Romanesco broccoli pasta soup; recipe from Rome.
This Romanesco broccoli pasta soup had me at the first spoonful! It is tasty healthy and warming. So perfect for the never-ending winter we are experiencing at the moment in Northern Italy!
Minestra di pasta e broccoli romani.
Once again Italian cuisine shows it’s mastery in taking simple seasonal ingredients and turning them into a dish you just can’t get enough of! I confess I had 2 bowls of this Romanesco pasta soup, one after the other. I would have had more, had there been room in my tummy!
An authentic pasta soup recipe from Rome.
This recipe comes from Lazio, particularly Rome, where traditionally it includes skate. This is a fish that’s not so easy to find here in Veneto, so I made it without, which many people do. However the original recipe dates back to the times when Friday was a day of fasting. In poorer households, housewives would make a soup with the week’s leftover dried pasta (often a mix of different kinds) and skate, which was a actually a cheap and unappreciated fish. I have read that Romanesco broccoli was added to the soup to give it more taste!
What is Romanesco broccoli?
Romanesco broccoli, also known as Roman cauliflower, has actually been grown in Italy since the 16th century. So it’s not, as some people think, a cross between a cauliflower and broccoli. The fabulous bright chartreuse colour and baroque ‘design’ described as a natural self-similar fractal make this member of the brassica family a really beautiful vegetable.
What is a self-similar fractal you may ask! In simple layman’s terms, it’s the same pattern repeated over and over again in different sizes in something that each part looks the same as the whole object. You can read more on fractals in Wikipedia but in short Romanesco broccoli is a natural work of art!
However, Romanesco broccoli isn’t just good looking. It has a delicious slightly nutty and delicate flavour and tastes a bit like something between cauliflower and broccoli. This also means it is great in both cauliflower and broccoli recipes. Here in Italy, Romanesco broccoli is served as a side dish with main courses or eaten with pasta or made into soup. It’s also used in soup with pasta together, like in this recipe for Romanesco broccoli pasta soup!
The Pasta.
Nowadays the pasta used in this soup is either broken up spaghetti or soup pasta such as ditalini, which is what I used. However, you can use any small pasta. In the days when this soup was traditional Friday fare, pasta was often sold loose, not in packets. The leftovers were used in soups like in this recipe. Today pasta is sold in packets, but most Italian pasta makers also sell packets of mixed pasta (pasta mista) which is popular for soups.
Other ingredients for Romanesco broccoli pasta soup.
Apart from the pasta and the Romanesco broccoli, this recipe has only a few other ingredients. There are slightly different versions of this soup, as there are with many old Italian recipes. Generally, when made with skate this soup also includes carrot, celery and onion which are used with the skate to make a broth first. In this much simpler version, the only other ingredients are potato, anchovies, fresh chili pepper, garlic and tomatoes. The pasta can be cooked in the soup or separately. I cooked it in the soup which I think also makes the soup slightly thicker because of the starch from the pasta.
If you have never eaten this unusual vegetable, then this Romanesco broccoli pasta soup is a great introduction to it. Although another great way to eat it is raw as a crudité. It makes for a great conversation starter as most guests are unlikely to have eaten it before! Then you can show off your knowledge and explain fractals to them!
If you do try this Romanesco broccoli soup recipe, I’d love to hear what you think. Please write a comment here on the blog or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.
Your feedback means a lot to me!
Buon Appetito!
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Romanesco broccoli pasta soup
Ingredients
- 200 g spaghetti or ditalini (7oz) spaghetti needs to be broken into pieces
- 1 medium Romanesco Broccoli washed and cut into florets
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 1/2 fresh red or green chili pepper (peperoncino) cleaned of seeds and chopped into small pieces
- 5 anchovy fillets you can use salted or preserved in oil
- 2 potatoes peeled and cut into cubes
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 200 g cherry tomatoes (7oz) washed
- 3-4 tbsp tomato passata You can use more passata if you don’t have fresh tomatoes
- salt to taste
- fresh parsley optional
- 30 g parmesan or grana cheese grated optional
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat two to three tablespoons of oil in a deep frying pan or skillet, add the peeled garlic cloves and let them soften.
- Add the anchovy fillets cut into pieces and let them melt, then add the chili pepper (peperoncino) cut into small pieces, cherry tomatoes and Romanesco broccoli florets. stir and cook for 5 minutes
- Add the potato pieces and tomato passata and two to three cups of water or vegetable stock.
- Continue to cook covered for 10 minutes and then add salt and pepperto taste and the pasta.
- Cook until the pasta and Romanesco broccoli are both still a little al dente (firm). Remove the garlic.
- Serve hot with a dash of extra virgin olive oil, grated Parmesan or grana, black pepper and chopped parsley as required.
Notes
Other recipes from Rome on The Pasta Project.
- Puntarelle pasta with burrata
- Pasta alla Papalina
- Spaghetti alla carbonara
- Bucatini or spaghetti Amatriciana
Ai | Ai made it for you says
Romanesco broccoli is one of my favorites! Your soup looks so delicious!
The Pasta Project says
Thank you! The ingredients are so good in this dish, it’s no work to make it look delicious!
Lisa Ho says
Beautiful broccoli. And delicious soup.
