Veg Minestrone Soup Recipe

Taste the Healthy and Tasty Italian Minestrone Soup Recipe 

Minestrone soup is a rustic Italian dish made with beans and vegetables in a tomato-based broth. Depending on the recipe, it can contain rice, pasta, or sometimes both. 

The word minestrone means "big soup," a simple stew-like thick soup dated as far back as the 2nd century B.C.E. when Rome conquered Italy. The Roman Empire could access various vegetables, so they started incorporating more veggies and greens into the Italian diet. 

There's a lot of history behind the minestrone that gave rise to this hearty and warm meal. Review the ingredients and recipe below to make this soup for yourself and your family. You can even find expert tips and notes to help you perfect the dish and recipe. 

Minestrone Soup Ingredients

Following are all the ingredients you will need to make lip-smacking minestrone.

• ½ cup dried kidney beans
• 1 cup elbow macaroni pasta
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup chopped onions
• 1.5 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ cup chopped celery
• ½ cup chopped carrots
• ½ cup chopped cauliflower florets
• ⅓ cup chopped baby corn
• 1 cup chopped potato
• ⅓ cup chopped button mushrooms
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1.5 cups tomato puree
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon crushed black pepper
• 4 to 4.5 cups of vegetable stock
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup chopped basil
• Salt (according to taste)

How to Make Minestrone Soup? - A Step-by-Step Process

Make a warm and hearty bowl of minestrone to feed your family a delicious restaurant-quality meal at home. Follow the simple steps below to enjoy a delicious bowl of yummy Italian soup!

Step 1: Prepare the Beans

Rinse your dried kidney beans and soak them in 2 cups of water overnight. Drain the water and rinse the beans with fresh water the next morning.

Cook the soaked beans in salt and water until tender and softening. You can cook the beans in the instant pot, pressure cooker, or a pan. 

Drain the beans again once they are cooked and set them aside for later. You can also use canned kidney beans where you need to drain their liquid and rinse it in freshwater. 

Step 2: Cook the Pasta

Boil 3 cups of water in a pan and add ½ teaspoon salt. 
Add a cup of elbow macaroni or any other small pasta variety and cook it on medium-high heat. 

Use a sieve or colander to strain the pasta and set it aside.

Quick Tip! Look for the package directions to understand how long you need to cook your pasta since the cooking time varies depending on the size and shape of the pasta. 

Step 3: Saute the Veggies and Aromatics

Warm 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pot over medium flame, and add the onions, garlic, celery, and bay leaf. Saute them for 3 minutes.

Add the cauliflower florets, potato, carrots, button mushrooms, and baby corn. Saute them for 5 to 6 minutes while stirring once in a while. 

Note: The vegetables given above are not compulsory for the soup. You can also use any vegetable in season or any frozen veggie you have on hand.

Step 4: Add the Seasonings and Tomato Puree

Add the tomato puree, dried oregano, tomato paste, crushed black pepper, and salt to the vegetables. 

Mix them well together and cook them for a minute or two. 

Step 5: Add the Liquid

Add 4 to 4.5 cups of water or vegetable stock and mix thoroughly. Adjust the consistency by pouring more stock if you want a thinner vegetable minestrone. 
Cover the pot and simmer everything on low to medium-low heat for 30-40 minutes until the veggies are fork-tender.

Check the vegetables frequently to see that they don't overcook. The vegan minestrone soup does not call for mushy vegetables. 

Assemble the soup components as soon as the vegetables are tender.

Step 6: Assemble the Minestrone Soup

Add the cooked kidney beans into the mixture and simmer it for a minute or more until they are warm throughout.

Add the cooked pasta and simmer it for a minute or more until it's warm enough and has not overcooked. 

Add the parmesan cheese and basil once you have switched off the heat and moved the pot to your countertop. 

Step 7: Serve the Soup

Taste and season the soup as required while gently stirring it to incorporate everything. 

Pour the prepared soup into bowls or mugs and serve them hot. You can garnish them again with grated cheese, basil leaves, and a few extra virgin olive oil drizzles. 

Conclusion

The minestrone soup is an easy recipe and you can make it to even add all the vegetables you may have in your refrigerator. At the same time, the recipe above is for four servings, so the ingredients quantity will differ if you want to make a smaller or larger batch. Do not add basil or cheese if you want to freeze your soup. Instead, you can add it whenever you may serve later once you have warmed up the mixture. 

FAQs

1. Can I make a minestrone recipe without using beans?

Yes, absolutely! You can incorporate any starchy vegetable to substitute the beans. Add green peas, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and other ingredients. 

2. What is the best pasta shape for making the minestrone soup?

You can make the soup using any short pasta. Even though the recipe calls for macaroni, you can follow the same process with any other pasta. Some other pasta that will go well with the other ingredients include rotini, ziti, ditalini, pasta wheels, or even broken lasagna noodles.

3. What is the best bean to use for the minestrone?

The minestrone soup is incredibly versatile, and you can use any bean or pulse you have at hand. The recipe calls for red kidney beans because they are the easiest to procure, but using any other dry beans will require a different cooking time.