Creamy fennel soup with mortadella bits and croutons
Soup. You can't ignore it. No matter what culture or time of year, there's always a bowl that can make you feel good. Soup is more than just a dish — it's an experience. With a warm cuppa in your hands, you know everything will be alright.
From hearty, farmhouse-style soups to elegant consommés and silky veloutés, soup is a great starting point for any vegetable, any season, any mood. Today, we're celebrating the start of autumn with a soup that brings together the best of both worlds: creamy fennel soup with crispy mortadella bits and golden-brown croutons.
Fennel, with its subtle hint of aniseed, is a vegetable often associated with Italy. Not surprising, as Italian fennel has a particularly refined flavour. In this recipe, I combine it with another Italian classic: mortadella. The salty, slightly nutty flavour of the mortadella goes perfectly with the soft, creamy fennel. The croutons add a crunchy touch that makes the dish really complete.
Fennel: fresh, versatile and surprisingly Italian
Fennel is one of those vegetables with a distinct personality. With its white bulb, delicate green leaves and fresh aniseed flavour, it adds something special to every dish. Fennel belongs to the umbellifer family, just like carrots, celery and parsley, and is used both as a vegetable and as a herb. You can eat all of the vegetable: the bulb, the stalks, the leaves and even the seeds. Fennel has always been a popular ingredient in Italian cooking, and with good reason.
What can you do with it? More than you'd expect
You can eat fennel raw, roast it in the oven, stew it, grill it or use it in soup – as in this recipe. It is a versatile vegetable, and you can be very creative with it. Here are a few combinations:
- Fish: a classic combo. Think salmon, cod, sea bream, langoustines, mussels.
- Citrus fruits: with lemon or orange – heavenly!
- Meat: gently cooked fennel goes perfectly with pork, chicken, veal and fine meats such as mortadella and smoked turkey ham.
- Vegetarian dishes: with lentils or beans – a winning duo.
- Cheese: serve crispy slices of fennel with pecorino, Parmesan or goat's cheese and fennel seeds with burrata or mozzarella.
- Pesto: try making a pesto with fennel fronds and almonds.
- Herbs: a bouquet garni of fennel stalks, bay leaves, lemon zest and thyme, is perfect in soups and fish stocks.
Don't throw away the leaves
The delicate, dill-like green fronds of fennel are edible and full of flavour. It'd be a shame to throw them away! The fronds are great as a fresh garnish on soup or fish, but you can also mix them into a vinaigrette or use them in a pesto. Add them to stock or soup for extra flavour.
How to choose the best fennel
Always choose young, fresh fennel – it is firm, juicy and full of flavour. Older fennel quickly becomes stringy and loses its crunch and taste.
- Bulb: firm and white, without cracks or brown spots.
- Leaves: fresh green, not wilted or yellow.
- Smell: slightly aniseed – a sign of freshness.
Long or round fennel? Which one is better?
In the shop, you sometimes come across two different shapes. The round or male fennel has a milder flavour and is perfect for raw dishes. The elongated or female variety is often a bit more fibrous and has a spicier flavour, making it perfect for hot dishes like soup or roasting.
Fennel is good for you
Fennel is not only a tasty and versatile vegetable, it also gives your health a real boost.
Light but nutritious
Fennel is easy to digest and nutritious. It contains only 30 calories per 100 grams and is rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals. It’s a great option for those who want to eat healthily without missing out on flavour.
Gentle on your tummy
Fennel essential oils like anethole have an antispasmodic effect and help with digestion. They help to relieve bloating and flatulence — no wonder fennel tea has been used for generations to treat stomach complaints.
A boost for your immune system
Fennel contains high levels of vitamin C, an antioxidant that strengthens your immune system and protects your cells against harmful external influences.
Good for the heart and circulation
Thanks to its potassium, folic acid and fibre content, fennel contributes to healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Creamy fennel soup with mortadella bits and croutons
Fennel is in season from summer to autumn, making it perfect for a dish that reflects the shift from warm to cool weather. Like this creamy fennel soup with mortadella bacon bits and croutons – the perfect example of comfort food that won't weigh you down!
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 2 fennel bulbs (elongated variety with fronds)
- 2 potatoes
- 1 onion
- 1 leek (white part only)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1.25 L vegetable stock
- 75 ml cream (regular or plant-based)
- 2 slices of stale country bread
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (plus extra for finishing)
- 100 g mortadella (thickly sliced)
- Salt and pepper
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Step 1: Preparation
Remove the stalks and the hard bottom part of the fennel. Peel the potatoes. Chop the fennel, potatoes, onion and leek into large pieces. Pull a few sprigs from the fennel fronds.
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Step 2: Soup
Heat the butter in a large bowl and fry the onion until translucent, without browning. Add the fennel, potatoes and leek and sauté for a few minutes with the lid on. Pour the stock over the vegetables and simmer for half an hour until the vegetables are completely soft.
Blend the soup until smooth and creamy. Check the seasoning.
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Step 3: Croutons
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Remove the crust from the bread and cut into small cubes. Season the olive oil with salt and pepper and mix with the bread. Spread out on a baking tray and bake in the oven until the croutons are golden brown.
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Step 4: Mortadella bacon bits
Cut the mortadella into strips (like bacon bits). Heat a non-stick pan and fry the mortadella until crispy (without adding any fat).
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Step 5: Serving
Add the cream to the soup and heat it up. Divide between deep plates and top with mortadella bits, croutons and fennel fronds. Drizzle with a little olive oil.
Enjoy, spoonful by spoonful – and let autumn come.
![Fennel Soup 4]()
