This hearty minestrone soup is thicker than most minestrone soups. Brimming with colourful greens, protein-rich beans, and fragrant herbs, it’s as scrumptious as it’s satisfying. Be at liberty so as to add rice or pasta to the soup, too, and serve it with a slice of rustic home made bread for a filling vegetarian meal. You’ll love this soup’s uniquely wealthy texture—each spoonful is totally different!
That is vegetable soup and also you’re proper, it’s not flashy within the slightest. Nonetheless, I’m singing its praises as a result of a bowl of this cozy soup shouldn’t be solely wholesome, heat, and healthful, its savory flavors and thickness will preserve you full and glad.
One reader, Megan, commented: “I’ve been trying to find just a few years for the proper minestrone recipe. I’ve tried quite a lot of the net recipes, 6 in complete through the years (they had been all bland with nearly no taste!!). This recipe is the one I’ve been trying to find!! Stuffed with taste, my hard-to-please household all cherished it too. ★★★★★“
I initially revealed this recipe in 2018. We’ve cherished it on chilly winter days, particularly served in big home made bread bowls. It’s a soul-warming vegetarian soup that may simply be vegan through the use of vegetable broth and skipping the non-obligatory parmesan cheese topping.
This Is a Thick Minestrone Soup
This minestrone soup is way heartier than what we’re used to—nearly like a chili—which is why I find it irresistible a lot. The pasta/rice soaks up quite a lot of liquid, which helps thicken it up. I add a 6-ounce can of tomato paste (not the double-concentrated sort), which is greater than most minestrone soup recipes. I additionally throw in contemporary zucchini, carrots, celery, and spinach, plus plenty of canned beans. There’s additionally garlic, onion, diced tomato, and a healthy dose of seasoning. There’s a lot shade and texture in 1 spoonful, how are you going to not be glad?!
Substitution Recommendations
This soup is fairly forgiving. Simply as we do when making this biscuit vegetable pot pie, mess around with the greens you employ based mostly on what you want. Listed here are the substitutions I’ve tried over the past a number of years, so I do know they work splendidly.
- Zucchini: You may go away this out, or use one other squash as a substitute. I’ve additionally used chopped mushrooms instead.
- Kidney Bean & Butter Beans: I really like this mix of beans, however you should utilize all kidney or all butter beans as a substitute. Or substitute one or each for chickpeas, cannellini, borlotti, or nice northern beans. Or substitute one for a drained can of corn.
- Inexperienced Beans: You should utilize chopped contemporary inexperienced beans or frozen inexperienced beans as a substitute. After I do that, I normally use round 1 and 1/2 cups. Add it whenever you add the opposite beans—they’ve sufficient time to cook dinner and soften. No must thaw if utilizing frozen.
- Skip the Pasta/Rice: You may skip the pasta/rice. No modifications wanted. The soup will probably be slightly extra broth-y.
- Spinach: Be at liberty to make use of chopped contemporary kale as a substitute, or go away it out. If you wish to use frozen spinach, add it in 10 minutes earlier than the tip of cooking as a substitute of 5.
- Add Meat: Be at liberty so as to add 1 lb. of floor hen, turkey, or beef. Prepare dinner it with the celery/carrots in step 1. Skip 1 can of the beans, and chances are you’ll wish to add one other 1 cup (240ml) of broth. Or add 1–2 cups pre-cooked meat, reminiscent of chopped/shredded rotisserie hen or ham, whenever you stir within the spinach. Typically I even add thinly sliced hen sausage.
Whichever greens you employ, I like to recommend sticking with the seasonings, tomato paste, and broth; these all make up the flavorful tomato base of the soup.
Freeze Minestrone Soup
This soup freezes splendidly! Freeze in a big freezer container for as much as 3 months. Thaw within the fridge the day earlier than consuming, then reheat on the range till heat.
Can I Make This in a Gradual Cooker?
If you would like the minestrone soup to cook dinner all day, listed here are the gradual cooker instructions. I additionally included these within the recipe card under. Put together the soup by step 1 on the stovetop. Switch to a gradual cooker, then add all the pieces else apart from the rice/pasta and spinach. Permit to cook dinner for two hours on low, then add the rice/pasta and spinach. Prepare dinner on low for 1 extra hour.
Serve in bread bowls or alongside smooth dinner rolls, artisan bread, brown butter sage dinner rolls, home made breadsticks, or olive bread. Or, attempt a brand new favourite, grilled cheese sandwiches on home made entire wheat bread.
