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Photograph of Minestrone Soup

Minestrone Soup

Minestrone is a classic Italian thick soup made from a variety of vegetables, usually with pulses such as beans or chick peas, as well as rice or pasta, all swathed in a rich tomato sauce. In this particular recipe there are 8 different fresh vegetables, 2 types of tinned beans and lots of tomato in passata and paste form. I have also included some anchovies, but these can be omitted if you are looking for a vegetarian or vegan dish. This recipe is a flavour and nutrient bomb. It can be vegan, vegetarian and gluten free and uses minimal oil.

Serves 6

Course Lunch, Starter
Cuisine Italian
Keyword mixed vegetables, soup
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 43 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 125g – 150g/1 onion, peeled and chopped
  • 50g – 70g 2 ribs of celery, trimmed and chopped
  • 80g – 100g/1 – 2 carrots, washed, trimmed and chopped
  • 250g – 300g/1 courgette, trimmed and chopped
  • 150g – 175g/1 red pepper, trimmed, de-seeded and chopped
  • 16g/4 plump cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 4 anchovies, finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ⅛ – ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ teaspoon fine salt, or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 500g passata or tinned tomatoes
  • 500ml vegetable stock
  • 500ml water
  • 70g tomato paste
  • parmesan rind
  • 400g can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 400g can of borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped
  • 100g green beans, trimmed and chopped
  • 100g small pasta. I used ditaloni rigati
  • 80g baby spinach, roughly shredded
  • 50g parmesan, grated

Serving suggestions:

  • extra grated parmesan cheese
  • shredded fresh basil or chopped fresh parsley
  • Italian sausage - cooked and crumbled as a garnish
  • chopped crispy pancetta or bacon, as a garnish

Instructions

  1. Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients. You will need a large cast iron pan or saucepan, roughly 28 cms in diameter.

  2. Heat the olive oil in the pan over a moderate heat and cook the chopped onions, celery and carrot for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring from time to time.

  3. Add the prepared courgette and red pepper to the pan and continue to cook for a further 5 – 8 minutes, stirring from time to time.

  4. Add the crushed garlic, chopped anchovies, dried thyme, dried oregano, chilli flakes, bay leaf, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook for a further 2 – 3 minutes, stirring.

  5. Pour in the passata, water, stock, tomato puree and parmesan rind. Bring to a gentle simmer for 20 minutes.

  6. Next add the sweet potatoes, green beans and tinned beans. Cook for 5 minutes and then add the dried pasta. Cook until the pasta is just cooked. How long this takes will depend on the pasta you use. Check the packet for a guide. Ditalond rigati needed around 12 minutes.

  7. Remove the parmesan rind and bay leaf and the stir in the grated parmesan and chopped spinach. The spinach should quickly wilt and the parmesan melt into the soup. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

  8. Serve garnished with some additional grated parmesan and some chopped basil or parsley. Whilst it is a meal in its own right, it is also delicious served with some garlic/fresh bread on the side to help mop up the delicious soup.

Recipe Notes

 

Equipment:

  • kitchen scales, measuring cups and spoons
  • chopping board and knife
  • cheese grater
  • garlic press
  • large cast iron pan or saucepan, roughly 28 cms in diameter.

 

Prep and cook as you go:

Whilst some vegetables are cooking, you can use the time to prepare the vegetables you will next be adding to the pot, making it a very time efficient way to cook and prepare.

 

Is this recipe vegetarian?

To make it vegetarian, simply omit the anchovies and make sure that the parmesan is vegetarian friendly. To make it vegan, omit the anchovies and use a vegan alternative to the parmesan.

 

Can I add meat to this recipe?

If you are wanting to add some meat, try gently frying 100g – 150g pancetta before cooking the onions, carrot and celery. Also, some crumbled, cooked Italian sausage would make a wonderful garnish for the soup.

 

Can I use different vegetables and beans?

  • Vegetables – you can make this soup your own by using your favourite vegetables, or simply vegetables from a fridge raid. When adding vegetables, you will need to consider the order you add them to ensure they are properly cooked. That said, I would always use onion, carrot and celery; the holy trinity of Italian cookery, known as soffritto. But you can certainly customise the rest. Cabbage, for example, is commonly seen in many recipes. Potato is also common; I have replaced it with sweet potato in this recipe.
  • Beans – equally with the beans, use different beans or two tins of the same beans. Chick peas can also be added.
  • Pasta – I like to use small pasta in my minestrone but you can also use rice or pearl barley. Rice and pearl barley are ideal if you want a gluten free soup, or you can use gluten free pasta.
  • Anchovies and parmesan – diets allowing, I always add anchovies and stir some parmesan into the soup; they really help to enhance all the natural flavours and have that wonderful and indescribable unami affect on the soup.