Italian · Soup · Easy
Minestrone
Rome's most famous pasta. Silky egg and Pecorino sauce clinging to every strand, studded with crisp guanciale. No cream, ever.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Minestrone, in 5 ideas
- Small pasta, short cook. It keeps absorbing broth as it sits, so pull it just shy of done.
- Kale goes in last. Two minutes is all it needs. Any longer and it turns army-green and tired.
- It thickens overnight. Leftovers will be stew-like the next day. Loosen with a splash of stock when reheating.
- Any vegetable works. Minestrone is a clean-out-the-fridge soup. Green beans, potatoes, spinach, all welcome.
- Beans make it dinner. Without them it is a starter. With them and the pasta, it is a full meal in a bowl.
What you need
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 1 parmesan rind (about 3 inches)
- 1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup small pasta (ditalini or small shells)
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 2 cups chopped kale, stems removed
- Salt and black pepper
- Fresh basil and grated parmesan, to serve
How to make it
Directions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook 8 minutes, until softened.
- Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Add the diced tomatoes, vegetable stock, and parmesan rind. Bring to a simmer and cook 20 minutes.
- Stir in the beans, pasta, and zucchini. Simmer 10 minutes, until the pasta is tender.
- Stir in the kale and cook 2 minutes, until wilted.
- Fish out the parmesan rind. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Ladle into bowls and top with torn basil and grated parmesan.
Save your parmesan rinds. They melt into the broth and give a deep savory backbone that no bouillon cube can match.