Minestrone

Minestrone is a hearty vegetable soup made with carrots, celery, onion, kale, potatoes, and beans simmered in a tomato-based broth.  This nourishing soup is wonderful in the winter but is just light enough to eat all year round.

 

Minestrone is an Italian soup whose ingredients and preparation can vary greatly depending on where you’re located.

Here in the US, many think of the reddish-brown toned minestrone (Progresso brand being the most popular growing up) that’s usually found in a can and includes kidney beans, lima beans, and macaroni.

While in Italy, minestrone is different depending on the region you’re in (ie. in Tuscany, bread is used in minestrone la Ribollita, and in northern Italy rice is included).

But for many Italian-Americans, minestrone was a homemade tomato-based brothy vegetable soup that was loaded with flavor and nutrients and that’s the version I aimed to recreate here.

How to make it

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

1. Remove the leaves from one bunch of Tuscan kale and roughly chop the leaves.  The stems can be discarded or composted.
2. Dice 1 large onion, 2 medium carrots, 2 celery ribs, and a 1/4 pound of pancetta.  Mince 5 cloves of garlic and a 1/2 cup of flat-leaf parsley.  Cube 3 medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes.

3. Heat a large heavy pot or Dutch oven to medium-low and add a 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil and the pancetta and cook until the pancetta has rendered most of its fat.
4. Add the celery, carrots, and onion and a sprinkle of salt.
5. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until the veggies have softened.
6. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the garlic is very fragrant.

7. Add the kale along with 8 sprigs of fresh thyme, 1 15-ounce can of drained lima beans, 1 15-ounce can of drained cannellini beans, and 1 14-ounce can of crushed plum tomatoes.  Note: If using whole plum tomatoes, just hand crush or blender pulse.
8. Add 1 rind of Parmigiano Reggiano and 8 cups of low-sodium vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
9. Once boiling, turn the heat down and simmer for 1 hour with the lid partially covering the pot.
10. Taste test the minestrone and make any adjustments to salt and pepper.  

11. Add the potatoes and bring the heat back up to a boil, then lower it to a simmer.  Continue to simmer until the potatoes are tender (about 15-20 minutes).
12. Taste the soup again and make any final adjustments to salt and pepper.  For a thicker soup, mash some of the beans and potatoes against the side of the pot with the back of a spoon.  Right before serving, add the fresh parsley to the pot and serve in bowls with grated Parmigiano Reggiano and a hefty drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil.  Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!

Top tips for classic minestrone

• Vegetables and beans. We used a combination of Tuscan kale, potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, cannellini, and lima beans/butter beans for our minestrone.  Feel free to use different greens or beans if you’d like.  Other types of kale work well as would chard, spinach, and savoy cabbage. Use any beans or combination of beans you’d like!
• The fat.  We used a combination of pancetta and olive oil to cook our soffritto but if you would like to make this dish vegetarian, simply omit the pancetta.  
• Serving minestrone. We love to serve this hearty soup with crusty bread, but you could certainly add some cooked rice or small pasta like ditalini to this classic minestrone to stretch it even further.  We also suggest serving with a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil and plenty of grated cheese. Pecorino or parmesan both work well.
• Maximize flavor.  As with any of our soup recipes, the flavor of this minestrone soup will be better on the second day.  If time permits, make the soup a day in advance and reheat it when you’re ready to serve.

More nourishing soup recipes

Here are a few of our favorite feel-good soup recipes we think you’ll love!

• Tuscan white bean soup – with roasted garlic, pancetta, veggies, and herbs.
• Escarole and bean soup – garlic, escarole, and cannellini beans.
• Italian zucchini soup – Broken spaghetti and zucchini soup.

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