The buckwheat soup is the perfect solution for those looking for a single dish that is quick, nutritious, and above all, comforting. It is a healthy and tasty first course, a real gastronomic cuddle perfect to warm up the cold autumn and winter days.

In its simplicity, this soup amazes with its charming taste and incredible versatility: the dark grains lend themselves to a thousand shades of colors and flavors, generously welcoming seasonal vegetables, legumes, or spices to taste.

Buckwheat is a cereal rich in high biological value proteins, used for celiac people as it is naturally gluten-free.

Buckwheat contains a high content of soluble carbohydrates called fagopyritols, which according to medical studies would improve glycemic control in diabetic patients.

The grains, which can be found whole or hulled, do not need soaking. Buckwheat should first be rinsed thoroughly under running water.

Then add to the amount of cereal used twice the weight of boiling water or vegetable broth.

After bringing the liquid back to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and let it simmer for about twenty minutes.

Served in generous portions, it can easily become a single dish as it contains all the nutrients needed for a complete meal.

Made with simple ingredients but with rich properties.

Delicious, let’s get to the stove.

Difficulty: Very Easy
Cost: Cheap
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Portions: 4/5
Cooking methods: Stove
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring

182.88 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 182.88 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 30.24 (g) of which sugars 5.60 (g)
Proteins 6.21 (g)
Fat 5.66 (g) of which saturated 0.93 (g)of which unsaturated 0.66 (g)
Fibers 5.85 (g)
Sodium 807.90 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 190 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA^* and FoodData Central^** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

^* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ^** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Ingredients

Buckwheat Soup

1.5 cups pumpkin (cleaned weight)
1.5 cups kale (cleaned)
Half onion
2 stalks celery
carrot (1 nice large or two small)
1 cup peas (frozen)
1 cup buckwheat
to taste extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
1 tsp tomato paste
2 quarts vegetable broth (made with carrot, celery, onion or a bouillon cube)

Tools

Steps

Buckwheat Soup

Prepare a quick broth with half an onion, celery, and carrot.
Otherwise, you can use a broth made with a vegetable bouillon cube, here is the recipe homemade vegetable bouillon cube.
Wash and prepare the vegetables well, dice the onion, carrots, celery, pumpkin, and slice the kale into strips.
(Place the kale on the cutting board, and with a knife, cut the central stem and remove the outer leaves. Separate the remaining leaves and remove, with a knife, the central rib from each leaf as this is the toughest part and not ideal for cooking)
In a saucepan, sauté the chopped vegetables (onion, carrot, celery) and then add the chopped kale.
Cover with the hot vegetable broth, and bring to a boil.
(Pour approximately one and a half liters of vegetable broth, bring to a boil).
Adjust salt and pepper, add the diluted tomato paste, and only later, the pumpkin pieces and a handful of frozen peas.
Cook for 30/35 minutes.
Wash the buckwheat very well.
Now add the buckwheat, cook over low heat for about 15/20 minutes, then adjust the salt.
“Buckwheat has its cooking times, check the cooking times on the package”.
If it dries out too much, add more hot vegetable broth.
Add pepper to taste and serve.
If you like, add a generous sprinkle of grated cheese.
Enjoy your meal.

Tips

The benefits of buckwheat.

Buckwheat is very important for the high biological value of its proteins, it is a good source of fibers and minerals, and it is gluten-free, very rich in phosphorus, calcium, copper, magnesium.

Curiosities

Being buckwheat “earthy” in flavor, it pairs excellently with sweet or slightly bitter ingredients.

Try these combinations:
Mountain Version: Add diced cabbage, potatoes, and a parmesan rind during cooking.
Autumn Version: Small diced pumpkin, leeks, and a sprig of rosemary.
Protein Version: Add pre-cooked chickpeas or black lentils for an even more substantial single dish.

Notes

Don’t limit yourself to just water:
Use a shellfish broth if you want a bold seafood version.
Use a mushroom broth (also made with stems or dried mushrooms) to enhance the woodland soul of the cereal.

Storage

Buckwheat tends to absorb a lot of liquid even after cooking. If you have leftovers:
Store the soup drier, and when reheating, add a dash of water or broth to make it creamy again.

How to Use

Buckwheat is a “pseudo-cereal” (technically a pseudocereal) very versatile, but to get the most flavor and ideal texture, you need to follow some key steps.

Before any use, buckwheat should be rinsed very well under cold running water using a fine-mesh strainer.
This removes impurities and, above all, residues of saponins (which could give an excessively bitter or earthy aftertaste).

There are two main ways to cook it:
Absorption Method (Ideal for your soup): Use twice the liquid compared to the volume of the grains. Place the buckwheat in boiling liquid, cover, lower the heat to the minimum, and let it cook for about 15-20 minutes. Do not stir too much to avoid breaking the grains.

Like Pasta (Boiled): Cook it in plenty of salted water and drain when al dente. This method is more suitable if you want to use it for cold salads or “fake risottos”.

Once the heat is off, let the buckwheat rest with the lid on for 5 minutes.
The residual heat finishes inflating the grains evenly and allows the fibers to stabilize.

In addition to soup, remember you can use it:
Raw (sprouted): If soaked for 24 hours and rinsed often, the grains sprout and become crunchy, great in salads or yogurt.

Stir-fried: After cooking by absorption, you can sauté it with vegetables and soy sauce as if it were Cantonese fried rice.

In meatballs: Cooked buckwheat has excellent binding power, perfect for creating veggie burgers or meatballs without using too much breadcrumbs.

Tips for other recipes

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