Minestrone
Ingredients
2 servings
For the broth
- Carrot 1
- Onion 1
- Celery stalk 1-2
- Green beans 50 g
- Green peas 50 g
- Garlic 1-2 cloves
- Dried Italian herb mix 1 tsp
- Cold water 5–6 cups (1–1.2 l)
- Olive oil 1 tbsp (optional, if you sauté the vegetables)
For the soup
- Small pasta (anelli, stelline, filini) 2-3 tbsp (15–23 g)
- Broccoli 1
- Zucchini 1
- Salt, black pepper to taste
For serving
- “Cherry” tomatoes 5-6
- Pesto 2 tbsp
- Fresh basil for serving
Step-by-step recipe
Vegetable broth
The simplest and tastiest version of minestrone comes from Liguria: minestrone alla genovese. This dish is usually made with a rich vegetable broth, with legumes added – peas, green beans and dried borlotti beans – plus lots of vegetables and herbs. Its signature is a spoonful of pesto made from Genoese basil, Parmesan, pine nuts, garlic and the best olive oil. It gives the soup a special, unmistakable flavor.
We made the soup with the vegetables we had on hand, going by what was in season and easy to find.
Prepare the vegetables for the broth. We took a carrot, a large onion, a big celery stalk and two garlic cloves with their skins on. We also added 50 g each of frozen young peas and cut green beans – both are available all year round.
Peel the carrot and onion and cut them into large cubes. Cut the celery stalk into large pieces too. For this soup we used raw vegetables, but you can lightly sauté them in 1 tbsp of olive oil.
Put all the vegetables in a pot and cover with 5–6 cups of cold water (1–1.2 l).
Make a herb bag: put 1 tsp of dried aromatic herbs used in Mediterranean or Italian cooking into a clean piece of cloth or a sachet bag. Usually that means oregano, basil, savory, dill and parsley. You can put the garlic cloves in there too. Tie up the cloth and put the bag into the water.
Cook the broth: put the pot on high heat and bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 30–40 mins.
Pasta and vegetables
Recipes often suggest dropping a piece of Parmigiano into the soup as it cooks, usually the hard rind. It is a bit unusual, but very tasty. In season, you can also add fried eggplant to the soup.
Add small pasta, the kind used for soups, to the minestrone. If you have to, you can break regular spaghetti into small pieces.
The pasta package gives the cooking time at which the manufacturer guarantees an al dente texture. Cook the pasta for half of that time, at the same gentle simmer.
Add the broccoli florets and the diced zucchini and cook for 3–4 mins. Broccoli and zucchini cook quickly, but do not overcook them: the florets and zucchini should keep just a faint firmness.
Just before the end of cooking, season the soup with salt and black pepper to taste. Throw away the bag with the herbs and garlic.
Serving
Ladle the finished minestrone vegetable soup into bowls. Cut the “cherry” tomatoes in half and add them to the soup too. Finely chop a little fresh basil and sprinkle it over the soup; you can also add a sprig for decoration. Right before serving, put 1 tbsp of pesto into each bowl – it is easy to make, or you can always buy it ready-made.
If you like, instead of fresh tomatoes you can add chopped tomatoes, peeled and seeded.
How did you like this recipe?
I really want to know how the recipe turned out for you.
Calories and macros
295 kcal
Serving ≈ 1100 g
- Protein13 g19% of kcal
- Fat9 g29% of kcal
- Carbs36 g53% of kcal
100 g27 kcalProtein 1.2 gFat 0.8 gCarbs 3.3 g
Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.