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Wide shallow bowl of orange pumpkin rice soup with grated Parmesan, a sage leaf, and olive oil on a linen cloth

Minestra di Riso e Zucca: Silky Italian Pumpkin Rice Soup

A northern Italian pumpkin and rice soup built on a soffritto, with mashed squash and rice starch giving the body. Serves 4 in 55 minutes.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Primo
Cuisine: Italian (Northern Italy)
Calories: 400
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil / 30 ml
  • 1 yellow onion small (100 g); finely diced
  • 1 celery stalk (50 g); finely diced
  • 1 carrot small (60 g); finely diced
  • 4 fresh sage leaves
  • 600 g pumpkin or butternut squash / 1 1/3 lb; peeled and seeded, cut into 1.5 cm / 1/2-inch cubes (about 800 g before peeling)
  • 1.4 l low-sodium vegetable broth / 6 cups; hot
  • 1 piece Parmigiano Reggiano rind 5 cm / 2 inches; optional
  • 150 g Arborio rice / 3/4 cup; not rinsed
  • 30 g unsalted butter / 2 tbsp
  • 40 g Parmigiano Reggiano / 1/2 cup; finely grated, plus more for serving
  • 1 pinch ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 tsp fine salt plus more to taste
  • black pepper to taste; freshly ground

Method
 

  1. Pour the broth into a 3-quart / 2.8 L saucepan (20 cm / 8-inch) and add the Parmigiano rind if using. Bring it to a bare simmer over medium-high heat, then keep it hot on low while you start the soup.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart / 3.8 L heavy-bottomed pot (24 cm / 9.5-inch) over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, sage and a pinch of the salt. Cook for 6 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft and translucent but not browned.
  3. Add the pumpkin cubes and stir for 2 minutes to coat them in the soffritto. Pour in the hot broth and rind, bring back to a simmer, and cook partly covered for 10 minutes, until a cube crushes easily against the pot.
  4. Mash about half the pumpkin against the side of the pot with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon, leaving the rest in chunks. The broth should turn pale orange and slightly thick.
  5. Stir in the rice and simmer gently, uncovered, for 15 to 17 minutes. Stir every few minutes and scrape the bottom so nothing sticks. The rice is ready when it's tender with a slight bite at the center and the soup looks loose, like thin porridge.
  6. Take the pot off the heat and remove the rind and sage leaves. Stir in the butter, grated Parmigiano and nutmeg, then season with the remaining salt and black pepper. Cover and rest for 5 minutes.
  7. Ladle into warm bowls and add a splash of hot broth if the soup has tightened. Top with olive oil, pepper and extra Parmigiano, and serve within 10 minutes.

Notes

  • Use hot broth throughout so the simmer never stops when you add liquid or rice.
  • Mash only half the pumpkin so some soft cubes stay intact in the bowl.
  • Cover the pot and rest it 5 minutes before serving, because the soup thickens during that time.
  • Freeze leftover Parmigiano rinds and drop one into the broth whenever you make soup.