Minestrone Soup
This is a flexible soup, meant to clean out the pantry and bridge the gap between harvest seasons. It relies on the slow development of base flavors and the texture of beans to provide weight.
Sequence is everything
Organize your vegetables by their cooking time so nothing turns to mush while waiting for the beans to soften. Keep your broth hot in a separate pot to avoid cooling the soup down when you top it off.
- large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven
- chef's knife
- wooden spoon
- ladle
What goes in.
- 3 tbspolive oil
- 1yellow onion, diced
- 2carrots, diced
- 2celery stalks, diced
- 3 clovesgarlic, minced
- 1 can (14 oz)crushed tomatoes
- 6 cupsvegetable or chicken stock
- 1 can (15 oz)cannellini beans, rinsed
- 1 cupsmall pasta like ditalini or shells
- 2 cupszucchini, chopped
- 2 cupsfresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cupgrated parmesan cheese
Low and Slow Aromatics
Sauté the onions, carrots, and celery over medium-low heat until the onions are translucent and the edges of the carrots start to soften. If you rush this, the soup will taste raw.
The method.
Start the base
Heat olive oil in the pot. Add onions, carrots, and celery. Cook until softened, about 8 minutes.
Add aromatics and tomato
Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add crushed tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes to concentrate the acidity.
Simmer
Pour in the stock and bring to a gentle boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add body
Add the pasta and beans. Cook until the pasta is al dente, usually 8–10 minutes depending on the shape.
Finish with greens
Stir in the zucchini and cook for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and fold in the spinach. It will wilt instantly from the residual heat.
Serve
Ladle into bowls and top with plenty of parmesan.
Other turns to take.
Winter Minestrone
Replace zucchini with diced butternut squash and add chopped kale instead of spinach.
Protein-heavy
Brown some Italian sausage at the start of step 1, removing the excess fat before adding the vegetables.
When it doesn't go to plan.
If storing for leftovers, cook the pasta separately and add it to individual bowls. Pasta left in the soup will absorb all the broth overnight.
Use a parmesan rind during the simmering stage to add a depth of salt and body to the broth.
Adjust the thickness by adding more stock or water if the beans and pasta drink up too much liquid.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use dried beans instead of canned?
Yes, but they must be soaked and cooked until tender before they are added to the soup. Canned beans allow for a much faster cook time.
How do I keep the vegetables from getting mushy?
Add vegetables based on density. Root vegetables go in early, squashes mid-way, and leafy greens at the very last second.
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