Minestrone Soup, Hearty Italian (Printable Version)
Hearty minestrone with beans, pasta and seasonal vegetables in a rich tomato broth.
# Ingredient List:
→ Vegetables
01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 medium onion, diced
03 - 2 medium carrots, diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 small zucchini, diced
07 - 1 small potato, peeled and diced
08 - 1 cup green beans, chopped into 1-inch pieces
09 - 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes with juices
→ Broth and Beans
10 - 6 cups vegetable broth
11 - 1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
12 - 1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
→ Pasta
13 - 3/4 cup small pasta (ditalini or elbow macaroni)
→ Herbs and Seasoning
14 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
15 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
16 - 1 bay leaf
17 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
18 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
19 - Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
# How to Make:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and the onion is translucent.
02 - Stir in the minced garlic, diced zucchini, and diced potato. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, allowing the garlic to release its fragrance without browning.
03 - Add the chopped green beans and the canned diced tomatoes with all their juices. Stir well to combine all the vegetables.
04 - Pour in the vegetable broth. Add the drained cannellini beans and red kidney beans. Season with dried oregano, dried basil, the bay leaf, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Stir everything together thoroughly.
05 - Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to low. Let the soup simmer gently, uncovered, for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
06 - Add the small pasta directly to the simmering soup. Cook for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking, until both the pasta and vegetables are tender.
07 - Remove and discard the bay leaf. Taste the soup and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.
08 - Ladle the hot soup into bowls. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and a generous sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve immediately.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- This is the kind of soup that forgives every substitution and still tastes like it came from an Italian nonnas kitchen.
- It reheats beautifully, making it the undisputed champion of weekday lunches.
- You probably have most of these ingredients sitting in your pantry right now.
02 -
- Cooking the pasta directly in the soup thickens the broth beautifully but it will absorb liquid overnight, so add a splash of water when reheating leftovers.
- Removing the bay leaf before serving is critical because biting into one is deeply unpleasant and slightly dangerous.
- This soup genuinely tastes better on day two because every ingredient has had time to get acquainted.
03 -
- Saute the soffritto low and slow rather than rushing it, because patience at this stage builds the kind of flavor you cannot fake later.
- If you want to keep pasta from turning mushy in leftovers, cook it separately and add it to each bowl individually instead of directly into the pot.