We have yet to see Romanesco broccoli in our grocery stores.
The Pasta Project says
Hopefully you get to try some soon Lisa, and thank you!
Beth says
Not only does this look like an amazing recipe, but I love adding to my knowledge of mathematical patterns in plants! Fractals for dinner it is.
The Pasta Project says
Always choose fractals when you can Beth 😉
Angela says
Romanesco broccoli is so beautiful and fun. When I see it in the store, I just have to buy it since it is rarely there. Now I have a great recipe to use it for.
The Pasta Project says
I am glad you see it in your stores now and again Angela! Hopefully you love this recipe as much as we do!
Erika says
What a great soup! I’d have eaten more too!
The Pasta Project says
Thank you, Erika! I am glad you loved it!
Renee | The Good Hearted Woman says
This time of year is perfect for a good, hearty soup like this! Romanesco is fascinating to look at! I find myself picking it up at the farmer’s market occasionally, just because it adds so much gorgeous detail to any recipe.
The Pasta Project says
Thank you, Renee! Such a good idea to add it to recipes for the look!
Irina says
OMG! What a wonderful recipe of this hearty soup! Sounds flavorful and delicious! Will be making it for dinner today!
The Pasta Project says
Thank you, Irina! I hope it worked out wonderfully!
Raia Todd says
What a beautiful veggie! Broccoli always goes deliciously in pasta, so this is of course so tasty!
The Pasta Project says
It really is perfect for this recipe!
Pamela says
What a lovely soup! That broccoli is the star! We were thinking about growing that variety in the garden next year!
The Pasta Project says
I would love to hear about it if you do Pamela!
Calleigh | The Fork Bite says
This pasta soup had me at the first spoonful. It looks tasty and warming and so perfect for cold winter days. Can’t wait to try this!!
The Pasta Project says
Thank you, Calleigh!
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness says
This looks delicious! I love a good soup recipe, and romanesco broccoli is so pretty!!
admin says
Grazie Cathleen! Yes this is a super soup! Healthy, tasty and, as you say, the romanesco looks so pretty! What more can you ask for in a soup? Greetings from Verona! Jacqui
Katie Crenshaw | A Fork's Tale says
I have never had Romanesco Broccoli, but I am dying to try it now. This recipe looks lovely. It is a perfect soup for these cold windy days we have been having. I am going to make this meal for dinner next week. Thanks for the inspiration!
admin says
Grazie di cuore as the Italians say Katie! Romanesco broccoli is a pretty amazing veg; tasty, healthy and beautiful to look at! I’m sure you’ll love this soup! Greetings from Verona! Jacqui
Jen says
Whoaaa! Such a cool recipe. I remember the first time I encountered Romanesco Broccoli, I had no idea what to do with it haha. Thank you for this recipe.. as soon as these are back in season here I will give it a go!
admin says
Thank you from Verona Jen! I’m sure you’ll love this recipe when you try it! So delicious, warming and comforting! All the best Jacqui
Sara | Real Balanced says
This looks sooo delicious!! Romanesco is such a beautiful food!
admin says
Grazie Sara! Yes this is a super soup and the Romanesco does give it a wonderful flavour! Really a beautiful food in every way! Wishing you a lovely Sunday from Verona! Jacqui
Ilana says
I haven’t tried Romanesco broccoli yet, but I love everything about pasta so I would definitely love to give a try!
admin says
I’m sure you’d love Romanesco broccoli Ilana! And it works so well in this delicious soup! Hope you get to try it! Greetings from Verona! Jacqui
Brian Jones says
That sounds delicious, I can image skate working really well with this, although I am biased as I thing skate goes with everything 😀
admin says
Thanks a lot Brian! This is really a super soup. I also want to try it with skate. Difficult to find where I live though! Buona Domenica from Verona! Jacqui
Lisa says
I first saw Roman cauliflower when I was on my honeymoon a few years ago! We were in Oregon, not Italy, but it was so beautiful to see! This recipe looks so good! I’m going to add it to my dinner pinterest board!
admin says
Grazie di cuore as the Italians say Lisa! Romanesco broccoli is really a fab food! Beautiful and tasty. I’m sure you’ll love this soup if you try it! Have a lovely! Sunday Jacqui
Amanda says
Love pasta and this is a great recipe to incorporate romanesco!
admin says
Thanks Amanda! Yes the Romanesco works so well in this tasty and warming soup! I love it! All the best from bella Italia! Jacqui
Patty says
Such a hearty soup! Romanesco is my favorite “cauliflower”, its taste is mild, the florets are softer than cauliflower, really delicious and as you mentioned also delicious as a crudité. I’m certain my husband and son would love this gorgeous soup!
admin says
Thanks so much Patty! I love Romanesco too! It certainly adds a wonderful flavour to this soup! I’m sure your family will love it if you make it! Have a lovely Sunday dear! Jacqui
Karen says
Thank you for sharing the recipe, I hope to find the broccoli or seeds to grow my own. It looks delicious.
admin says
Hi Karen, I’m happy you like this recipe. Hopefully you’ll be able to find or grow this amazing broccoli and make the recipe. It’s delicious! All the best from Verona! Jacqui