Excellent recipes for minestrone soup in one place. Come and taste this delicacy with us

Are you a fan of Italian cuisine? Then you must not miss these three unique recipes for minestrone!

Taste a delicious and fresh soup full of vegetables!

Which one will you prepare?

Classic Italian minestrone soup

This soup has traditionally been made to use up leftover vegetables, so feel free to use whatever seasonal vegetables you have on hand.

What will we need

• 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion (sliced)
• 2 medium carrots (peeled and sliced)
• 2 medium green celery (chopped)
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 500 g chopped seasonal vegetables (potatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, butternut squash, green beans or peas)
• 4 cloves of garlic (pressed or minced)
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon of dried thyme
• 1 large can of diced tomatoes with liquid
• 1 liter of vegetable broth
• 500 ml of water
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 bay leaves
• A pinch of red pepper
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 250 g of whole grain pasta
• 1 can of beans
• 2 handfuls of baby spinach
• 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish)

Method

• Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Once the oil shimmers, add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, tomato puree and a pinch of salt.
• Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender and the onions are translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes.
• Add seasonal vegetables, garlic, oregano and thyme.
• Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Pour the canned tomatoes and their juice, stock and water over them.
• Add salt, bay leaves and red pepper.
• Season with freshly ground black pepper.
• Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot with a lid.
• Lower the heat to keep the soup simmering.
• Cook for 15 minutes, then remove the lid and add the pasta, beans and vegetables.
• Continue to cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente and the vegetables are tender.
• Remove the pot from the heat and then remove the bay leaves.
• Stir in the lemon juice and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
• If desired, garnish bowls of soup with grated parmesan cheese.

Minestrone soup with zucchini and pumpkin

Summer Italian soup full of delicious vegetables!

What will we need

• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• ½ chopped onion
• ½ chopped leek
• 1 diced celery
• ¼ chopped red pepper
• 3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 1.5 liters of chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 medium zucchini (diced)
• 250 g of butternut squash
• 250 g of fresh green beans
• 2 tomatoes (diced)
• 120 g cooked small white beans
• 120 g of small pasta
• Fresh basil (for garnish)
• Grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish)

Method

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
• Add the diced onion, leek, celery and bell pepper.
• Fry for 8 to 10 minutes until tender, reduce heat to medium-high.
• Add the chopped garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
• Add the chicken broth, bay leaf, thyme and salt to the pot.
• Increase heat to simmer, then add zucchini, green beans, tomatoes, white beans and pasta.
• Cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables and pasta are cooked.
• Remove the bay leaf.
• To serve, garnish with thinly sliced fresh basil and grated Parmesan.

Italian soup with beef

Classic soup with ground beef, pasta, beans and Italian spices. Make this easy recipe for a hearty Beef Minestrone and travel to Italy with us!

What will we need

• 500 g of ground beef
• 1 teaspoon of rapeseed oil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 small yellow onion (diced)
• 3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 1 carrot (diced)
• 2 teaspoons of a mixture of dried Italian herbs
• 1 liter of beef broth
• 2 cans of diced tomatoes
• 250 g of pasta
• 1 can of beans
• 120 g frozen chopped green beans

Method

• Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Add ground beef, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.
• Stir the beef often during roasting, about 5 minutes.
• Add the onion, garlic, carrot and Italian herb mixture and sauté for another 5-8 minutes.
• Add beef broth, diced tomatoes, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a gentle boil.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Add the pasta and cook gently for another 10 minutes.
• Add beans and green beans and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Garnish with parmesan cheese before serving.

History of minestrone soup

There are various conjectures about the origin and meaning of the word Minestrone – both are mentioned in this article because no one is sure where the truth lies.
The origin of the word is Latin “minestrare” which means to serve, generally food and drink, so it is a type of “served soup”.

Minestrone comes from the word “Minestra” which means soup, and the -one suffix makes it a large soup. These are normal Italian suffixes, “-ina” is something small and “-one” is something big.

“Minestra” also means rice, pasta or vegetables served in broth. You can also have “Minestrina con pastina”, which is a small minestrone with a small amount of pasta, in other words small ingredients added, or a minestrone that has big ingredients.

Minestrone not only has large pieces of vegetables, but often one of the large types of pasta is also added.

The soup is mentioned in an old cookbook from 30 AD, Marcus Apicius’s De Re Coquinaria, which contains most of the ingredients of the more modern minestrone.

As explorers traveled the world and more ingredients became available, they were added to the soup over time and it is believed to have simply been made from whatever vegetables were present at the time, and even in many cases using leftovers.

For that reason, there isn’t really a traditional recipe.