Creamy Spinach "Vellutata" soup

This is a healthy, comforting and quite good-looking soup made as “vellutata” meaning “velvety” in Italian. Beloved in almost every household, the term refers to a light vegetable soup which is blended to obatain a creamy consistency with minimal amounts of fat. I make it when I need a nutritious and light meal in hardly any time.

It is fantastic when made with very fresh spinach, but a bag of good quality organic frozen spinach is perfectly acceptable.

You can top the soup with toasted bread, but it’s especially delicious when served with a small portion of fresh pasta.

This recipe makes good use of uncooked  fresh noodles leftovers. When I have fresh pasta leftovers, I dry it on a towel for a day or two and then roughly crush it with my hands to give it a rustic look before cooking.

Store bought fresh egg-noodles will work well but no crushing is needed.

What makes the dish is also that drizzle of your absolutely best olive oil at the end. The fruity aroma of the oil brings out the herby intensity of the vegetable.

Please don’t be tempted to cook the pasta in the soup, it will be chewy while it should be silky. Fresh noodles cook in no time so it’s not a major effort.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 kg (1 lb) spinach, cleaned
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 l ( 1 quart) boiling water or stock
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• 60 gr (2 ounces) fresh pasta noodles per person
• 2 teaspoon freshly grated Parmigiano per person
• best quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the spinach:

In a  saucepan which must be large enough to hold the soup, add two tablespoon olive oil and the diced the onion. Sautè until the onion is translucent.

Add the spinach leaves, cover and simmer on high heat until the greens are wilted. Add corn starch and stir.

Add the boiling water or stock, bring to boil, then simmer 3-4 more minutes, season and puree until smooth. Cover to keep warm.

To cook the pasta:

In a separate pan cook the noodles in plenty salted boiling water until al dente. Fresh tagliolini will take no more than one minute.  Drain and toss with one tablespoon of olive oil.

To serve:

Ladle the hot spinach puree into bowls, top with the cooked pasta, a sprinkle of grated Parmigiano, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.

If you are gluten-free, you can use boiled rice instead of pasta or two tablespoon cooked cannellini beans per person. Just sauté them first in a pan with a little garlic and olive oil before gently float them on the soup.

And if you have no pasta or rice, a slice of crusty bread, first toasted, then rubbed with garlic and diced into croutons works beautifully too.

Serves 4.