The weather has finally shifted and the dry, crisp autumn air means it’s time to dig out my stock pot. Nothing’s better than putting up a pot of soup on a Saturday morning. You can enjoy it over the weekend and still have some left over for the work week. I have several “go to” soup recipes that are easy, healthful, and freeze well. One was given to me by a friend; another I found in a magazine. But my spinach soup recipe comes from the first cookbook I ever bought, The Regional Italian Kitchen by Nika Hazelton.
I’d just gotten my first place on my own. The apartment was a studio with a galley kitchen smaller than the average bathroom. There was barely enough room for my dishes, let alone for a cookbook, so it got wedged between two college texts on a book shelf in the main room.
That was a long time ago. Now la cucina has a dedicated bookcase for my ever-growing collection of cookbooks. Yet The Regional Italian Kitchen remains one of my most frequently used cookbooks, just as the spinach soup remains one of my all-time favorite recipes. This flavorful soup can stand alone, or you can add a small chewy pasta like orzo or ditalini.