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Minestrone Soup Recipe

Minestrone Soup

Wholesome Cove
This classic Italian minestrone builds a rich tomato broth from onion, carrot, celery, and a Parmesan rind, then fills it with two kinds of beans, ditalini pasta, and seasonal vegetables for a hearty one-pot meal that serves eight.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine Italian
Servings 8 servings
Calories 285 kcal

Equipment

  • Large pot - 5 to 6 quart (4.7 to 5.7 L) Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot
  • Chef's knife - Sharp, for uniform ½-inch cuts
  • Cutting board - Large board with a juice groove
  • Wooden spoon - For stirring and scraping up browned bits
  • Soup Ladle - For portioning even bowls
  • Colander - For rinsing the canned beans
  • Vegetable peeler - For the carrots and potato
  • Measuring cups and spoons - For broth, pasta, and herbs
  • Storage containers - Airtight containers for fridge or freezer leftovers

Ingredients
  

For the Soup

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil - 45 ml
  • 1 large yellow onion - about 1½ cups or 200 g, diced
  • 2 medium carrots - about 1 cup or 130 g, peeled and diced into ½-inch (1.25 cm) pieces
  • 2 stalks celery - about ¾ cup or 75 g, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic - minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste - 32 g, preferably from a tube
  • 1 medium Yukon Gold potato - about 1 cup or 150 g, peeled and diced into ½-inch (1.25 cm) pieces
  • 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes - 794 g
  • 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth - 1.4 L
  • 1 Parmesan rind - about 2 inches (5 cm) long, optional but recommended
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt - divided (½ teaspoon for the vegetables and 1 teaspoon for the broth), plus more to taste
  • 1 cup green beans - 115 g, trimmed and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces
  • 1 medium zucchini - about 8 oz or 225 g, diced into ½-inch (1.25 cm) pieces
  • 1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans - 425 g, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans - 425 g, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup ditalini pasta - 115 g
  • 3 cups baby spinach - 90 g, loosely packed
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For Serving

Instructions
 

  • Dice the onion, carrots, celery, potato, and zucchini into ½-inch pieces, trim and cut the green beans into 1-inch pieces, mince the garlic, and drain and rinse both cans of beans.
  • Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat, then cook the onion, carrots, and celery with ½ teaspoon salt for 7 to 8 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 to 2 minutes until the paste darkens.
  • Add the potato, crushed tomatoes, broth, Parmesan rind, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Boil, then reduce to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer 15 minutes until the potato is almost tender.
  • Stir in the green beans, zucchini, cannellini beans, and kidney beans, and simmer partially covered for 10 minutes until the green beans are crisp-tender.
  • Stir in the ditalini and cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until al dente. Add up to 1 cup hot water or broth if the soup looks too thick.
  • Remove the Parmesan rind and bay leaves, stir in the spinach until wilted, add the black pepper, and taste and adjust the salt.
  • Ladle into warmed bowls and top each with about 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan and a scattering of chopped basil or parsley.

Notes

  • Cut all vegetables to a similar ½-inch size so every spoonful has a bit of everything and nothing is raw or overcooked.
  • Sweat the soffritto slowly over medium heat without browning so the broth stays sweet rather than bitter.
  • Cook the tomato paste for a minute or two in the hot oil to remove the raw, metallic taste and add roasted tomato flavor.
  • Add vegetables in stages: potatoes first, green beans and zucchini later, and spinach at the very end with residual heat.
  • Keep a zip bag of Parmesan rinds in the freezer for soups like this; a single rind adds savory depth that broth alone lacks.
  • For leftovers, cook the ditalini separately in salted water and add it to each bowl so the soup stays brothy and the pasta firm.
  • Make it a day ahead — the flavors blend and deepen overnight, so the soup tastes rounder after a night in the fridge.
  • Season at the end, since the Parmesan rind, canned beans, and broth all contribute salt.
  • Freeze the soup without the pasta for up to 3 months, leaving about 1 inch of space at the top of the container for expansion.
  • Thin reheated soup with a splash of broth or hot water, or mash a few beans against the pot wall for a thicker body.

Nutrition

Serving: 1BowlCalories: 285kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 11gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 780mgFiber: 9gSugar: 8g
Keyword bean soup, italian vegetable soup, minestrone soup, one pot soup, vegetarian minestrone
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