Recipe
Minestrone
The great Italian vegetable soup: a slow soffritto base, seasonal vegetables, borlotti beans and small pasta, simmered gently until everything comes together.
Minestrone takes about 70 minutes and makes 4 servings. Each serving has 310 kcal.
- Preparation
- 20 minutes
- Cooking
- 50 minutes
- Total time
- 70 minutes
- Servings
- 4
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbohydrates
- 48 g
- Fat
- 9 g
Ingredients
- Olive oil3 tbsp
- Onion1 pc
- Carrot2 pcs
- Celery2 pcs
- Zucchini1 pc
- Potatoes250 g
- Canned peeled tomatoes400 g
- Borlotti beans400 g
- Small soup pasta (ditalini)100 g
- Vegetable stock1.5 l
- Salt1 pinch
Instructions
- 1
Finely chop the onion, carrot and celery for the soffritto.
- 2
Warm the olive oil in a large pot and cook the soffritto over low heat until soft and sweet, about 8 minutes.
Tip: Keep the heat low - the vegetables should soften without browning. This slow base gives minestrone its depth.
- 3
Add the diced zucchini and potatoes, stir for a minute, then crush in the tomatoes, pour in the stock and bring to a boil.
- 4
Lower the heat and let the soup simmer gently, half-covered, for 30 minutes.
- 5
Stir in the drained beans and the small pasta and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring so nothing sticks.
- 6
Season with salt, take the pot off the heat and let the soup rest for 5 minutes, then serve with a drizzle of olive oil.
Cooking methods
On the stove
Use a wide, heavy pot. Cook the soffritto over the smallest flame - a gentle sizzle, no browning - and keep the long simmer at a lazy bubble, with only one or two bubbles breaking the surface at a time.
On induction
Start the soffritto on power 3 of 9 and lower it the moment the onion starts to color - induction reacts instantly. Simmer on power 2–3 with the lid half on; once the pasta goes in, raise it a notch, because the cold pasta drops the temperature.
Over an open fire
Minestrone is made for a Dutch oven: build the soffritto over a small bed of embers, then pull the pot to the edge of the fire for the long simmer. Stir more often than indoors - heat from below is uneven - and top up with stock if it reduces too fast.
Recipe questions
- How long does this recipe take?
- Plan for about 70 minutes from start to finish.
- How many servings does this recipe make?
- This recipe makes 4 servings.
- Can I cook this recipe on induction?
- Yes. Start the soffritto on power 3 of 9 and lower it the moment the onion starts to color - induction reacts instantly. Simmer on power 2–3 with the lid half on; once the pasta goes in, raise it a notch, because the cold pasta drops the temperature.
- Can I cook this recipe over an open fire?
- Yes. Minestrone is made for a Dutch oven: build the soffritto over a small bed of embers, then pull the pot to the edge of the fire for the long simmer. Stir more often than indoors - heat from below is uneven - and top up with stock if it reduces too fast.
- Which dietary preferences does this recipe support?
- This recipe is tagged: vegetarian, vegan.
In the app
Cooking the way it should feel
One step on screen, a timer that keeps going, and clear progress until the dish is done.
