Minestrone soup is a classic Italian soup which is hearty , healthy, full of protein and very delicious! This easy minestrone soup is a one pot meal which is brimming with fresh seasonal vegetables, beans and pasta in a flavorful tomato based broth !
Minestrone was traditionally made to use left over vegetables, so feel free to use whatever vegetables you have in hand or any seasonal vegetables or greens you like. That why, the recipe of minestrone differs from one region of Italy to another, to use up what is commonly available in that area.
This soup can easily be improvised! If you don’t like beans, you can leave them out! If you are cutting on carbs, skip the pasta! You can easily customize it !! However , for a flavorful hearty base the basic ingredients are onion, celery, carrots and garlic with spices , herbs, tomato and Parmesan cheese! Vegetables, beans and pasta can be adjusted according to your taste!
Few Tips:
- Minestrone can be easily made a one pot meal by using canned beans and cooking pasta in the soup base! I didn’t have canned beans so I used dried beans and cooked them separately! Canned beans save a lot of soaking and cooking time!
- Pasta absorbs a lot of broth so you can cook pasta separately and add just before serving or if you are planning to make extra batch and use it for lunch the next day , store pasta in a separate bowl and add it while reheating to prevent it from getting mushy! If you are cooking pasta in soup broth like me , you just need to add 1-2 cups of extra water. Remember to use small shape pasta like Ditali or macaroni!
”If you try this recipe I would love to hear from you! I would appreciate if you could leave a review or a comment below !! Please feel free to share your feedback and suggestions as well! Thank you so much.”
Cuisine : Italian Course: Starter/Main Serves :2-3
Ingredients:
- Olive oil: 2 tbsp
- Onion: 1, medium sized, chopped
- Celery: 2 ribs, chopped finely
- Carrots: 2, peeled and diced in small cubes
- Garlic: 4 cloves, minced
- Courgette/Zucchini: 1, halved and diced in small cubes
- Green beans: 10-12, chopped
- Spinach: 2 cups ( preferably baby spinach )
- Tomatoes: 1 can of chopped/crushed tomatoes
- Kidney beans: 1 can ( approx 400 gms can ) OR soak 1/2 cup of dry kidney beans in water the night before
- White kidney beans or cannellini beans : 1 can (approx 400 gms can ) OR soak 1/2 cup of dry beans in water the night before.
- Vegetable stock : 5 cups or 1 stock cube.
- Italian seasoning: 1 tbsp
- Salt and Black Pepper : according to taste
- Fresh Parsley: 2 tbsp, chopped
- Pasta: 1/2 cup any small shaped pasta
- Grated Parmesan cheese : 2-3 tbsp
- Extra virgin olive oil : to drizzle on the soup
Method:
- First of all, if you are using dry beans pressure cook kidney beans and white beans together with 2 cups of water for 6-7 whistles or until cooked thoroughly. Keep them aside .
- Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a thick bottom pan on medium heat. Add onions,carrots, celery and courgette to the pan.
- Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat tossing regularly, or until vegetables are slightly browned.Add garlic and cook for about 1 more minute.
- Add crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth and Italian seasoning to the pan.Season with salt and pepper.( If you are using stock cube , just add 5 cups of water and crush stock cubes with your hand in it)
- Bring it to simmer.
- Add cooked white beans, red kidney beans, green beans and uncooked pasta to the pot. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables and pasta are tender.
- Season the soup with salt and black pepper according to taste.Stir in spinach leaves and cook for 2-3 minutes more or until spinach is wilted.
- Add more water if soup appears thick and bring to simmer.
- Finally , stir in 1 tbsp Parmesan and parsley. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Serve the minestrone hot with with sprinkle of grated Parmesan and drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
- Enjoy
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