Minestrone Soup

Minestrone Soup

It still feels like winter here in London (maybe because it still is 🤪), so I’m getting in a few more soup recipes 🍲! This minestrone has definitely been my fave soup of late. It started with a bon appetit/ @basically recipe for “simple ribollita”, and if you google that, you can check out the original recipe. They also have really nice demos of certain processes -so it’s worth a look. Since I didn’t want to put bread in my soup and because it reminded me of a minestrone soup I made many years ago at Christmas that started with pancetta, I made a few adjustments. What resulted was a warming, hearty, bowl of yumminess 🥰😋! The preparation is simple and straightforward, and it makes a delicious, especially easy-to-manage meal for eating with company outdoors (not that we’re doing any of that here in the UK 🙄). 

Minestrone Soup

• Author: Emily
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minures
• Total Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: Soup, Main Course
• Method: Easy
• Cuisine: Italian

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 77 grams (about 3 oz) pancetta, diced 
• 1 large onion (about 230 grams/8 oz), diced
• 3 medium carrots (about 160 grams/5 ½ oz), roughly chopped
• 2 medium celery stalks (about 130 grams/4 ½ oz), roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 8 garlic cloves, peels removed and smashed with the side of your knife – you can also just mince it or press it through a press
• 2 teaspoon fresh thyme (picked off the stems but doesn’t have to be chopped -or- Tie 2 or 3 branches together with some kitchen twine and remove before serving.) 
• 1, 28 oz can (2, 400 gram cans) whole, peeled, tomatoes placed in a strainer and juices pressed out AND SAVED. I use a mesh strainer and the back of a wooden spoon to do this.
• ½ –¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes (depending on your taste for spice)
• 1 Parmesan rind + some Parmesan cheese for serving
• 1 can (400 grams/14 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups chicken or veggie broth (store bought -or- for homemade, see recipe HERE for chicken or HERE for veggie in the soups section of the website) or veggie broth
• 200 grams (about 8 oz or a medium bunch) cavolo nero/lacinato kale or any type of kale, tough stems removed and torn into medium-size pieces. You can also use spinach, but I prefer the chew of kale in this soup.
• Freshly ground black pepper and additional salt to taste

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Instructions

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the pancetta over medium heat until crispy. (*You can either 1. start cooking on low heat without olive oil and when the fat starts to render, turn up the heat -or- 2. place a bit of olive oil in the pan and start the heat on medium. Either process will work.) 
2. Add in the onion, carrot, celery, and salt and sauté for about 10 minutes. Add in garlic and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Then add in the thyme and strained tomatoes and continue to cook, stirring occasionally. If you feel that you’re having to stir very often, you can turn down the heat a bit. 
3. Add in the parmesan rind, tomato juices, red pepper flakes, cannellini beans, and broth. Bring to a simmer, add in the kale, continue to simmer for 10 more minutes. 
4. Serve with extra shredded Parmesan cheese and a hunk of crusty bread on the side. 

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