 tbsp. of tomato paste
  • 2 15.5 oz. cans of Cannellini Beans (add the entire contents of the cans)
  • 14 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes (I used Hunt's)
  • 6 oz. of white wine something you would drink
  • 4 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
  • 2 handfuls of baby spinach
  • handful of fresh basil ripped up
  • 1 oz. hunk of fresh Locatelli Pecorino Romano Cheese
  • 1 Italian Baguette Loaf
  • garnish: drizzle of olive oil & grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Method
 

  1. Clean the Leeks and cut any wilted pieces off the ends of the stalk. Chop up the leeks: the whites and the green parts! The white parts I usually slice and then slice vertically too.
  2. To a dutch oven add the olive oil, crushed red pepper, chopped garlic, peperoncinis (and a little of the brine), and salt & pepper and sauté until fragrant. Don't burn the garlic! Just sauté until it's translucent.
  3. Then, add the zucchini, carrots and leeks, and sauté together about 5 minutes until the vegetables are golden.
  4. Push the veggies aside and make a little well in the pot. Add the tomato paste and sauté for about 2-3 minutes or until browned. Then, mix it all together.
  5. Deglaze the pot with white wine (or red) and let the alcohol burn out for about 2-3 minutes.
  6. Add the fire roasted tomatoes. (everything in the can) to the pot.
  7. Add both cans of Cannellini beans. Do NOT rinse the beans. add everything from the can. Afterwards, fill one of the cans with water halfway. swish it around and add it into the soup.
  8. Add 4 cups of vegetable stock into the pot & the hunk of Pecorino Romano cheese.Bring the pot to a boil. Once it's at a rolling boil. Lower to a slow simmer & cover the pot halfway and simmer for 30 minutes. (add more water if needed while cooking)
  9. After 30 minutes, uncover the pot (taste for seasoning and add more if needed)and add fresh spinach and basil and simmer together for about 5 minutes or until the spinach is wilted.
  10. For the last 2-3 minutes of cooking time add quartered day old Italian bread into the soup and simmer together for about 2-3 minutes. If your bread is fresh, then just pop the whole loaf before quartering into the oven for 10-15 minutes until it drys out a bit.
  11. Serve the soup and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and grated Pecorino Romano cheese.
  12. This soup is amazing! Make it!

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Notes

  • Homemade chicken broth is always the best, but when I am in a pinch and pressed for time, I use boxed chicken or vegetable broth. Both varieties work perfectly in this dish.

  • Make sure the Italian bread you use is at least one day old so it's slightly stale. If not set the oven to 250 degrees F. and allow the loaf to dry out for 10-15 minutes until it seems dry and a bit stale. Then chop and add into the soup!

  • DO NOT drop the bread into the soup until the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Just enough to make them incorporate into the soup; not get mushy. If you are making a full pot, and you won't eat it all in one day. Just add enough for that day's serving. Save the rest for the next day. =-)

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