Minestrone Soup Recipe

Minestrone Soup

MINESTRONE

Minestrone is an Italian soup made with fresh seasonal vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice. Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes. There is not a set recipe for minestrone, since it is usually made out of whatever vegetables are in season. It can be vegetarian, contain meat, or contain a meat-based soup base (such as chicken stock). In fact the word “minestrone” has become a synonym for “a mix of all things”.
The Italian soup, minestrone, is one of the cornerstones of Italian cuisine, and is probably more widely dispersed and eaten throughout Italy than pasta. Minestrone distinguishes itself by the large quantity of fresh vegetables used and its thick consistency.

MINESTRONE RECIPE

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: about 1 hour
Serves 4
Calories: 325 per portion

YOU WILL NEED:

olive oil 1 garlic clove, cut into 3-4 pieces
50 g/2 oz rindless streaky bacon (unsliced), roughly chopped
450 g/1 lb prepared mixed vegetables, such as carrots, celery, leeks, courgettes, cabbage or spinach, roughly chopped
2 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 potatoes, diced small bunch of parsley, roughly chopped
salt and pepper
100 g/4 oz canned cannellini beans
100 g/4 oz pasta (ditalini, conchigliette)
50 g/2 oz Parmesan cheese, grated

HOW TO COOK

Coat the bottom of a large saucepan with olive oil and fry the garlic gently until golden and the bacon until crispy. Add the vegetables and parsley with enough water to cover them. Season to taste and simmer gently for about 40 minutes until all the vegetables are cooked and have combined into a thickish soup.

Add the canned beans and enough water to thin down the soup so that it will not become too thick while cooking the pasta. Bring the soup to the boil and add the pasta. Cook according to the type of pasta used. Serve with the grated Parmesan.

COOK'S TIP

Minestrone is best made the previous day though the pasta should be added just before serving. For dieters or those unable to eat fried foods, boil the vegetables with 1-2 pieces of the rind of a hard cheese instead of the bacon and garlic. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the finished soup, before the pasta is added.