Minestrone Soup
A hearty, chunky minestrone with vegetables, beans and small pasta in a savory tomato broth finished with Parmesan.
By Cookin' Kitchen
- Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Servings: 5 servings
Recipe
Minestrone Soup
A hearty, chunky minestrone with vegetables, beans and small pasta in a savory tomato broth finished with Parmesan.
Cookin' · https://cookin.club/recipes/minestrone-soup
- Prep
- 20 minutes
- Cook
- 45 minutes
- Total
- 1 hour 5 minutes
- Servings
- 5
Ingredients
For 5 servings
Soup
Minestrone vegetables
To serve, optional
Equipment
- Very large pot
Instructions
Method
Step 1: Heat the oil over high heat in a very large pot.
Step 2: Add the bacon and cook until it starts to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and onion.
Step 3: Cook until the onion is translucent and the bacon is light golden, about 2 minutes.
Step 4: Add the carrot, celery and zucchini. Stir for 1 minute to coat them in the flavor.
Step 5: Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, water, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, kidney beans, salt and pepper.
Step 6: Stir and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and adjust the heat so the soup simmers gently.
Step 7: Simmer for 20 minutes, then add the potato and green beans.
Step 8: Simmer for 5 minutes, then add the pasta. Cook for the time stated on the pasta packet minus 1 1/2 minutes.
Tip: The pasta will continue cooking in the residual heat.
Step 9: Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the Parmesan and baby spinach. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
Step 10: Serve garnished with extra Parmesan and chopped parsley, if desired. Serve crusty bread alongside, if you like.
Notes
Variations
For a vegetarian variation, leave out the bacon and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. The broth can be given extra flavor by increasing the Parmesan to 3/4 cup (75 g), or by using 2 teaspoons vegetable stock powder instead of the salt and adding salt to taste at the end.
Storage and freezing
With small pasta cooked for 1 1/2 minutes less than the packet time, the soup keeps for 3 to 4 days. The pasta absorbs liquid and the soup thickens; add a little water to thin it, taking care not to dilute the flavor. The soup also freezes well: cool it, freeze, thaw and reheat.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 394 kcal
- Fat
- 14 g
- Saturated fat
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- 46 g
- Sugar
- 7 g
- Fiber
- 8 g
- Protein
- 23 g
- Sodium
- 1,373 mg
- Cholesterol
- 33 mg
Estimated values; they will vary with the exact ingredients and brands you use.
About this recipe
This hearty minestrone brings together vegetables, potato, kidney beans and small pasta in a savory tomato broth, with bacon, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan adding depth.
A flexible vegetable soup
The marked vegetables can be swapped for other vegetables suited to soup, using 6 cups in total. Add vegetables according to how long they take to cook.
Choose small pasta
Small pasta is easy to eat and holds up better in the broth than larger or long pasta. Cook it for 1 1/2 minutes less than the packet directs; it will finish in the residual heat.
The cooking happens in one pot. Serve the soup with crusty bread if you like.
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