Minestrone Soup – The Healthy International Italian Soup

Minestrone Soup by Chef Ankit

Minestrone is a thick Italian soup made with vegetables and pasta. The literally meaning of minestrone is “that which is served”. 

Because of its unique origins and the absence of a fixed recipe, minestrone varies widely across Italy depending on traditional cooking times, ingredients, and season. Minestrone ranges from a thick and dense texture with very boiled-down vegetables, to a more broth soup with large quantities of diced and lightly cooked vegetables; it may also include meats.

Minestra, resembles Minestrone which is used in the sense of a more substantial soup such as a vegetable soup, considered as an international soup of Italy. 

Minestrone is great for those on a diet. It contains fiber, in which the vegetables, greens, and legumes are particularly rich, it slows gastric emptying and the absorption of sugars in the blood.

This soup is my all time favorite because you can make it all over the year, it tastes great and very easy and quickly can be prepared. You can also try this international soup at your home for your loved ones or to whom you want to impress. It is great to add such splendid soup to your dinner party at very low cost…..

Ingredients

  1. Olive oil – 2 tablespoons
  2. Onion (dice) – 3/4 cup
  3. Celery (chopped) – 1/4 cup
  4. Leeks (chopped) –  1/4 cup
  5. Carrots (dice) – 1/2 cup 
  6. Cannellini beans – 1 cup
  7. Cabbage (dice) – 1/2  cup
  8. French beans -1/2  cup
  9. Zucchini – 1/2  cup
  10. Red Tomatoes – 500 gm
  11. Tomato paste – 1 tablespoon
  12. Potatoes (dice) – 1/2  cup
  13. Vegetable stock – 4 cups
  14. Garlic (chopped) – 4 cloves
  15. Salt – to taste
  16. Black Pepper (grounded) – to taste
  17. Pasta (short type) – 1/2 cup
  18. Parmesan cheese (grated) – 1/2 cup 
  19. Basil (chopped) – 1/4 cup

Ingredients

  1. Heat olive oil in a stock pot. Add onion, garlic,leeks,celery & carrot. Cook on low flame until the vegetables have softened and the onions are turning translucent.
  2. Add dice tomatoes and their juices. Add tomato paste. Cook till the tomatoes cook properly. 
  3. Add vegetable stock. Add salt and pepper.
  4. Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil.
  5. Add the potato, pasta, beans and greens. Simmer and stir occasionally.
  6. Continue simmering,until the pasta is cooked al dente and the greens are tender.
  7. Adjust seasoning. Remove the pot from the heat. 
  8. Transfer the soup in a serving bowl. 
  9. Garnish the soup with Parmesan cheese and chopped basil.
  10. Serve the soup with toasted Focaccia bread.