Minestrone soup is a classic Italian soup that uses seasonal vegetables, beans, pasta, and lots of tomatoes. I love my homemade fall version and ocassionally add tortellini pasta as well.
Minestrone is a thick soup of Italian origin made with vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice, sometimes both. Commonly used ingredients may include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes. I like to use seasonal vegetables while making minestrone soup. Fall is a wonderful time to enjoy soup. And because fall produce is beautiful, I love adding squash and pumpkin here occasionally.
While elbow pasta is usually added to this soup, I love adding tortellini pasta also. Spinach and ricotta cheese pasta from Trader Joe’s is a favorite at home that cooks in a couple of minutes. It therefore makes for a complete meal on busy days. We love to have a big, hot bowl of minestrone soup on cold nights along with a slice of toasted sourdough. It is so good.
Basil and oregano are some of my favorite herbs; I absolutely love adding fresh basil to finish the soup. Along with fresh parmesan, these herbs make for a delicious and flavorful soup. The best part of this soup is that you can add any vegetables/ rice/ pasta of your choice. This soup is very forgiving and it allows you to play around with flavors and texture.
Minestrone soup is a favorite at Italian restaurants as well as small cafes, especially during office lunch hours. I remember enjoying this soup during lunchtime at work at a wonderful soup joint. It is chunky, flavorful and so hearty and filling. This soup is rich in fiber, which helps the intestines stay healthy.
I have shared a wonderful recipe below. Hope you enjoy the recipe and the soup as well. Do let me know!
Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Large yellow onion (diced)
- 2-4 Minced garlic cloves
- 1 Diced carrot
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 cup Diced squash
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- 4 cups Vegetable/ chicken broth (low sodium)
- 1 cup Tortelleni pasta (or elbow pasta as per preference)
- 1 can Kidney beans, drained
- ½ cup Cannelini beans
- 1 can Crushed tomatoes
- 1 can Diced tomatoes
- ½ cup Green peas
- ½ cup Finely grated parmesan cheese
- Handful fresh basil leaves
- Salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the diced white onion and cook until they turn translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for a minute.
- Now add the chopped celery and carrot and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the diced squash too and cook these together.
- Add in the green peas, dried oregano and basil, salt, and black pepper as per taste, and cook for a bit more.
- Add the diced and crushed tomatoes along with the vegetable/ chicken broth to the pot and bring this to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for a few minutes more.
- Stir in the kidney and cannalenni beans. Add the pasta and cook until the pasta and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes and not more. I like to keep the vegetable and pasta well done but not mushy so please do take care.
- Check for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the parmesan and chopped fresh basil leaves.
- Serve hot and enjoy.
