Minestrone
Quick answer
Minestrone is an Italian home-style soup that sautees onion, carrot, celery, and zucchini in olive oil, then simmers them with crushed tomatoes and vegetable stock before...
What makes this special
- Short pasta cooked directly in the vegetable broth releases starch to thicken this Minestrone.
- Pasta cooked directly in the broth releases starch for natural thickness
- Kidney beans add protein and body to the vegetable base
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Cut 1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, and 1 zucchini into similar small pieces so they cook evenly.
- 2 Warm 3 tablespoons olive oil in a pot over medium heat.
- 3 Add the chopped garlic and cook for only about 30 seconds, just until fragrant, so it does not burn.
Minestrone is an Italian home-style soup that sautees onion, carrot, celery, and zucchini in olive oil, then simmers them with crushed tomatoes and vegetable stock before adding kidney beans and short pasta. Its greatest strength is flexibility - virtually any leftover vegetable works, and there is no single correct combination. The beans add protein and body, while the tomato's acidity forms the backbone of the broth. Cooking the pasta directly in the soup releases starch that naturally thickens the liquid. Finishing with fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil preserves the herb's fragrance. Minestrone improves overnight as the vegetable flavors continue to meld into the broth, making it an ideal make-ahead meal.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Heat
Cut 1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, and 1 zucchini into similar small pieces so they cook evenly.
Finely chop 3 garlic cloves and keep them separate because they go in after the firmer vegetables soften.
- 2Control
Warm 3 tablespoons olive oil in a pot over medium heat.
Add the onion, carrots, and celery, then saute for about 6 minutes, stirring often, until the onion edges turn translucent and the vegetables smell sweet.
- 3Control
Add the chopped garlic and cook for only about 30 seconds, just until fragrant, so it does not burn.
Crush in 400 g whole peeled tomatoes and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes to round off the acidity.
- 4Control
Pour in 1200 ml vegetable stock, then add the zucchini and 400 g canned kidney beans.
Once the soup reaches a boil, lower the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes so the vegetables flavor the broth.
- 5Heat
Add 100 g ditalini directly to the soup and stir well so the pasta does not stick to the bottom.
Cook for about 8 minutes, checking for an al dente center while the starch lightly thickens the broth.
- 6Finish
If the soup becomes too thick, loosen it with a little more hot stock before serving.
Turn off the heat, add 10 g fresh basil and a final drizzle of olive oil, then serve while the herb aroma is fresh.
After the steps
Pick a recipe that fits this dish.
Continue with shared ingredients, meal pairings, or a similar method.
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