Minestrone Soup
Minestrone Soup is a hearty and flavorful Italian soup that is perfect for a cold winter day. It is made with a variety of vegetables, beans, and pasta, and is simmered in a rich tomato broth.
Minestrone Soup is a hearty and flavorful Italian soup that is perfect for a cold winter day. It is made with a variety of vegetables, beans, and pasta, and is simmered in a rich tomato broth.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 1/2 cups cubed potatoes
- 4 tablespoons margarine
- 1/4 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup chopped carrots
- 1 (19 ounce) can cannellini beans
- 1/2 cup shredded cabbage
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
- 1 quart chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- 1/2 cup elbow macaroni
- Carbohydrate 26.4330511964985 g
- Cholesterol 616.999998708468 mg
- Fat 132.336335728867 g
- Fiber 2.4373136023434 g
- Protein 157.612991014402 g
- Saturated Fat 37.6192866740653 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (934g)
- Sodium 745.838249054227 mg
- Sugar 23.9957375941551 g
- Trans Fat 11.0077096647769 g
- Calories 1966 calories
Step-by-step
- Melt butter or margarine in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots; saute for a few minutes.
- Add beans, cabbage, tomatoes, tomato paste, potato, stock, garlic, parsley, and salt to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for approximately 1 hour until vegetables are barely tender.
- Add pasta, and simmer for 30 minutes more. Correct seasoning, and serve hot with grated cheese.
Unlike a pureed vegetable velouté, which relies on emulsified starches for its body, minestrone depends on distinct structural elements that react differently to thermal processing. Root vegetables, legumes, and brassicas hold up well to extended storage, provided the cook accounts for post-chilling starch degradation. When freezing a batch, omit the dried elbow macaroni entirely during the initial cook. Uncooked pasta expands and absorbs liquid when thawed, resulting in a mushy consistency. Instead, add fresh pasta during the final twenty minutes of the reheating phase. Stored in airtight containers, the base keeps safely for up to three months at zero degrees Fahrenheit. Rapid cooling in an ice bath before refrigeration prevents bacterial proliferation in the thermal core of the pot. Adjusting the tomato paste ratio alters the acidity, which naturally acts as a mild preservative for the canned cannellini beans and stewed tomatoes. Margarine can replace butter at a one-to-one ratio without altering the emulsification stability of the simmering broth. Simmering the vegetables uncovered for the last ten minutes helps evaporate excess water content, concentrating the flavors before the container goes into the freezer. Reheat gentle portions on the stovetop over medium-low heat until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
