To be real, there are week nights when you have to get gazillion things done and want a very comforting good meal. This is the recipe that is going to suffice.
It is a thick chunky, hearty Italian soup with lots of vegetables, beans and pasta. I crave piping hot minestrone soup a lot during cold winter days with a slice of toasted baguette rubbed with garlic.
This soup is very comforting and can make you feel full with all the healthy and nutritious ingredients. It is a one pot meal which means less stress and less mess. If you have a crockpot on hand you can just dunk in all the ingredients and slow cook it. I always look forward to such recipes as it is time saver which means I can spend more time with my son and gives all the nutrition one need just in 1 bowl.
I have listed the vegetables that I normally have on hand and use in this recipe, but you can change it according to your liking and availability. The main ingredients on which this soup is based are tomatoes, stock, onions, carrots, pasta or rice and some fresh or dried herbs. You can also add chicken stock and cooked chicken pieces to make it non-vegetarian.
Note: I normally use store bought canned Tomato paste or puree to speed up my cooking time. But you can make your own puree if you have tomatoes on hand. Just blanch 2-3 medium sized tomatoes and remove the skin. Puree it in the blender and strain it to remove any seeds. I also use canned beans but if you are using dried beans then let it soak for 6-8 hours or overnight and pressure cook them for 2-3 whistle. You can make a batch of cooked beans and freeze it for later use.
Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 1 can cannellini Beans
- 1 ½ cup canned tomatoes puree
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 4 cups water
- 2 carrots medium diced
- 1 small zucchini medium diced
- ½ cup shredded cauliflower
- 10-12 french beans cut into 1' size
- ¾ cup elbow or shell pasta
- 1 small onion chopped
- ½ cup chopped green bell pepper
- 3-4 garlic cloves chopped
- handful of spinach
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup of chopped basil or 1 tbsp of dried basil
- ½ tbsp dried oregano
- ¼ cup chopped parsley or 1 tbsp of dried parsley
- parmesan cheese to serve
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a pan on a medium high heat and add garlic, dried oregano and onion to it. Cook it for 2 mins.
- Add all the vegetables except spinach, fresh herbs and let it cook for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to every layer of ingredients you add. Cook till they get some color (Cook on medium-high flame for that)
- Add cannellini beans, spinach, tomato puree, stock, and water and let it boil for good 10 mins.
- Once you see soup boiling, add pasta to it and let it cook for 10 mins stirring in between. The soup will start getting thick and chunkier.
- Turn off the gas and serve with Baguette or herbed bread or Garlic bread.
- While serving grate fresh Parmesan on it and drizzle dash of Olive oil for extra flavor.
