Panini & Zuppa Supper

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.

the menu

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:

Plate & serve the pears.

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