This Hearty Italian Minestrone Soup Is Comfort in A Bowl

Minestrone soup is an unrecognized Italian treasure. Over the last decade, Italian foods like pizza and pasta have been vastly recognised, adapted and Indian-ised to suit our taste buds. Minestrone soup is the perfect fit for our palate, with a too-good-to-be-true ingredient list.

There is almost no wrong way to make this, and all the components are crazy nutritious. The soup essentially constitutes vegetables, beans and pasta in a tomato broth. The vegetables can be switched around depending on what you have on hand, the beans can be whichever you like best, you can use canned or fresh ingredients, and you don’t really have to measure anything. Unlike the extensive baking that happens during the December-January holiday merriness, this one is, for a relieving change, a sprinkle-of-this-handful-of-that kind of dish. You can even freeze some ahead of time, and then reheat it for a quick meal.

There is something to watch out for though. If the soup is left in a refrigerator or frozen, the starch of the pasta will make your soup, a thick gloppy stew. So, if you’re planning to make this in advance, cook the pasta separately instead of in the soup, as I do in this recipe.  

A bowl of minestrone served up steaming hot with some toasted bread to mop up all its wholesome goodness is a swoon-worthy dinner after a long day.

#SpoonTips

1. For this recipe, I use vegetable stock. It is a great ingredient to have on hand for soups and stews, even ramen. While you could swap it out for some water, I recommend the stock for both flavour and nutritional purposes.

2. Blanch and skin your tomatoes before you process them. It results in a smoother, less grainy puree. 

Minestrone Soup

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 20 minutesCook time: 20 minutesTotal time: 40 minutesServings:4 servings

Ingredients

• 450 gms tomatoes
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 medium-sized onion
• 2 stalks spring onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 12 units or approx. 170 grams French beans
• 2 medium-sized carrots
• 4 medium-sized mushrooms
• 340 grams broccoli
• 1 medium-sized zucchini
• 5-8 basil leaves
• 2 cups spinach
• 170 gms elbow pasta cooked al dente
• 340 gms total black-eyed peas and kidney beans cooked
• 2 cups vegetable stock or water
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp dried Italian herbs
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. 
   To make this minestrone soup, in a pot, add the onions, green onions and garlic to hot olive oil. Let these cook for about 2-3 minutes or until translucent.
2. 
   Add the rest of the vegetables, except the spinach and basil leaves. (The vegetables you use and their quantities are entirely adjustable, depending on your preference. These are just the ones I had on hand.) Cover your pot and let the vegetable mix par-cook for about 5-7 minutes.
3. 
   Add your pureed tomatoes, and vegetable stock. (The stock will give you more flavour, but if you don’t have any, you can use water.) Let the liquids come to a boil, and then cover the pan and let it cook for about 10 minutes on medium-low.
4. 
   Add the pasta and beans. Season the soup with paprika, black pepper and salt to taste.
5. 
   Add the spinach and basil and let the soup simmer for an additional 5 minutes or until the desired consistency is achieved.
6. 
   Ladle into bowls, garnish olive oil and/basil. Serve with toasted bread. Enjoy!

• Balance
• Dinner
• Fitness
• Nutrition