Warm up your weeknight meal with the flavors of Italy
This easy weeknight supper pairs a classic soup with a crispy, Italian-inspired sandwich and finishes with sweet, juicy roasted pears. The menu is simple to pull-off on any busy night: the soup can be made days ahead, the pears go into the oven and roast, hands-off, for an hour, and the panini is ready in minutes. This menu serves three to four with leftover soup.
Menu Timeline
Up to five days ahead:
- Make the soup. Cool and refrigerate.
An hour ahead:
- Put the pears in the oven to roast. When they’re done, turn off the oven and leave the pears inside to keep warm until ready to serve.
Thirty minutes ahead:
- Reheat the soup.
- Cook the spinach and squeeze out excess liquid.
- Assemble & cook the paninis.
Just before dessert:
Shopping List
Fresh Produce:
- 5 oz. baby spinach (about 5 lightly packed cups)
- 4 medium carrots
- 3 medium red onions
- 3 medium celery ribs with leaves
- 4 firm-ripe pears (any variety)
- 5 medium cloves garlic
Meat & Dairy
- 8 slices bacon
- 6 very thin slices prosciutto, preferably imported (about 3-1/2 oz.)
- 1-1/4 cups grated fontina cheese
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, more for garnish
- 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
Other Groceries:
- Three 7- to 8-inch pitas
- Two 15-1/2-oz. cans chickpeas
- 14-1/2-oz. can petite-cut diced tomatoes
- 1 cup tubettini (or other small pasta)
- 6 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/2 cup sweet dessert wine, such as a late-harvest Muscat or a Viognier like Bonny Doon’s Viognier Doux
Pantry Staples:
- 2 quarts lower-salt chicken broth
- 2 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. honey
- 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1-1/2 tsp. red-wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
- 1 slender 3-inch cinnamon stick
- Kosher salt
- Black peppercorns
