This is an Italian celery soup that I stumbled on years ago when I inexplicably had a surplus of celery and no idea what to do with it. The bacon and tomato paste give it lots of umami and the rice makes it hearty enough to stand as a meal on its own.
Cook time: About 1 hour
Preparation steps:
- Dice the bacon
- Chop the onions
- Slice the celery
- Portion the stock, spices, rice, water and cheese
Notes: Cook the bacon until desired doneness, but also expect that it won’t stay crispy in the soup. The longer you cook it, the more fat you render out, so the less unhealthy it will be, but any bacon added back to the soup will absorb liquid and soften while the rice is cooking.
That said, you can always set some aside and crumble it over the soup just before serving.
If you don’t have olive oil, you can use just the bacon grease to sweat the onions. But you really should have a bottle of olive oil on hand. It doesn’t need to be expensive for cooking.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 3-4 bacon slices, diced
- ½ medium onion, chopped
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1-2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 bunch celery, cut in 1/2″ slices
- 4 cups (1 quart) chicken or vegetable stock
- (Optional) 1 rind from a wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, any size you have
- ½ cup uncooked long-grain white rice
- ¾ cup of water
- Kosher salt and fresh black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- ½ tsp dried basil
Substitutions & Remixes
- Short and medium grain rice can be used with no changes to the recipe
- Brown rice can be used, but increase the cooking time by another 15-20 minutes (or parboil the rice in advance)
- The cheese rind adds more saltiness and umami to the soup, but is totally optional
- Basil can be substituted for (or paired with) thyme, oregano, parsley or carrot greens.
Pair It With
- Crusty bread with garlic and olive oil
- Breadsticks
- Any bread, really–whatever you’ve got
- Salad for some leafy greens
- In a dutch oven or large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat until fragrant and shimmering
- Add the bacon and cook until done
- Add the onions, garlic powder and a pinch of salt. Cook until transparent and edges begin to brown
- Pour off excess grease
- Add tomato paste and stir until blended
- Add celery with a pinch of salt and cook for five minutes, stirring often
- Add the stock and cheese rind, cover and cook for 20 minutes
- Add rice and water, cover and cook for 10 minutes, or until rice is done
- Stir in cheese a little at a time, until it is incorporated into the soup
- Remove from heat and add basil. Check for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as desired.
Eat!