Minestrone is a traditional Italian vegetable soup, or rather a one-pot meal. It’s a very versatile dish, and you can use whatever vegetables you like.
This time I chose a light but nourishing minestrone made with twelve different vegetables.
How To Serve Minestrone
In Italy, minestrone is a so-called “primo piatto,” or first course. Italians eat minestrone or pasta before the main dish.
Serve it as a soup, or with a slice of freshly baked white bread as a one-pot meal on a hot summer day.
Notes for vegetarians and vegans: if you leave out the bacon and Parmesan cheese, it makes a delicious vegan soup!
Variations For Minestrone
Minestrone has countless variations. Each vegetable is optional, you can make literally hundreds of different minestrone recipes just by changing what type of veggies you add. A great option is to use seasonal vegetables.
There is no single authentic recipe for minestrone, since it is usually made with whatever vegetables are in season, but in Italy minestrone is often made with at least 10 different vegetables.
Tomato can be one of the main ingredients, and it can also be made with pasta or even rice. In Liguria (the province of Genoa), minestrone is usually enriched with pesto. You can even jazz up your minestrone with grated Parmesan cheese for a characteristic flavor.
The Trick Of Adding Parmesan Rind
Italians add the rind of Parmesan cheese to a lot of their food. Such is the case with minestrone.
If you have leftover Parmesan rinds, don’t throw them away. They keep in the fridge for months, and you can simply throw them into your minestrone next time to kick it up a notch!
Try minestrone yourself, experiment with different ingredients, and create your own favorite version!
Minestrone
Ingredients
- 2 carrots
- ⅓ lb cauliflower 150 g
- 1 onion large
- ½ lb pinto beans 200 g, or use any dried beans
- 2 potatoes
- ½ lb green peas 200 g
- ¾ lb tomatoes 300 g
- ⅓ lb leek 150 g
- 2 stalks celery
- ½ lbs pumpkin 200 g
- 2 zucchinis medium-sized
- 40 g bacon sliced, chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- 5 basil leaves fresh
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp parsley chopped
- salt
- pepper
- Parmesan rind
Instructions
- Soak dried beans the night before and pre-cook them before adding them to your minestrone. If you use canned beans, you can skip this step.
- Cut the potatoes, cauliflower, pumpkin, and zucchini into ½-inch cubes, slice the leek in half lengthwise, then slice it into thin rings, and cut the tomatoes into small pieces. Finely chop the carrots, celery, and garlic in a food processor, or grate them.
- Sauté your carrot-celery-garlic purée in a pot with the oil over medium heat. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, then add the bacon and continue to sauté for 2–3 minutes.
- Add all the chopped vegetables, green peas and beans.
- Pour in just enough water to cover the vegetables, then add the Parmesan rind (optional) and salt to taste. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 50 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender.
- Before serving, add the chopped parsley and basil, plus a small drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
