Try this Minestrone Soup Recipe recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1/3 up parmesan cheese
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 large diced onion
- 2 stalks diced celery
- 1 large diced carrot
- 1/3 ound green beans trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 28 - ounce can diced tomatoes no-salt-added
- 1 14 - ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 15 - ounce can low-sodium drained and rinsed kidney beans
- 1 cup elbow pasta
- 2 tablespoons chopped basil
- Carbohydrate 75.1403699992541 g
- Cholesterol 82.49 mg
- Fat 29.8632800546835 g
- Fiber 1.21629997404798 g
- Protein 34.0138400001627 g
- Saturated Fat 4.14705300752569 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (1610g)
- Sodium 4523.06000000129 mg
- Sugar 73.9240700252061 g
- Trans Fat 1.65022900146949 g
- Calories 701 calories
Step-by-step
- Take the Olive Oil and heat in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add in your onion and cook until it is translucent, around 4 minutes.
- Add your garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.
- Add your carrot and celery and cook until these are softened.
- Stir in your oregano, green beans, basil, salt, and pepper, and cook this for 3 more minutes.
- Add your tomatoes and chicken broth, and bring the pot to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer it for about 10 minutes.
- Stir in kidney beans and pasta.
- Cook until tender, around 10 minutes.
- Season with salt.
- Ladle into bowls and top with parmesan and basil.
- Serve.
Unlike a pureed vegetable soup or a clear broth, minestrone relies on a dense matrix of structured ingredients where every component holds its shape. Standard Dutch ovens work best for this preparation due to their heat retention, though any heavy-bottomed stockpot of at least six-quart capacity will prevent scorching during the initial vegetable sweat.
The most common failure in vegetable soups is rushing the initial soffritto. Cooking the diced onions over medium-high heat for approximately four minutes drives off excess moisture until the cellular walls break down and the pieces become translucent. Minced garlic burns rapidly when exposed to direct heat, turning bitter within seconds, which is why it enters the pot only after the onions soften. Introduce the carrots and celery immediately following the garlic to lower the pan temperature and stop further browning.
Adding canned tomatoes and low-sodium chicken broth simultaneously creates the liquid foundation. Bringing this mixture to a rolling boil before reducing the heat ensures proper starch hydration from the canned solids. Simmering the base for ten minutes before introducing the pasta allows the raw tomato flavor to cook out while concentrating the savory notes from the broth. Low-sodium broths give the cook total control over final salinity, preventing the dish from becoming overly salty as the liquid reduces.
Elbow pasta and canned kidney beans require careful timing to prevent mushiness. Stirring the drained beans and dry pasta directly into the simmering broth and cooking for exactly ten minutes yields al dente pasta without disintegrating the beans. Parmesan cheese contains naturally occurring glutamates that enhance savoriness, so grating it fresh rather than using pre-packaged cellulose-coated shreds ensures proper melting when finishing each portion.
Building the Aromatic Base
The most common failure in vegetable soups is rushing the initial soffritto. Cooking the diced onions over medium-high heat for approximately four minutes drives off excess moisture until the cellular walls break down and the pieces become translucent. Minced garlic burns rapidly when exposed to direct heat, turning bitter within seconds, which is why it enters the pot only after the onions soften. Introduce the carrots and celery immediately following the garlic to lower the pan temperature and stop further browning.
Managing Tomatoes and Acidity
Adding canned tomatoes and low-sodium chicken broth simultaneously creates the liquid foundation. Bringing this mixture to a rolling boil before reducing the heat ensures proper starch hydration from the canned solids. Simmering the base for ten minutes before introducing the pasta allows the raw tomato flavor to cook out while concentrating the savory notes from the broth. Low-sodium broths give the cook total control over final salinity, preventing the dish from becoming overly salty as the liquid reduces.
Pasta and Legume Integration
Elbow pasta and canned kidney beans require careful timing to prevent mushiness. Stirring the drained beans and dry pasta directly into the simmering broth and cooking for exactly ten minutes yields al dente pasta without disintegrating the beans. Parmesan cheese contains naturally occurring glutamates that enhance savoriness, so grating it fresh rather than using pre-packaged cellulose-coated shreds ensures proper melting when finishing each portion.
