Minestrone
Soups · Serves 8 · Prep 25 min · Cook 55 min · Total 1 hr 20 min
A big pot of vegetables, beans and little pasta in a tomato broth, made rich by a Parmigiano rind dropped in to simmer. It's flexible by design, so use what's in season, and finish each bowl with good olive oil and a spoonful of pesto.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 3 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
- 8 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 medium Yukon Gold potato, diced
- 1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz) kidney or borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup ditalini or other small pasta
- 3 cup chopped Tuscan kale or Swiss chard
- 1/4 cup basil pesto, for serving
- black pepper and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving
Steps
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and salt and cook, stirring, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes, broth, cheese rind, bay leaf and potato. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
- Add the green beans, zucchini and both kinds of beans and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the pasta and cook until tender, 9 to 10 minutes, adding the greens for the last 3 minutes. If you plan to have leftovers, cook the pasta separately and add it to each bowl so it doesn't swell overnight.
- Remove the rind and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and top each with a spoonful of pesto, a drizzle of olive oil and grated Parmigiano.