Minestrone soup - an Italian classic
The hearty Minestrone soup
Minestrone is a hearty Italian soup. Its name comes from the Italian word “minestra” = soup. Minestrone itself is “the great soup”, i.e. a dish that is thoroughly saturated with vegetables and can even be eaten on its own. There is no specific recipe, because each region, each landscape, each season and each family has its own. In the Roman versions there is pasta, elsewhere perhaps not. One has more legumes, cabbage or herbs. In some places it is prepared with lots of tomatoes, in others not at all. In any case, minestrone is a soup that consists of as many vegetables as possible. Meat is not included, but olive oil, stock and pasta are almost indispensable.
Ingredients of minestrone soup:
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion
- 2 carrots
- 4 celery
- 1 leek
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 small zucchini
- 2 medium potatoes
- 400 g (14 oz) chooped&peeled tomatoes
- 240 g (8,5 oz) canned cannellini beans
- 2 cup baby spinach
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 6 cups chicken broth (or water)
- 1 cup small pasta
- salt, pepper, bay leaves, dried oregano, dried thyme
- Parmesan for serving
Steps:
- Start to sauté the finely chopped onion, diced carrots and diced celery in 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add the chopped leek and crushed garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
- Season with oregano, thyme, ground black pepper and bay leaves to taste.
- Add the tomato puree and pour in the stock. Add the diced zucchinis, diced potatoes and canned tomatoes. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the canned cannellini beans, baby spinach and pasta. Cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt if necessary and drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil.
- Serve the hot minestrone soup with grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy your meal!
Watch our video about minestrone soup recipe: