Minestrone italian vegetable soup recipe. Minestrone is a classic Italian vegetable soup.

Minestrone is a thick Italian soup made from fresh, seasonal vegetables. There is no single correct recipe for the classic Minestrone, as the set of vegetables in the soup varies from region to region of Italy. Also, the set of vegetables changes during the season itself, since only seasonal vegetables are used for Minestrone, which are available and cheap during this period.

But it should be noted some important features of the preparation of Minestrone soup. Vegetables are cut very finely and then slowly fried, which provides a special taste of this dish. Also an important feature of the classic Minestrone is that some of the vegetables are pureed, and this makes the soup very thick. It is also important that the composition of the classic Minestrone necessarily includes some legumes.

The more vegetables included in the Minestrone, the better, but in the classic Minestrone they should not be less than 8. Vegetables for Minestrone should be cut finely so that they absorb the olive oil well during frying. The fire during frying should be minimal.

Minestrone is the most popular soup born in Italy. It is so associated with first courses that outside the republic, when they say "Italian soup", they undoubtedly mean minestrone. It is based on broth, vegetables and legumes. Italians cook it with seasonal products, but still, frozen peas or beans are allowed.

Healthy ingredients are a very significant plus of the dish. Minestrone is not just a soup. It is a symbol of Italian principles of nutrition. Do you want to know how it came about and how to make a classic minestrone in your own kitchen? Then welcome to the article.

Minestrone has a very ancient origin. Even in cooking vegetable soup based on onions, garlic, carrots, asparagus, lentils and mushrooms. Additional ingredients have been added over the centuries thanks to new advances. For example, potatoes and tomatoes entered the dish when they "arrived" in Italy after the discovery of America in the 16th century.

Initially, minestrone was a modest soup, which was prepared mainly from the leftovers of second courses or from the cheapest vegetables. It was an everyday food, not an option for a wedding or festive table.

The modern absence of a strict soup recipe is due to the fact that the products for it were never prepared in advance. In other words, if a person bought a chicken in order to fry and eat it later, then the minestrone was treated differently. The components that were in the house were used.

Dear reader, to find an answer to any question about holidays in Italy, use. I answer all questions in the comments under the relevant articles at least once a day. Your guide in Italy Artur Yakutsevich.

Between the 17th and 18th centuries, Italian chefs made the first course famous outside the republic. But even today the soup is perceived as a tribute to the peasant tradition.

Its name literally translates as "what is served" (as food). The first use of the term Minestrone for vegetable soup dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries.

The recipe of the dish depends on the region of preparation. Minestrone classic (Minestrone classico) is rather a relative concept, since there is no consensus among culinary experts on its composition. But the main components are strictly regulated: broth, beans, onions, celery, carrots and tomatoes. Although conservatives advocate the absence of "non-European" vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes) in the dish.

Some prefer to cook minestrone on water, others choose meat broths. Someone supplements it with pasta, someone prefers rice. Its consistency ranges from thick and dense (close to a stew) to very liquid. For example, the classic version contains more broth than Genoese Minestrone (Minestrone alla genovese). The composition of the latter also includes pesto sauce.

In fact, recently the word minestrone has become synonymous with the phrase "mix everything." But, of course, modern culinary specialists do not use leftover food from previous meals, but acquire fresh vegetables in advance when planning to cook soup. Today it is eaten not as a main course, but as a light first, opening a hearty meal.

Classic recipe

Every region of Italy has its own classic minestrone recipe. But there are no significant differences. Only a few ingredients change. We invite you to cook the most popular winter version of the dish in the republic. Taking into account the peculiarities of our climate, it is better for domestic housewives to create their own delicacy in the second half of summer.

So, we will need:

  • Water - 700 ml;
  • Cauliflower - 400 g;
  • Tomatoes - 350 g;
  • Potatoes - 330 g;
  • Pumpkin - 250 g;
  • Fresh beans - 200 g;
  • Green peas fresh or frozen - 200 g;
  • Leek - 150 g;
  • smoked - 110 g;
  • Zucchini - 100 g;
  • Onion - 80 g;
  • Carrots - 80 g;
  • Celery - 60 g;
  • Olive oil - 60 g;
  • Rosemary - 6 g;
  • Parsley - 5 g;
  • Ground black pepper - 2 g;
  • Garlic - 1 clove;
  • Bay leaf - 2 pcs.;
  • Salt and nutmeg to taste.

Before starting the process, it is necessary to wash and dry all vegetables. Rosemary and laurel sprig - tie tightly with kitchen string so that the herb leaves do not end up in the soup during cooking

How to cook

First, peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and fibrous pulp with a spoon. We cut pumpkin and zucchini into cubes. If fresh beans are in pods, then we extract the beans from them.

Separate the cauliflower into florets. Cut the white part of the leek into thin rings, and cut the pancetta into cubes.

We also turn peeled potatoes and tomatoes with the skin and stalk removed into cubes. Peeled carrots, celery and onion cut as small as possible, parsley - large.

Now all the ingredients are prepared, and you can proceed to the main stage. In a non-stick pot with high sides, saute the carrots, onion and celery in olive oil for 7-8 minutes. It is necessary to avoid burning vegetables to the bottom of the container.

Add crushed garlic and pancetta without turning off the heat. The latter serves to flavor the soup. We also put a bunch of herbs in the pan. Mix leek rings with a small amount of water (about 50 ml) with the resulting mass and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.

The next ingredients that will go in the classic minestrone are pumpkin and beans. Cook the dish over moderate heat for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

This is followed by potatoes, cauliflower, zucchini, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook the resulting vegetable mixture for about 5-6 minutes. Pour green peas and tomatoes into the pan, pour the remaining water and cover with a lid. Cook the minestrone over moderate heat for about 30 minutes, remove the garlic and do not remove from heat for another 15 minutes.

A few seconds before removing the container from the stove, add parsley. We remove a bunch of herbs and mix thoroughly so that the vegetables are saturated with each other's aromas.

If you prefer thinner soups, then add some boiled water to it. Your classic minestrone recipe is ready! In Italy, before serving, the soup is sprinkled with olive oil or sprinkled with grated olive oil.

Keep minestrone in the refrigerator in a container with a tight-fitting lid for up to 3 days. Although, like many Italian soups, it acquires the most intense taste by the second day. If desired, you can extend its shelf life by freezing.

How to change the recipe

Minestrone is a very versatile dish. It is quite possible to replace the proposed vegetables with those that you prefer. Or, on the contrary, add something else. For example, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, mushrooms. And this list is endless. But, it must be emphasized that Italian chefs never put arugula and Brussels sprouts in soup, as they interrupt the taste of other vegetables. Chicory and artichokes are also illegal. Their presence will only betray unnecessary bitterness.

Those who prefer soups with pasta or rice should add the necessary component during the cooking process. At the same time, until the minestrone is ready, there should be as much time as it takes to prepare the selected ingredient.

Minestrone with chicken differs from the classics only in the presence of chicken breast cubes added during the cooking process. The Genoese version of the soup is enriched with sauce (Pesto) at the end of the process.

Possible cooking errors

Modern stores are filled with a huge variety of products all year round. Illiterate choice and subsequent processing of components are the main causes of errors in the preparation of vegetable soup.

To prevent your dish from becoming an unsightly, tasteless slurry, remember that:

  1. Frozen vegetables should not be used. Yes, it is very convenient and greatly reduces the cooking time. But they change the taste of the soup for the worse. The only exception is green peas. The use of legumes in the form of canned food is also strictly prohibited.
  2. Bouillon cubes are not allowed in the minestrone. The aroma of the first dish with a bouquet of vegetables does not require additional chemicals. The only acceptable flavor enhancers are herbs (rosemary, sage, laurel, thyme, parsley, basil, celery leaves), as well as salt and ground black pepper. The color of the broth is adjusted by the products. For example, a decoction of unpeeled onions has a golden hue, tomatoes give rich red color.
  3. Do not limit the variety of components. In Italy, as a rule, the maximum amount of vegetables according to the season is used. In autumn, in addition to the standard ingredients, pumpkin, cabbage, and broccoli are used. Some chefs even add mushrooms.
  4. The size of the cut vegetables also matters. Strongly crushed fruits turn the minestrone into a puree-like mass. On the contrary, large pieces are not completely saturated with the overall aroma of the soup. If beans are placed, then when cutting the rest of the vegetables, they are guided by their size. If not, everything is cut into cubes with a side of 1.5 cm.
  5. The taste of the dish is always enriched with additional components.. These include: durum pasta, egg noodles, rice, pearl barley, fried bread or garlic-rubbed toast.

Calorie content and benefits

Minestrone is considered one of the healthiest soups. It is included in the diet menu for weight loss, since the calorie content of the classic dish is extremely low and is about 39 kcal per 100 g.

The nutritional value is distributed as follows:

  • Proteins - 1.7 g;
  • Fats - 1.3 g;
  • Carbohydrates - 5.4 g.

Low salt soup is great for controlling blood pressure levels. Rich in potassium, it helps to diversify the composition of the diet for people suffering from hypertension.

The low glycemic index of minestrone has a positive effect on metabolism and makes the soup useful for the nutrition of diabetic patients.

Now you know everything about the most popular, healthy and simply delicious Italian soup. Live with humor, travel spontaneously and remember: “There is nothing better in the world than making minestrone in the summer!”

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"Minestrone" in Italian means "big soup", that is, a soup with many different ingredients. In Italy, this light vegetable dish is perhaps one of the most popular. It is prepared, as a rule, in the summer - from seasonal fresh vegetables, sometimes adding curly pasta or arborio rice for richness. It is served both hot and cold. For those who watch their figure, want to lose weight, or simply do not like heavy food during the hot season, minestrone soup is the perfect choice.

Minestrone soup does not have a strictly defined set of ingredients. The Italians themselves adhere to only one rule - all vegetables for soup should be only those that are currently sold on the local market. That is why the ideal time for making minestrone in our country is the second half of summer, when a huge amount of vegetables from the garden appears on the shelves - carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, milk corn cobs.

In addition to a wide choice of ingredients, this soup can be prepared on any basis. On a hot day, minestrone is best cooked simply with water or vegetable broth and served cold. Toward the end of summer, when the rainy season begins and it gets colder, hot rich soup with meat broth will help to warm up. The same goes for adding rice or pasta. If your goal is to lose weight, cook yourself a minestrone only with vegetables. For a beloved man or children, it is quite possible to add white round-grain rice or curly pasta to the soup, such as farfalle butterflies, conchile shells, penne feathers or fusilli spirals.

By the way, the lack of a clear recipe is due to the fact that historically minestrone was the soup of the poor. This is the same combined dish as pizza, goulash or the same okroshka. They cooked soup on the broth that was, or on water, if there was no meat in the house. All the vegetables that were available were added to the minestrone. For satiety, rice, pasta, legumes, and pieces of cheese could be put in the soup. In general, minestrone is a soup beloved by Italian peasants, which could contain almost any ingredient. In Italy itself, there are still different soup recipes in different regions. For example, in the central part of the country, it is customary to cook minestrone with pesto sauce, in the north - with young peas and pieces of bacon, closer to the south - with boiled beans or chickpeas.

Minestrone Vegetables:

zucchini or zucchini, onions (bulb, red, white, shallots, leeks), broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, pumpkin, fennel, parsnips, celery root and stalks, asparagus, spinach, green peas, beans, lentils

Minestrone: Recipe by Christian Lorenzini, Chef of Buono and Christian Restaurants

Photo: Buono Restaurant

4 servings
Vegetable broth - 2 l
Boiled lentils - 4 tbsp. l.
Boiled red beans - 4 tbsp. l.
Carrot - 1 pc.
Potatoes - 2 pcs.
Celery - 2 stalks
Zucchini - 1 pc.
Green asparagus - 4 stalks
Broccoli - 100 g
Fresh spinach - 1 bunch
Salt and pepper - to taste
Parsley - 4 sprigs
Olive oil - 1 tbsp. l.
Salt and pepper - to taste

1. Peel all vegetables and cut into medium-sized pieces.
2. Fry carrots, potatoes, celery in oil until half cooked, pour vegetable broth and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
3. Add boiled beans and lentils, disassembled into broccoli florets, chopped asparagus and zucchini, spinach leaves. Boil for another 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Transfer a third of the soup to a blender, grind to a puree consistency, transfer back to the soup, let it boil for 2-3 minutes.
5. Serve the finished soup hot or cold with parsley leaves.

Genoese Minestrone: Recipe by Paolo Boccolini, Chef of the Donna Margherita Restaurant

Photo: Shutterstock.com

4 servings
Potatoes - 2-3 pcs.
Fennel - 1 pc.
Celery stalk - 3-4 pcs.
Leek (white part) - 1 pc.
Parmesan grated - 1 tbsp. l.
Garlic - 1 clove
Rosemary - 1 sprig
Carrots - 0.5 pcs.
Zucchini - 1 pc.
Savoy cabbage - 75 g
Pumpkin - 50g
Fresh spinach - 40 g
Boiled beans - 75g
Olive oil - 65g
Water - 1.5-2 l
Salt - to taste

Cooking method
1. In olive oil in a saucepan with a thick bottom, fry chopped garlic, carrots and onions, cut into small cubes, add a sprig of rosemary.
2. Pour in water, add diced potatoes, pre-boiled beans, finely chopped leek, celery stalk, green part of zucchini, savoy cabbage, pumpkin, fennel, salt, pepper and cook until tender.
3. Pour soup into a deep bowl, add finely chopped spinach, sprinkle with grated parmesan, drizzle with olive oil

Minestrone with pesto sauce: recipe by Mirko Dzago, Chef of Cheese Restaurant

Photo: Shutterstock.com

4 servings
Zucchini - 1 pc.
Bulgarian pepper - 0.5 pcs.
Leek - 20 g
Red onion - 0.25 pcs.
Potatoes - 1-2 pcs.
Pumpkin - 100 g
Celery - 1 stalk
Broccoli cabbage - 60 g
Ready tomato sauce - 60 g
Olive oil - 1 tbsp. l.
Vegetable broth - 850 ml
Garlic, peeled - 1 clove
Peeled carrots - 1 pc.
Cauliflower - 60 g
fresh thyme - pinch
Salt - to taste

For the pesto sauce:
Pine nuts - 55 g
Olive oil - 500 ml
Garlic, peeled - 2-3 cloves
Fresh basil - 400 g
Grated parmesan - 100 g
Sea salt - to taste

1. For the pesto sauce: Place the ingredients in layers in a blender: basil leaves, cheese, nuts, garlic. Then add the olive oil and mix it all up, periodically turning the blender on and off. Add salt to taste.
2. Peel the vegetables, cut into small cubes, sauté in olive oil, then add to the prepared vegetable broth. Bring to a boil. Then add tomato paste. And add the rest of the ingredients.
3. Bring to readiness (about 20 minutes). Add the pesto sauce to the finished minestrone, stir and ladle into bowls.

Minestrone roughly translated as "soup" or "big soup". This is a rather thick and rich vegetable soup, to which string or dried beans, rice or pasta are necessarily added. Minestrone soup is made from a variety of ingredients.

And, as it is believed, a real Italian minestrone soup consists of about ten or even more types of vegetables.

Of the seasonal vegetables, Italian minestrone soup must include beans, stalk celery, tomatoes and carrots. However, in general, any vegetables are suitable for soup, depending on the season, as we have already noted. So, in Italy, in each region, certain ingredients - vegetables and herbs - can be added to a minestrone dish or, on the contrary, taken away. In the vegetable minestrone, you can add fried ham, ham. That's when the soup becomes even more satisfying.

You can also add grated Parmesan cheese or pesto sauce, finely chopped herbs, spices and, of course, basil to the finished minestrone soup. A lighter but more satisfying vegetable minestrone soup is called minestrina (minestrina).

Classical minestrone soup are celery, onion, fennel and carrots. Also add potatoes and pumpkin. In general, your imagination and the widest scope for culinary creativity are needed here!

Why is minestrone a "soup of the second day"?

There is only one explanation, and quite simple. Try making a minestrone and you'll immediately appreciate the difference between its taste the day it's made and the taste the next day. Everything is trite and simple. It is extremely necessary for the soup to brew well, soak in vegetable aromas, but let the vegetables "make friends" with each other properly.

So, here are a few rules for making real minestrone soup, in addition to the rule of ten vegetables. Minestrone soup can be prepared both in vegetable broth (classic version) and in meat broth. However, the Italians themselves like to cook such a broth on Italian ham (pancetta), or on a ham, as well as on chicken broth. Gourmets prefer to add wine from grapes to minestrone soup.

You can also add any vegetables you like to the minestrone. However, legumes must be present in this dish. Most often it is beans. The most delicious minestrone is obtained from seasonal, most often summer, vegetables. Italians are increasingly using celery, onions, carrots, fennel, potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, zucchini and pumpkin for this soup. Italian minestrone soup is always very rich, thick and satisfying.

In the minestrone classic put pasta made from durum wheat and rice.

Minestrone recipe for the traditional cooking method is as follows: darken the vegetables until tender, and only then chop half with a blender, and leave the other half like that. Then whole vegetables, mixed with chopped ones, stew in olive oil over low heat, which will allow you to get the real “taste” of the traditional minestrone. Do not forget that the best seasonings and spices for this dish are any greens and basil.

italian minestrone soup recipe

Throughout Europe, Italian cuisine is very much in demand and popular. Moreover, some Italian dishes in European rich restaurants have become not only classics, but also their permanent attribute of the menu. The harmonious exquisite taste of Italian dishes, their beautiful names are just a small part of the reasons for the popularity of Italian cuisine. Minestrone Italian is an exquisite and unique vegetable soup made in the best traditions of Italy.

We bring to your attention the recipe for Italian minestrone soup. This is a very tasty minestrone soup with green beans. The taste of this soup with the addition of a few spoons of pesto will sparkle before your eyes with amazing, bright, multi-colored colors, willows, thus you will discover a completely different world for yourself - a world of exquisite taste and gastronomic bliss.

Ingredients:

  • 4-5 pieces of small potatoes.
  • one piece of onion.
  • One or two garlic cloves
  • 1-2 carrots
  • half a 200-gram cup of peas
  • one zucchini.
  • stalk of celery
  • half a glass (200 gr.) each of green string beans and French beans
  • quarter cabbage.
  • 8-10 pieces of cabbage leaves.
  • herbs - to taste
  • Parmesan cheese and cheese - to taste.

How to cook minestrone. Finely chop the garlic and onion (you can chop the carrots on a fine grater), fry in olive oil. After frying, add a little water so that it takes no more than 2/3 of the pan. Add all the listed, finely chopped vegetables to the pan and cook until fully cooked. At the end of cooking, you can add tomatoes and beet leaves.

In the meantime, take a separate pan and boil the beans and potatoes in it, which are well kneaded with a fork or wooden spatula after cooking. Combine potatoes, beans with the contents of the first pot and cook it over very low heat. Minestrone vegetable soup is served with parmesan, toasted bread, broth and vermicelli.

Italian Minestrone Soup

Minestrone soup is the most popular dish in Italy and Europe. This is an old dish that has been prepared in different parts of Italy for many centuries. This soup was mainly prepared by rural residents, for whom minestrone soup was an everyday dish. This soup was prepared only with seasonal vegetables.

Minestrone soup slowly moved from rural Italian cuisine to national cuisine. However, in each region of Italy, this soup is prepared differently. We will tell you about cooking minestrone with beans at home, by preparing which you can boast to your family and friends of such a restaurant European, but to some extent, a familiar dish for you. After all, this dish is now being prepared from those products that can be bought here, in our country. Here's minestrone soup, a photo of it.

Ingredients:

  • Water - 2.5 liters,
  • bacon and rice - 100 grams each,
  • tomatoes - 4 pieces,
  • dried peas - 200 grams,
  • potatoes, zucchini - 2 pieces each,
  • onions and carrots - 1 piece,
  • cabbage - ½ head,
  • canned beans,
  • olive oil,
  • spices marjoram, oregano and basil.

How to make Minestrone the Italian way

We cut the cabbage into strips, and we also cut the zucchini into identical cubes, carrots, potatoes and tomatoes into cubes. Cut the onion into half rings, fry it in advance with bacon in olive oil. We bring the water to a boil, put all the necessary vegetables in it, simmer over low heat for an hour and a half. Pour onion there along with bacon, rice, thoroughly washed and green peas. Cook until all vegetable ingredients are cooked. Sprinkle minestrone soup with grated cheese before serving.

Minestrone soup classic recipe

Minestrone classic - This is another great option for a hearty soup, even for those who are striving to lose weight, since this soup, despite being very nutritious, is also low in calories, because. it is cooked purely in vegetable broth. Of course, Italian classic cuisine is very close to Russian cuisine. Therefore, all those who love to eat vegetables will have dinner or lunch with great pleasure with this very satisfying and very tasty soup! Your attention is a classic minestrone soup recipe with a photo.

Ingredients:

  • 450 grams of tomatoes or tomatoes in their own juice,
  • 200 grams of dry string beans,
  • 400 grams of canned beans,
  • 100 grams short pasta
  • 1 clove of garlic,
  • zucchini, a large stalk of celery,
  • potato tuber,
  • bulb,
  • 2 carrots
  • dry rosemary - 0.5 teaspoon,
  • hot and black and red ground pepper,
  • grated parmesan,
  • basil,
  • olive oil,
  • salt.

How to make classic minestrone

Heat a deep frying pan, pour in olive oil, put carrots, celery, onions sliced ​​into circles into it, pepper with black and hot pepper. Salt, season with rosemary, fry until the onion is browned for five minutes.

Mash the tomatoes with a fork, put them separately in a pan and simmer for two minutes. Cut the zucchini and potatoes into cubes, drain the liquid from the beans, rinse the dry beans thoroughly, put all these vegetables in the pan with other vegetables and simmer for two minutes.

Pour more than 1.7 liters of water into the pan, put everything out of the pan, add chopped green beans, bring all the contents to a boil. Cook vegetables until they are soft. At the end add pasta. Classic minestrone soup season with freshly chopped garlic and basil before serving. Mix the finished soup well one more time, hold under the lid for a little (5 minutes). Pour grated Parmesan into soup bowls.

Real vegetable minestrone. Recipe with photo

This is the most delicious and nutritious vegetable minestrone soup, the recipe of which includes the addition of over 10 vegetables.

We offer to cook minestrone, see the photo below how to cook.

Ingredients:

  • red medium onion - 1 piece
  • carrots - 2 pieces (also medium)
  • celery - 1 piece
  • hot red pepper - 1/8 teaspoon
  • fresh rosemary - 1 tsp (or half a teaspoon of cooked, dried rosemary)
  • tomatoes in their own juice - 450 grams
  • one potato and one medium zucchini
  • canned beans - 1 jar
  • green beans - 250 grams
  • dry short pasta - 100 grams
    garlic, grated parmesan cheese
  • basil for serving
    salt

minestrone soup recipe

Chop carrots, onions and celery very finely. Cut zucchini and potatoes into equal cubes. Drain the liquid from the beans in advance, rinse it, let the water drain. The string beans are cut into small pieces.

Put the pan on the fire, the fire is slightly below average. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on it. Pour celery, carrots, onions, add hot peppers, rosemary, 0.25 teaspoon of ground black pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 5-8 minutes, until the onion is completely golden. Add well mashed tomatoes with juice. Cook this way for no more than a minute, until the liquid from the tomatoes is slightly reduced.

Add zucchini, potatoes and beans. Pour in the vegetable broth (1.5 liters), bring the broth to a boil. After adding the beans, cook until softened. Pour the pasta ten minutes before the vegetable minestrone is ready. Add basil, garlic. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Minestrone soup, preparing a "big" soup

Minestrone soup in Italy is as frequent a guest on the table as our borscht. This delicious first course has a lot of cooking variations. Even the classic recipe does not have clear specifics regarding its constituent components. If you have not tried to cook this dish in your kitchen, you should definitely fix it.

Even if lunch time has already passed, your family will be able to appreciate its taste tomorrow, because Minestrone is considered the soup of the second day. We will tell you the recipe for minestrone soup and you will learn how to cook a popular Italian dish yourself at home.

Cooking minestrone at home

The classic minestrone is also called the “big soup”, and all because it includes a lot of ingredients. These are mainly vegetables, and in the classic minestrone, Italians add only seasonal vegetables grown in their own garden or purchased at the local market.

So the recipe for minestrone depends more on what vegetables are available at the time of preparation, but there should certainly be a lot of them.

In addition to them, the traditional minestrone soup recipe includes vegetable (less often meat) broth, pasta, rice or beans, sometimes pesto is added directly to the plate when served. The main "trick" of the soup, which distinguishes it from the rest of the first courses, is that the vegetables for it are fried slowly and alternately.

Traditionally, some cooked vegetables are puréed in a blender and then added to the pot. As you understand, the color and texture of the soup can vary greatly. Italians believe that the most delicious minestrone soup is just the same on the second day, when all the vegetables give up their aromas and tastes and they all mix into a holistic culinary composition.

Tomato minestrone recipe

After several trials, each housewife will discover her ideal vegetable minestrone, and perhaps the recipe we proposed with a photo of an appetizing result will just become it.

For cooking you will need:

  • White beans, canned - half a can.
  • Bacon - 100g.
  • Onion - 1 medium.
  • Hot red pepper - 1 piece.
  • Potato - 2 small tubers.
  • Sweet pepper - 1 piece.
  • Green peas frozen or fresh - half a glass.
  • A small zucchini.
  • String beans - 100g.
  • Fennel - half head.
  • Tomato juice - half a liter.
  • Fresh tomatoes - 3 medium in size.
  • Fresh basil (other herbs can be used)
  • Parmesan.
  • Salt, bay leaf.
  • Olive oil.
  • A couple of cloves of garlic.

Let's start the cooking process. Italian minestrone soup has the following step-by-step cooking scheme:

First of all, all vegetables are peeled and cut into small cubes, except for garlic, it will be added with whole cloves.

Bacon cut into small slices.

We take a large saucepan in which our vegetable minestrone will be prepared and pour olive oil into it.

Bacon goes into the pot first. On medium heat, fry it for 3 minutes. It should not brown.

Then add the onion and fennel to the bacon, fry for another 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add hot pepper and continue to fry the mixture for about 3 more minutes.

We are engaged in tomatoes, they need to be blanched: we put a small saucepan of water on the stove and wait until it boils. Meanwhile, on the bottom of the tomatoes we make a cross-shaped incision. We throw them into boiling water for just a minute. After that, the skin can be easily removed from the tomato. Kill them with a blender.

We send mashed tomatoes to a saucepan with soup.

Then, after a couple of minutes, add potatoes, sweet peppers, peas, zucchini, green beans and simmer vegetables for 7 minutes.

Then pour in the tomato juice and white beans. Mix everything and simmer for another 7 minutes.

Add water, salt, bay leaf and garlic cloves. Now our minestrone soup should boil for 10-12 minutes.

In the meantime, chop the basil and three parmesan on a fine grater.

We take out bay leaves and garlic so that they do not interfere with anyone.

first course with tomato juice

RECIPE: MINESTRONE SOUP CLASSIC

Ingredients for the recipe:

  • Bulgarian pepper - 100 g
  • Potato - 100 g
  • Zucchini - 100 g
  • Onion - 100 g
  • Carrots - 100 g
  • Green peas (frozen) - 70 g
  • Spinach - 10 g
  • Pasta (small) - 30 g
  • Garlic -2 cloves
  • Chicken broth - 500 ml
  • Sunflower oil - 20 g
  • Salt - to taste
  • Pepper - to taste

Minestrone vegetable soup classic recipe

A classic Italian dish is minestrone soup, which is made from fresh vegetables. The word "minestrone" itself is literally translated from Italian as "deep land" - it received such a name because of its density and richness. If it is cooked correctly, then, as they say, "a spoon should stand in a plate"!

Required ingredients for minestrone are carrots and celery. But for the dish, you can take any fresh vegetables, as well as add pieces of ham, which makes the soup even richer and thicker. But still, the main feature of this soup is the number of vegetables: the more there are, the more varied they are, the better! Before serving in a minestrone, pesto sauce or grated parmesan cheese is sometimes added and garnished with chopped herbs.

The quantity indicated is for 2 servings!

  1. Peppers, carrots, potatoes. cut zucchini into cubes. Chop the garlic.
  2. Heat sunflower oil in a saucepan. Add carrots and onions. Fry.
  3. Gradually add garlic and pepper. The main thing is not to overdo it!
  4. After a while, lay out the chopped potatoes and zucchini. Fry 5-7 min.
  5. Pour chicken broth over vegetables. Boil 7-9 min.
  6. Boil pasta in a separate bowl.
  7. When the pasta is ready, add them to the vegetables in the broth. Throw out the peas.
  8. Salt and pepper. Boil 10 min.
  9. Place spinach in a deep bowl. Pour in the soup. You can apply. Bon Appetit!

Authentic Italian minestrone is a thick rustic soup of seasonal vegetables with pasta, parmesan and basil crumbled into it when served. Sometimes pieces of ham are added to the minestrone - prosciutto. Or use rice instead of pasta, and pesto instead of parmesan.

From region to region of Italy, the set of vegetables in the minestrone recipe can change: be richer - with the inclusion of asparagus or dry beans, fennel, celery and a long list of Mediterranean diet vegetables, or light. And a set of herbs, of course. But that's not the point. The essence of minestrone is in the technology of cooking vegetables - their unhurried frying, followed by partial pureing. This makes the soup very thick and flavorful.

Minestrone is one of those recipes where understanding the nuances is important, and the result is such that it is better to cook and try once than tell ten times.

Preparation time: 25 minutes/ Cooking time: 1 hour/ Servings: 6 pcs.

Ingredients

To make Minestrone, you will need:

  • zucchini zucchini 300g
  • onion 100g
  • potatoes 150g
  • carrot 70g
  • tomatoes 200g
  • Bulgarian pepper 150g
  • small pasta 50g
  • garlic 1 clove
  • hard cheese 20g
  • olive oil 7 tbsp
  • water 1250 ml
  • salt 2 tsp

Cooking

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    It is customary to make vegetable cuts for minestrone miniature, all pieces are approximately the same size - a little more than a pea, and this is not a whim, but a technology: finely chopped vegetables absorb olive oil well when frying and do not lose their shape when cooked. In addition, due to the size, they cook quickly. Thoroughly fried, with a preserved crust, pieces of vegetables that have not lost their juiciness when stewing are the goal of the first stage of preparing minestrone.

    Cut the onion and carrot into small cubes. In order to somehow designate the bell pepper in the soup (let's make an exception for the pepper), we cut it not into cubes, but into thin strips. The soup will become much more elegant if you use bell peppers of different colors.

    Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and cut into small pieces. If your zucchini is mature enough and the skin has already turned stale, it is best to peel it off so that there are no coarse fibers in the soup.
    Ripe tomatoes are peeled and cut into small slices, during frying they will release juice and lose their shape, so the size of the slices is not so important.
    Potatoes need to be washed, peeled and cut into small even cubes. While we are roasting vegetables, I advise you to soak the potatoes in cold water.

    When heating 5 tablespoons of oil in a deep-bottomed pan, make sure that the oil does not get too hot, especially if you are using refined olive oil. Vegetables for minestrone should be sautéed over low heat, simmer, so once the oil is hot, put in the chopped carrots and onions and fry, stirring for about 5 minutes, until the onions become translucent.

    Add bell pepper and garlic, cut into thin slices, into the pan and continue to fry, stirring for about 5 minutes. The combination of onions, garlic, peppers and carrots with olive oil fills the kitchen with the unique flavor of the vegetable season.

    Add chopped zucchini to the vegetables in the pan, pour in another 2 tbsp. olive oil and continue to fry over low heat for 15 minutes.
    We spread the chopped tomatoes in the pan and fry, stirring, for 5 minutes, during which time all the slices of zucchini will already become transparent.

    Put the fried vegetables in a bowl. Some cooks prepare minestrone in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, in which they fry vegetables, and then pour water over them and continue to boil the soup.

    Pour vegetables with 1250 ml of cold water, so that they do not lose their bright colors, and bring to a boil. We will also cook the soup on a slow fire.

    When the soup boils, add salt and run the prepared potatoes. Despite the fact that the potatoes are finely chopped, it is better to cook them for 15-20 minutes, for a richer soup.

    Remember, I wrote that minestrone is a soup that consists of half blended vegetables? Right now it's time to knead most of them and keep the smaller part unchanged so that the soup remains textured, not pureed. We take out a small part of boiled vegetables with a slotted spoon and set aside for a while.

    Blend the remaining vegetables in the broth with an immersion blender until smooth. Just don't try to turn them into semolina! Let the pieces not crushed to the end remain, nothing terrible will happen. The main thing in this action is the effect: interpenetration, mixing of tastes.

    Bring the soup to a boil and start the small pasta. For soups, Italians use miniature pasta - horns, stars, shells. I broke the rule a little and sent not very small heart-shaped pasta to the soup. But it's beautiful! Cook the pasta for 2-3 minutes, and that's it. Having insisted, they will certainly reach full readiness.

    How is minestrone served? Cheese, basil, pesto - all this is served on a plate. Or put on the table, where everyone is free or not free to supplement the minestrone with flavors himself.