Thick & Hearty Minestrone Soup
Prep Time: quarter-hour
Prepare dinner Time: 60 minutes
Whole Time: 1 hour, quarter-hour
Yield: serves 10
Class: Soup
Methodology: Cooking
Delicacies: Italian
Description
This hearty minestrone soup is thicker than most. Brimming with colourful greens, protein-rich beans, and fragrant herbs, it’s as scrumptious as it's satisfying. You’ll love this soup’s uniquely wealthy texture—each spoonful is totally different!
Directions
- Warmth the olive oil over medium warmth in a big stockpot or dutch oven. Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and thyme. Prepare dinner, stirring sometimes, for six–7 minutes because the greens soften up and let loose some juices.
- Add broth, water, crimson wine vinegar, bay leaf, all of the beans, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. Convey to a boil, then add raw rice or pasta. Cowl and simmer for 35 minutes. Stir within the chopped spinach and simmer for five extra minutes. Take away bay leaf.
- Serve soup heat in home made bread bowls (or common bowls, after all!) and high with contemporary parmesan cheese, if desired.
- Hold leftovers in a big lined container within the fridge for as much as per week. To reheat, merely pour right into a pot over medium warmth and cook dinner till heat. Be at liberty so as to add extra broth to the leftovers because it cooks whether it is too thick—I at all times do. (It thickens within the fridge because the veggies and rice/pasta absorb the liquid.)
Notes
- Make Forward Directions—Freezing: Soup freezes splendidly! Freeze for as much as 3 months. Thaw within the fridge the day earlier than consuming, then reheat on the range till heat.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Massive Pot or Dutch Oven (reminiscent of this Le Creuset Dutch Oven or Lodge Dutch Oven)
- Zucchini: You may go away this out, or use summer season squash as a substitute. I’ve additionally used chopped mushrooms instead.
- Italian Seasoning: Should you don’t have Italian seasoning, you should utilize any mixture of Italian spices that you just like. Dried basil, rosemary, oregano, and so forth.
- Broth: Wherever between 6–7 cups (about 1.5L) of broth is nice. I take advantage of 7, after which add slightly extra once I reheat leftover soup. The rice or pasta soaks up quite a lot of liquid.
- Vinegar: The vinegar balances out all of the flavors. A couple of splashes of a dry-ish crimson wine works too!
- Kidney Bean & Butter Beans: I really like this mix of beans, however you should utilize all kidney or all butter beans as a substitute. Or substitute one or each for chickpeas, cannellini, borlotti, or nice northern beans. Or substitute one with a drained can of corn.
- Inexperienced Beans: You should utilize chopped contemporary inexperienced beans or frozen inexperienced beans as a substitute. After I do that, I normally use round 1 and 1/2 cups. Add it whenever you add the opposite beans—they've sufficient time to cook dinner and soften. No must thaw if utilizing frozen.
- Rice/Pasta: Use brown or white rice or any dry pasta you want finest. Persist with smaller-shaped pasta so it matches in your spoon—I normally use orzo. You can too skip the rice/pasta. The soup will probably be thinner.
- Spinach: Be at liberty to make use of chopped contemporary kale as a substitute, or go away it out. If you wish to use frozen spinach, add it 10 minutes earlier than the tip of cooking as a substitute of 5.
- If You Need to Add Meat: Be at liberty so as to add 1 lb. of floor hen, turkey, or beef. Prepare dinner it with the celery/carrots in step 1. Skip 1 can of the beans, and chances are you'll wish to add one other 1 cup (240ml) of broth. Or add 1–2 cups pre-cooked meat, reminiscent of chopped/shredded rotisserie hen or ham, whenever you stir within the spinach. Typically I even add thinly sliced hen sausage.
- Gradual Cooker Directions: Put together the soup by step 1 on the stovetop. Switch to a gradual cooker (affiliate hyperlink), then add all the pieces else apart from the rice/pasta and spinach. Permit to cook dinner for two hours on low, then add the rice/pasta and spinach. Prepare dinner on low for 1 extra hour.
Diet
- Serving Measurement: 1 and 1/2 cups
- Energy: 171
- Sugar: 6.7 g
- Sodium: 615.3 mg
- Fats: 3.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 29.6 g
- Protein: 6.7 g
- Ldl cholesterol: 0 mg
Key phrases: minestrone soup
