Italian Minestrone Soup

Few soups cause as many arguments as Italian minestrone soup does. Even its history is debated - is there a specific recipe from days gone by, or has it always been a type of "leftover" soup? Is there a "classic" version of the recipe, or is it regional and seasonal as pasta often is? Should the broth be thick and starchy, or should it be light and fresh?

Unfortunately, I cannot provide any firm answers. If Wikipedia cannot answer these questions, what hope do I have? I can, however, offer you a sort of standardized recipe for Italian minestrone soup, one that contains all the necessary ingredients, and suggestions as to what can be changed.

Minestrone can have either a meat-based or a vegetable-based broth. Also, you can include meat or not as you see fit, so this soup can certainly be prepared as a vegetarian meal. If you decide to go this route, you can also add some rice. This combination of grain (rice) and legume (beans) will make a complete protein. Rice is not universally added, but is not uncommon either.

Almost all Italian minetrone soup will contain beans, such as navy, cannellini or Great Northern beans. Also, pasta is a common addition, typically something small like macaroni, tortellini or even broken up spaghetti. Lastly, any good minestrone will have tomatoes, regardless of whatever other vegetables you add. The tomatoes add a lot of flavor to the broth, so if you are using canned tomatoes make sure to use the liquid too.

The rest is pretty much up to you. If you have left over veggies, toss them in. Got something in the garden you want to use? Go for it! Found a sale on frozen peas? You can use those too!

Below is just one sample of an Italian minestrone soup you can try.

Ingredients

A few splashes of olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 small can tomato paste
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
8 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
1 cup shredded cabbage
Salt and pepper to taste
Dried basil, oregano, sage and thyme to taste
1 cup chopped parsley
1 whole zucchini, sliced
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup navy beans, soaked in water over night
1 cup macaroni, uncooked

Preparation

1. Heat olive oil in soup pot on medium low. Add garlic, onion, carrot and celery, sprinkle with salt. Saute until onions are soft.

2. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, water, cabbage, zucchini, peas and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes.

3. Add remaining ingredients except parsley, cook for about 10 to 12 more minutes to cook the pasta.

4. Add parsley a minute or two before serving just to wilt it a little.

Notes

There is no end to the additions and substitutions I could suggest. Instead, I will just encourage you to play around with this recipe to your heart's content, using the ingredients that you enjoy and have at hand. There is no reason your Italian minestrone soup has to be the same twice; but if you find something you like, there is no reason it shouldn't, either!

Tips and Techniques

When I first started cooking, I really took to heart the concept of seasoning your food. By adding salt at the beginning of the cooking process, you use less salt, but still extract the maximum flavor from your food.

However, from time to time, I use a little too much salt, even in my Italian minestrone soup. Fortunately, with soup this is a mistake that is easily corrected.

Simply cut a potato in half, and toss it into your soup. Within 15 to 30 minute the potato will have soaked up some of the salt. Also, some of the starch from the potatoes will dissolve into the broth, helping to thicken it. The result: reduced saltiness in the broth; thicker, tastier soup broth; and even the potato will tast better!

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