The best minestrone soup

Votes: 1

Time: 1 hour.
Complexity: easily
Servings: 8

Nutritional value per serving:

Calories 266, total fat 12 G., saturated fats 3 G., proteins 9 G., carbohydrates 33 G., fiber 7 G., cholesterol 10 mg, sodium 649 mg, sugar 5 G.

Even though this soup is primarily vegetable-based, it's still filling and nutritious, thanks to the addition of pasta and white beans. We also rendered the fat from the pancetta and used it to sauté the vegetables for added flavor. Before serving, sprinkle the minestrone with grated Parmesan cheese for a hint of umami.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

3 tbsp. l. olive oil
120 g pancetta
3 large carrots
2 large stalks of celery
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic, finely grated
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
340 g small potatoes, cut into quarters
1 large zucchini, cut into 1cm thick pieces.
1 can (400g) canned whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
4 cups tightly packed kale leaves, torn
1 can (425g) canned cannellini beans, discard liquid
0.5 cups dry ditalini pasta or other fine pasta
Grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

We recommend

Recipes with similar ingredients: Ditalini pasta, carrot, celery, cannellini beans, potato, tomatoes, zucchini, kale, Parmesan cheese, bay leaf, pancetta

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or wok over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the pancetta pieces are crispy on all sides, 5-7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a large bowl, discarding the fat in the pot.
Reduce heat to medium. Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, 4 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender but not browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the potatoes and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Return the pancetta to the pot, add the tomatoes, and 8 cups water, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Add the cabbage, beans with their liquid, and pasta and continue to simmer until the pasta is cooked through and the cabbage is tender, about 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and season the soup with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve garnished with grated Parmesan.

You can change vegetables depending on the season. For example, in winter, you can use pumpkin instead of zucchini, and sweet potatoes instead of potatoes.

Categories: