Tuscan Minestrone Soup Recipes

CLASSIC MINESTRONE SOUP

Steps:

• Warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, tomato paste and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened and the onions are turning translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes.
• Add the seasonal vegetables, garlic, oregano and thyme. Cook until fragrant while stirring frequently, about 2 minutes.
• Pour in the diced tomatoes and their juices, broth and water. Add the salt, bay leaves and red pepper flakes. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper.
• Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot with the lid, leaving about a 1" gap for steam to escape. Reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.
• Cook for 15 minutes, then remove the lid and add the pasta, beans and greens. Continue simmering, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until the the pasta is cooked al dente and the greens are tender.
• Remove the pot from the heat, then remove the bay leaves. Stir in the lemon juice and remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Taste and season with more salt (I usually add about 1/4 teaspoon more) and pepper until the flavors really sing. Garnish bowls of soup with grated Parmesan, if you'd like.

CLASSIC MINESTRONE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook onion, carrot, celery, garlic and rosemary until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in tomato sauce, beans and 2 1/2 cups water. Add broth, zucchini, pasta and pepper; bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, 10 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in parsley. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese and additional parsley, if desired.

SIMPLE ITALIAN MINESTRONE SOUP

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add onions, carrots and celery. Raise heat to medium-high, if you need to, and cook, tossing regularly, until the veggies soften a bit (about 5 minutes or so). Add the garlic and cook another minute, tossing regularly.
• Add the zucchini or yellow squash and green beans. Season with paprika, rosemary, and a generous pinch of kosher salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
• Now add the crushed tomatoes, broth, fresh thyme, bay leaf and Parmesan rind (if using.) Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and partially cover the pot. Let simmer for about 20 minutes or so.
• Uncover the pot and add the kidney beans. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.
• Finally, Stir in the parsley and fresh basil. And, if serving immediately, stir in the cooked pasta and simmer ever so briefly till the pasta is warmed through; do not overcook. (See Cook's Tip #2)
• Remove the cheese rind and bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. Serve the minestrone hot in dinner bowls with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan (optional.)

MINESTRONE SOUP (ITALIAN VEGETABLE SOUP)

Steps:

• In a dutch oven combine broth, tomatoes, onion, celery, parsley, oregano, pepper, and garlic. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 20-30 minutes.
• Add all other ingredients and continue to cook until all vegetables are tender.
• Thirty minutes before serving, Add uncooked pasta.
• **Serve with grated parmesan cheese**.

WINTER MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, pancetta, and garlic. Saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and potato; saute for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and rosemary sprig. Simmer until the chard is wilted and the tomatoes break down, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, blend 3/4 cup of the beans with 1/4 cup of the broth in a processor until almost smooth. Add the pureed bean mixture, remaining broth, and Parmesan cheese rind to the vegetable mixture. Simmer until the potato pieces are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Stir in the whole beans and parsley. Simmer until the beans are heated through and the soup is thick, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Discard Parmesan rind and rosemary sprig (the leaves will have fallen off of the stem.)
• Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

TUSCAN MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Place oil in 6 quart saucepan.
• Add beans, garlic, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, onion.
• Saute 5 minutes.
• Add water.
• Bring to boil.
• Simmer 1 hour.
• Add leek, carrots, celery, potatoes, green beans, tomato sauce, herb blend, and pepper.
• Cook 30 minutes.
• Add zucchini, beans, tomatoes.
• Cook 15 minutes.
• Add orzo and spinach.
• Cook 15 minutes.

ITALIAN MINESTRONE SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, roughly chopped onion, carrots, celery, garlic clove, and pancetta cubes. Sautee on medium heat for a few minutes stirring a couple of times in the process.
• Add potatoes, butternut squash, tomatoes, bay leaf, rosemary sprigs and a couple of pinches of salt.
• Give a nice stir and add enough water to cover all the veggies.Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for 40 minutes. Add more liquid if needed.
• Past this time veggies will become super soft and will "melt" one into another creating delicious creamy texture.
• Once veggies are cooked add chopped savoy cabbage or other leafy greens and drained canned beans. Add more water if needed. Give a nice stir and cook for another 15 minutes.
• As a last step, add pasta or rice. Let cook for 5-15 more minutes depending on how long pasta or rice will take to cook.
• If you're not planning to serve minestrone right away, don't add pasta or rice immediately.Instead, bring the soup to a boil when you're ready to serve it and then add pasta or rice.
• Minestrone is ready to serve when pasta (rice) is cooked. I takes about 5-6 minutes for ditalini pasta and about 15 minutes for rice.
• Serve hot or warm generously topped with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

TUSCAN MINESTRONE WITH ORZO PASTA

Steps:

• If using dried beans, soak overnight then rinse and cover in water in a deep pan. Add salt. Bring water to a boil and simmer for about 45 minutes until still a bit firm but not too soft. Drain but save the bean cooking water.
• Peel the onion and cut into small pieces. Wash and chop the carrots and celery into pieces. Peel the potatoes and cut into cubes. Clean and slice the leeks. Wash and chop the Savoy cabbage and kale. Remove the bottom part of the white stems of the Swiss chard and wash and chop the leaves. Peel and cube the squash. If using fresh tomatoes blanch them in boiling water then peel and chop.
• Fry the carrots, onions and celery in extra virgin olive oil until the onions start to brown slightly. (don't let them burn). Add the tomato paste and tomato passata/or chopped fresh tomatoes. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add all the other veggies and sauté together for a couple of minutes. Add the bean cooking water or stock. If the bean cooking water isn't enough add more water or some vegetable stock. You need about 1 litre of liquid in total. Cover and cook for about 50 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add more stock or water as required.
• Finally add the beans and the pasta. If using orzo (risoni) it doesn't take very long to cook. Larger pasta types like ditalini will need more time! And maybe more liquid!
• Serve with a dash of extra virgin olive oil and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or vegetarian cheese.

MINESTRONE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the celery and carrot and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green beans, dried oregano and basil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; cook 3 more minutes.
• Add the diced and crushed tomatoes and the chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in the kidney beans and pasta and cook until the pasta and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt. Ladle into bowls and top with the parmesan and chopped basil.

MINESTRONE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large lidded saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery, season with a little salt and pepper and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables have softened.
• Add the garlic and fry for another minute. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for a further 3 minutes.
• Tip in the tomatoes and stock. Cover with a lid and bring slowly to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
• Add the beans and pasta and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked. Add the cabbage and cook for another 2 minutes. If the soup is too thick, add some hot water to reach your preferred consistency.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.