Finally! It’s high time this website provided a classic minestrone soup recipe. A hearty Italian vegetable soup called minestrone is cooked with pasta or rice and a tomato-based broth. I’ve been putting a lot of effort into this recipe, and I can’t wait to share it with you.
You are welcome to add any seasonal veggies and greens you have on hand since minestrone was historically made to use up leftover vegetables. The soup you see here was made with potatoes and spinach, and it was fantastic.
In the recipe, I provided some substitutions, such as yellow squash, zucchini, butternut squash, green beans, or peas. That implies that from fall until spring, you can prepare seasonal minestrone on cool days!
Here, I used canned beans rather than fresh ones, which reduces the cooking time to a manageable weekday level. Basic pantry staples, such as canned tomatoes, pasta, common spices, and onions, make up the other ingredients.
Why is this minestrone soup the best?
- It’s simple to create and well worth the effort to produce this hearty minestrone.
- Seasonal vegetables and inexpensive cupboard goods are required for the meal.
- The soup tastes even better the second day and travels well for lunch.
- It also defrosts and freezes well.
- There is no comparison between this handmade minestrone and the versions from Olive Garden or the grocery store.
- The lentil minestrone in my cookbook, which was based on my lentil soup, is where I got the inspiration for this recipe. I increased the tomato paste, added white beans, left out the last tablespoon of olive oil, and eliminated the lentils from this traditional minestrone.\
Also read: Roasted & Raw Carrot Salad with Avocado
INGREDIENTS
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 medium ribs celery, chopped
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 cups chopped seasonal vegetables (potatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, butternut squash, green beans or peas all work)
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, with their liquid (or 2 small 15-ounce cans)
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 bay leaves
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup whole grain orecchiette, elbow or small shell pasta
- 1 can (15 ounces) Great Northern beans or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked beans
- 2 cups baby spinach, chopped kale or chopped collard greens
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnishing (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, tomato paste and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened and the onions are turning translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes.
- Add the seasonal vegetables, garlic, oregano and thyme. Cook until fragrant while stirring frequently, about 2 minutes.
- Pour in the diced tomatoes and their juices, broth and water. Add the salt, bay leaves and red pepper flakes. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper.
- Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot with the lid, leaving about a 1” gap for steam to escape. Reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Cook for 15 minutes, then remove the lid and add the pasta, beans and greens. Continue simmering, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until the the pasta is cooked al dente and the greens are tender.
- Remove the pot from the heat, then remove the bay leaves. Stir in the lemon juice and remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Taste and season with more salt (I usually add about ¼ teaspoon more) and pepper until the flavors really sing. Garnish bowls of soup with grated Parmesan, if you’d like.