Minestrone soup has always been one of my favourite soups – how can it not be when it’s hearty, warming and packed with veggies. Most of the time I make it with whatever veggies I have on hand, but this recipe is my go-to basis for the flavour. Now, I’m off to whip up another batch for the cold weather ahead!
I slightly tweaked a recipe from the Smith and Deli-cious cookbook
Ingredients List
- 10g dried porcini
- 1 brown onion
- 3 celery stalks
- 2 large carrots
- 1/2 bulb fennel
- 1tsp chilli flakes
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1tsp dried oregano
- 400g can diced tomato
- 1 red capsicum
- 1 small zucchini
- 1/2 cup green beans
- 1/2 cup red lentils
- 8 stalks Tuscan kale
- 400g can white beans
- 2 litres vegetable stock
- Bay leaf
- 1tbs nutritional yeast
- 1 cup small pasta
- Fresh basil and parsley
- Parmesan or other hard cheese
- Salt and pepper
Steps
- Soak the porcini mushrooms in boiling water for 10 minutes, set aside
- Dice the onion, celery and carrots, and core and dice the fennel
- Heat some oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion, celery, carrot and fennel with a pinch of salt until softened and starting to turn lightly golden
- Mince the garlic and add along with the chilli, oregano and tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes
- Dice the capsicum, zucchini and green beans and add to the pot with the rinsed lentils, roughly chopped kale and drained white beans
- Drain the porcini mushrooms, roughly chop and add to the saucepan
- Add the vegetable stock, bay leaf and nutritional yeast and stir to combine ingredients
- Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Add the pasta and continue to simmer until cooked
- Add the fresh herbs, season with salt and pepper and top with parmesan to serve
Ok, I know that list of ingredients looks a little out of hand for a minestrone soup, but bear with me! They are basically all things you are likely to have in your pantry already (except maybe the dried porcini mushrooms) and if you don’t have all the veggies then substitute as required. The flavour is worth it though!
One of my favourite things about minestrone soup is the fact it is hearty enough to eat on its own for dinner. So perfect for the super cold nights we are going to have over winter! It reheats well too – I just try not to fully cook the pasta the first time so it doesn’t go mushy when reheated. Simple!
Obviously you can use whatever shape pasta takes your fancy in your minestrone soup, but the small shapes definitely work best. Personally I like a farfalle, penne or spiral shape, but go with whatever makes you happy!
Who wants to give this minestrone soup recipe a try?
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I Spy Plum Pie is Liz, an early 30s kiwi-born, Melbourne raised girl who is passionate about the environment and sustainability, food, exploring and learning new things. Join me on my journey to a happy, sustainable life!