A warm and satisfying soup is usually what’s called for on a chilly day. A good sturdy bowl of minestrone soup is just the thing! And, a great soup does not have to take all day to put together. Here is a recipe for a minestrone that can be put together in less than an hour.
Minestrone is a hearty vegetable soup with a tomato base featuring beans and pasta. It is often thickened with grated Parmigiana Reggiano. This minestrone uses garbanzo beans, although cannellini or kidney beans would be a perfectly fine substitute. A good minestrone will also have some sort of greens added. I prefer to use kale in my minestrone rather than other greens like spinach as it holds up better to the heartiness of this soup.
Jump to Recipe
Ingredients for a great Minestrone:
- Vegetables — Use what is available. Staples like celery, carrots, and onions make for a great aromatic base of this soup. Add other vegetables like tomato, potato, green beans, zucchini, basil, spinach, cabbage, kale.
- Beans are a key component of minestrone, and there are many options here. Choose kidney beans, cannellini, garbanzo, or great northern white beans. Use canned beans to save time. If you are using dried beans, they will need to be soaked and precooked before adding to the soup.
- Pasta is also a main ingredient. It helps to thicken the soup and contributes to its hearty reputation. Short pasta is best, such as ditalini, macaroni, rings, orzo, or small ziti.
- Cheese is not only a flavoring agent, it gives the soup body. Grated Parmigiano Reggiano is the classic Italiaan cheese here. Classically the rind of the cheese is used, simmered with. the broth to both thicken and flavor the soup. Either version is not only acceptable but required.
Steps for making a flavorful Minestrone Soup:
- Sauté the aromatics before adding additional vegetables. Browning the aromatics creates flavor to the base of the soup.
- Add the spices to bloom in the oil before adding liquids.
- Add canned tomatoes and stock, along with canned beans, and allow to simmer. Make sure to scrape the fond from the bottom of the pot as this is additional flavor.
- Use Parmigiana cheese to both flavor and thicken the soup. If you are lucky enough to have the rind of a Parmigiana Reggiano, this is the perfect thing to add to your soup for both flavor and thickening. Be aware that the cheese is salty, so make sure to hold off on additional seasoning until after you’ve added the cheese.
- Stir in the pasta, and any green vegetables like spinach or kale and cook for another 10 minutes before serving. To simplify I increased the stock in the soup to accommodate uncooked pasta. The advantage is the pasta takes on the flavor of the soup and cuts down on additional pans. If you plan to freeze some, you will want to cook the pasta separately and add it to your soup at the end as the pasta does not freeze well.
NOTE: This soup can be made entirely vegetarian by substituting vegetable broth for chicken stock, and eliminating the cheese.
Top a steaming bowl of this minestrone soup with fresh shredded Parmigiano and a slice of freshly baked bread served alongside completes this meal.
A Simple Yet Hearty Minestrone Soup
Equipment
- Soup Pot
Ingredients
- 6 cups Chicken Stock may substitute Vegetable Stock
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 medium Carrots
- 2 stalks Celery
- 1 medium Onion
- 1 medium Potato
- 1 28 oz Can of diced Tomatoes
- 1 15 oz can of Garbanzo beans
- 1 cup sliced Green Beans
- 1 small bunch Kale
- 1/2 lb Ditalini Pasta or other short pasta.
- 1/4 cup Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (Plus additional for serving) Can also use the rind of the cheese
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel chop onion into a medium dice. Peel and cut the carrots into 1-inch pieces. Wash and slice celery stalks into 1-inch slices. Peel and dice the potato, keeping all the vegetables roughly the same size. Wash fresh green beans and remove stems. Slice into 2-inch pieces.
- Heat oil in a large pot on medium-high heat, and saute the carrots, celery, and onions until softened. Add the diced potato and Italian seasoning, and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the chicken stock, diced tomatoes, sliced green beans, and a drained can of garbanzo beans, and bring to a simmer. Add the ditalini pasta and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Thoroughly wash the kale, and chop into bite-sized pieces. Add to the soup and cook for another 10 minutes. Stir in the grated cheese and serve.