How to Cook Minestrone Soup

Yields: 4 quarts

Preparation time: overnight

Cooking time:1 ½ hours

Ingredients needed to make Minestrone Soup:

• 1 cup macaroni, cooked al dente
• 1 cup white beans, soaked overnight
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• Bunch of Swiss chard, washed and shredded
• 1 small head Napa cabbage, cored and shredded
• 3 tbsp fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp dried red pepper flakes, crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ cup + 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 3 quarts vegetable broth
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Cooking instructions for Minestrone Soup:

• Pour 4 tbsp of olive oil in a deep-bottomed saucepan and heat it over high flame until it sizzles.
• Throw in the garlic as well as onions and sauté for a couple of minutes, stirring often, until they soften but don’t change colour.
• Plop in the potatoes and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, while stirring at times, until thet start becoming mushy.
• Push them to a side of the pan and pour in the tomato paste at its other side.
• Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring regularly, until it turns a tone darker.
• Stir the veggies along with the tomato paste until well coated and drop in the beans, along with its soaking water.
• Pour in 3 quarts of fresh water and stir in the carrots, celery as well as a tbsp of salt.
• Drop in the bay leaves and bring the mixture to a boil.
• Reduce to a simmer and continue to cook for half an hour, or until the beans soften.
• Fold in the shredded leafy veggies and continue to cook for another half an hour or until they wilt completely.
• Adjust the seasonings if necessary while the soup simmers.
• In the meantime, pour rest of the olive in a small pan and stir in the crushed red pepper flakes.
• Heat the chili oil at slow flame, stirring at times, until the chilies begin to splutter.
• Pour it into a small bowl and set aside to cool completely.
• Pile ¼ cup of the cooked macaroni in each soup bowl and spoon the soup over it.
• Add a lashing of chili oil over each serving and top it up with parsley, grated lemon zest and Parmesan cheese.
• Serve hot.

 Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Last Updated on February 27, 2013 by