After making my way through Ina Garten’s delicious pastas and desserts, I decided to try some of her comforting soups.
I’ve whipped up the Barefoot Contessa’s savory chicken chili and soothing minestrone, but the soup I’ve been most excited to try was her ravioli en brodo — an Italian spin on chicken noodle.
I also decided to challenge myself and make Garten’s homemade chicken stock for this dish, and it was definitely worth the extra effort. Here’s how it went.
A day before I made Ina Garten’s ravioli en brodo, I whipped up her homemade chicken stock.
Ravioli en brodo appears in Garten’s most recent cookbook, “Go-To Dinners.” She said the key to its flavor is “rich homemade chicken stock.”
I usually take the quicker option because, as the Barefoot Contessa herself says, “store-bought is fine!” But since the broth is clearly the star of this dish, I decided to try her homemade chicken stock instead.
To make Garten’s homemade chicken stock, you’ll need:
- 3 (5-pound) roasting chickens
- 3 large yellow onions, unpeeled and quartered
- 6 carrots, unpeeled and halved
- 4 celery stalks with leaves, cut into thirds
- 4 parsnips, unpeeled and halved
- 20 sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 20 sprigs of fresh dill
- 15 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 head of garlic, unpeeled and cut in half
- 1 tablespoon of kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons of whole black peppercorns (not ground)
Place all the ingredients in a 16- to 20-quart stockpot, add 7 quarts of water, and bring to a boil. Then, lower the heat and simmer your stock uncovered, skimming off any foam that comes to the top, for at least four hours. (I let it simmer for about six.)
Let the stock cool, then strain through a colander and discard the solids.
Garten’s ravioli en brodo features the homemade stock, plus plenty of veggies.
To make Garten’s ravioli en brodo for a serving of 4-6, you’ll need:
- 8 cups of chicken stock, preferably homemade
- 2 cups of chopped yellow onions (about 2 onions)
- 2 cups of (½-inch thick) diagonally sliced carrots (about 3-5 carrots)
- 1 ½ cups of (½-inch) diced celery (3 ribs)
- 1 ½ cups of (½-inch) diced fennel, top and core removed
- 1 Italian Parmesan cheese rind (about 2 x 3 inches)
- 1 pound of cheese ravioli, fresh or frozen
- Freshly grated Italian Parmesan cheese, for serving
- Minced fresh dill or parsley, for serving
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice, for serving
I began by prepping my vegetables.
I chopped the onions, peeled and sliced the carrots, and diced the celery and fennel.
I threw my veggies in a pot and sautéed them for 15 minutes.
I added ¼ cup of olive oil to a pot placed over medium heat. Then, I threw in the onions, celery, carrots, and fennel and cooked them for 15 minutes, making sure to stir occasionally until they had softened.
Then, I added the homemade chicken stock.
I also threw in 2 cups of water, per Garten’s instructions.
I threw in the Parmesan rind and seasoned the broth with 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.
One thing I’ve learned in my soup-making season is that a Parmesan rind can add so much extra flavor to your broth.
As explained by Food & Wine, the Parmesan rind — which is completely edible — releases a “savory and nutty” depth as it begins to melt and also helps give soups a “silky consistency.”
You can store Parmesan rinds in a Ziploc bag in your freezer for up to a year, so it’s always on hand whenever you need to add a little more umami to your dinner.
I brought my soup to a boil, then lowered the heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
Garten says you should let the soup simmer partially uncovered.
While the soup was simmering, I prepped the ingredients I needed for serving.
I grated my Parmesan cheese and minced some dill for the soup toppings.
I also began to cook the ravioli.
I cooked my ravioli in a pot of boiling water with two tablespoons of salt for about four minutes.
Every pasta is different, so make sure to follow the specific directions on the package of your ravioli.
I drained the ravioli and spread them out on two plates.
Garten says doing this step will ensure the ravioli squares don’t stick together.
Once my soup was done simmering, I removed the Parmesan rind.
It was time for dinner!
Per Garten’s instructions, I placed the ravioli in a bowl before adding the soup.
I started with four raviolis but quickly realized I wanted more.
I poured the broth over my ravioli, then sprinkled Parmesan and dill on top — along with a squeeze of lemon juice.
There’s something about this soup that just looks so elegant and impressive. The broth has such a lovely golden hue, and the pops of color from the carrots and dill give it a rustic charm.
And did I mention it smelled phenomenal?
Garten’s ravioli en brodo is one of my all-time favorite recipes by the Barefoot Contessa.
I’ve made nearly 50 Barefoot Contessa dishes over the past few years, and her ravioli en brodo soup is one of the best. The broth is so rich and full-bodied that it really blew me away. I made this for my fiancé for dinner one night, and he couldn’t resist getting seconds (and thirds).
“A lot of broths are kind of bland or lacking, but this broth alone was just exploding with flavor,” he told me.
The dill and lemon also add some lovely brightness to the soup, which pairs perfectly with the cheesy pasta. I opted for a cacio e pepe ravioli and would highly recommend it, as I loved that extra kick of pepper.
My only complaint about Garten’s ravioli en brodo is that it has forever ruined store-bought chicken stock for me. However, an extra day of work is absolutely worth it for this soup, which I know I’ll be making again and again.
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