Tuscan Greens Soup

The idea of this soup came as a mash up of two classic Italian soups…

Ribolitta – the famous Tuscan soup of kale and white beans.

And Stracciatella – a simple Roman soup of eggs, parmesan and broth.

I love how the eggs cook down into little creamy bursts in among the dark mossy green soup. So good!

I’ve used frozen spinach in the photo which is brilliant because it’s so quick. No chopping required.

But if you do have the time, fresh kale really takes the soup to a new level.

And because this soup is so simple, it really needs an excellent quality stock. If you’re using commercial stock, softening an onion before you cook the soup will help add depth of flavour.

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Tuscan Greens Soup

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

• 2 cups chicken or veg stock
• 500 g frozen spinach or kale (1lb)
• 4-6 eggs
• 100 g grated parmesan cheese
• 100 g roast walnuts or almonds

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Bring stock and greens to the boil in a medium saucepan with the lid on.
• Meanwhile stir eggs in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of the grated parmesan and a pinch of salt.
• When the broth is simmering, pour in the eggs. Turn off the heat and jam on the lid.
• Stand for 1 minute or until egg has just cooked. Taste and season with salt as needed, remembering you’re going to be adding more parmesan.
• Divide soup between two bowls. Top with parmesan, nuts and a nice drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (channelling your inner Italian).

WINE MATCH: A big Chianti or sangiovese

Variations & Substitutions

pantry-friendly – if you don’t have eggs you could use canned chickpeas or frozen chicken.

keto / ultra low carb – use the spinach. Use macadamias or skip the nuts and use a bigger drizzle of olive oil.

dairy-free – try this Brazil Nut Parmesan or sicilian nut pesto. Or just skip mixing the parmesan with the eggs or replace with almond meal (flour). And use extra nuts (maybe both almonds and walnuts for added variety). Be generous with the seasoning – adding a splash of soy sauce or a few teaspoons of miso paste will help add the umami you’ll be missing from the cheese.

more substantial (carb lovers) – short pasta, sourdough chunks, toast, white beans or roast root veg.

more substantial (low carb) – extra nuts. Extra eggs. Extra cheese. More stock. Or olive oil.

low FODMAP – use the walnuts and spinach.

different vegetables – fresh kale (my fave is cavolo nero or dinosaur kale) – just finely slice a large bunch (about 500g) and simmer covered in the stock until tender (about 15 minutes) – you may need a little more stock if it ends up too thick. Any fresh or frozen greens will work. And feel free to add your favourite soup veggies – an onion or two doesn’t go astray. Zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers (capsicum), eggplant, any roast veg – it’s all good. And I love it served with a pile of sauerkraut for extra crunch and freshness.

different protein – replace eggs with chickpeas, white beans (cannellini), lentils, crumbled sausages, bacon or ham.

nut-free – extra parmesan or extra eggs or toasted sunflower seeds.

extra flavour – soften an onion before adding the stock. Garlic is good. A splash of soy sauce or miso paste will help if your stock is a little bland.

carnivore – add some cooked sausages or ground pork (mince).

Problem Solving Guide

bland / watery – a stronger flavoured stock will help next time. For now adding a little more parmesan and a few handfuls of almond meal or bread crumbs will thicken it up. And maybe try simmering a little longer to make sure the eggs are cooked.

curdled / chunky – if the egg overcooks it will form curds. Next time use a more gentle heat. For now, just pretend you wanted a chunky soup 😉

Waste Avoidance Strategy

chicken or veg stock – prepared stock or homemade can be frozen. Otherwise unopened commercial stock can be kept in the pantry.

frozen spinach or kale – keep it frozen.

eggs – will keep in the fridge for weeks or use for another meal.

parmesan – keeps for longer in a chunk so only grate when you’re cooking. I wrap in waxed paper or baking paper and then keep in an airtight container or a sealed ziplock bag. I prefer this over just wrapping in cling wrap because the air in the container allows the cheese to breathe and not sweat but the container / plastic bag prevents from drying out in the dry fridge air. Either way will keep for months.

roast walnuts or almonds – keep them in the pantry.

Prepare Ahead

Yes! Just cook as per the recipe but keep the nuts and extra parmesan separately. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks or can be frozen. To serve, bring to a simmer and serve as per the recipe.