FoodieAtlas
Recipes around the World
Minestrone has no single recipe because it was never meant to have one: it is the Italian tradition of cucina povera—cooking with what's available—applied to soup. The constants are a soffritto base (onion, celery, carrot in olive oil), beans for substance, and usually pasta or rice added at the end. Everything else varies by season, region, and family. A Parmesan rind simmered in the broth for an hour adds umami depth that no seasoning cube replicates; this is the one technique worth adopting regardless of what vegetables go in. Ligurian minestrone uses pesto stirred in at the end; Milanese uses arborio rice instead of pasta; Tuscan ribollita is the leftover version re-baked with stale bread the next day. The soup that travels well is rarely the soup eaten at home.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Add the chopped onion, minced garlic, diced carrots, and diced celery. Cook until the vegetables are softened, about 5-7 minutes.
Stir in the diced zucchini and green beans, and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the diced tomatoes (with their juice), vegetable or chicken broth, cannellini beans, dried oregano, dried basil, and bay leaf.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
Add the small pasta to the pot and cook according to the package instructions until al dente, usually about 10 minutes.
If using fresh spinach or kale, stir it into the soup during the last few minutes of cooking until wilted.
Remove the bay leaf.
Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle the Minestrone into bowls.
Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.
Thick Italian vegetable-and-bean soup with no fixed recipe—built from seasonal vegetables, soffritto, beans, and pasta or rice.
Pan-Italian peasant cooking. Each region has its version: Ligurian (with pesto), Milanese (with rice), Tuscan (ribollita, the reheated leftover).
Onion, celery, carrot, seasonal vegetables, canned or dried beans, pasta or rice, and a Parmesan rind for depth.
Add a Parmesan rind to the broth while simmering—it melts in and adds more depth than any stock cube could.
Crusty bread, a drizzle of good olive oil on top, dry white wine (Pinot Grigio or Soave).