How To Make Minestrone Soup
I’ve always been a big fan of traditional home made soups. There is just something about their home style feel that you can’t replicate by buying it in canned form. There are some classics that I can’t get enough of, including cream of mushroom soup, italian wedding, hearty chicken noodle, and minestrone. They represent the spirit of cooking, which to me is that simplicity rules. You don’t need a complicated recipe to get a sumptuous meal, and in fact a complicated dish tends to be itself confused and with no focus. Gordon Ramsay speaks about the simplicity of food and the merit that it holds. He has a very important point, because it’s not the complexity of a dish that makes it great, it’s the skill of the chef.
We’re going to show you how to make minestrone soup the classical way, with an unadulterated recipe that is classic, simple, healthy, and delicious. You can veer off course in terms of ingredients if you so choose, but I implore you to give it a try as it was meant to be made to anchor yourself into what a true minestrone is.
You don’t need a complicated recipe to get a sumptuous meal.
Preparation
First let’s look at the overall big picture of this recipe and how we’re going to tackle it. It’s a soup which we are going to sweat the vegetables in stages of, and then add our stock and simmer before finishing it with parcooked ingredients. Simple enough?
Minestrone Soup
Yield: 2L (2 qt)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
| Item | Weight (metric) | Weight (Imperial) |
|---|---|---|
| Dry white beans | 75g | 2.5 oz |
| Olive Oil | 12.5 ml | 1/2 tbsp |
| Onions, paysanne | 62.5g | 2 oz |
| Garlic cloves, minced | 5g | 1 clove |
| Celery, paysanne | 75g | 3 oz |
| Carrot, paysanne | 62.5g | 2 oz |
| Zucchini, diced | 125g | 4 oz |
| Green Beans, cut in 1/2 in pieces | 75g | 2.5 |
| Cabbage, diced | 125g | 4 oz |
| White stock (Chicken works) | 1.25L | 1-1/4 Qt. |
| Tomato concasse | 125g | 4 oz |
| Tomato paste | 15g | 0.5 oz |
| Orzo pasta, cooked | 37.5 | 1.5 oz |
| Oregano, dry | 3g | 1 tsp |
| Basil, dry | 5g | 1 heaping tsp |
| Chervil, dry | 1.5g | 1/2 tsp |
| Parsley, fresh | 10g | 2 Tbsp |
| Salt and Pepper | To taste | To taste |
| Parmesan cheese (Optional) | As needed | As needed |
Procedure
- Soak beans in water overnight, drain
- Cover beans with water in saucepan, and simmer until tender (40 minutes)
- Saute the onions in the olive oil until translucent. Do not brown! Add garlic, celery, and carrot and cook for 3 minutes
- Add remaining vegetables, one type at a time to maintain the heat from the pan, and cook each briefly.
- Add the stock, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Simmer for 30-40 minutes
- Add the drained beans and orzo pasta.
- Stir in herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper
- Bring soup to a simmer and let the herbs infuse for around 15 minutes. Serve in bowls and with parmesan cheese garnish.
There you have it. How to make minestrone soup! It is a deliciously healthy soup that is fresh and full of flavor. You should be creating your own stocks by now and if you haven’t, be sure to learn how to make stock because nothing easier and tastier than using your own stock!
