Vegetarian Minestrone Soup
This is a great pot of soup. Perfect to feed a crowd. It is vegetarian made using whole foods and seasonal vegetables. It can be made vegan if you skip the cheese toppings
Ingredients
- 100 g dried beans cannellini, lima, butter beans are all excellent
- 4-5 medium garlic cloves peeled and chopped
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 1 large carrot chopped
- 2 medium celery stalks thinly sliced
- 450 g tomatoes canned or fresh
- 200 g zucchini
- 100 g greens baby kale, baby spinach or thinly sliced savoy cabbage works
- 1 litre basic vegetable broth See notes in the post
- 2 tbsp olive oil App. 30 ml
- 1/2 cup small pasta of choice like fusilli, penne, macaroni
- 1 tbsp dried Italian herbs
- 15 g fresh flat leaf parsley
- 15 g oregano fresh or dried
- 30 g hard cheese like a sharp cheddar or parmesan optional
Instructions
Preparing the Beans
- Soak the dried beans overnight. Atleast for 8-10 hours. Soaking dried beans and legumes not only reduces their cooking time but is also great for digestion
- The next day, rinse the soaked beans thoroughly under cold running water. Then put the dried beans in a large pot with 3 cups of water and 2 peeled garlic cloves . Bring the water to a boil , then lower the heat, and simmer covered for atleast an hour OR until the beans feel soft and tender but not completely mushy
- You can use the beans immediately if preparing the soup OR let them sit in the refrigerator for upto 2 days and use them when you need to make the soup
Preparing the Soup
- Heat the olive oil in a deep soup pot. Add in the finely chopped onions and remaining 2 cloves of garlic. Saute for 8-10 minutes until the onions turn translucent and begin to brown
- Next add in the chopped celery and carrots . Add a pinch of salt and continue to stir for around 7-8 min more.
- While the onion-celery-carrot mix is in the stock pot, chop the tomatoes and zucchini into small chunks. Also finely chop the greens that you are using - If using Kale remove the tough stems in the kale
- Next Add in the dried herbs, chopped tomatoes, zucchini, finely chopped greens and vegetable broth in the soup pot. Give it a good stir, season with salt and let it simmer until the tomatoes start to turn mushy
- Once the veggies are semi-soft, add in the cooked beans and pasta of choice in the soup mix. Continue cooking until the pasta is al dente in the soup
- Ladle the soup in bowls. Check for seasoning and season with salt and black pepper as per taste. Garnish with finely chopped parsely , oregano and grated cheese. For a vegan version, skip the cheese and add in a glug of olive oil