Hearty Italian Minestrone Soup
by Happy Foods Tube in Cooking > Soups & Stews
894 Views, 15 Favorites, 0 Comments
Hearty Italian Minestrone Soup
I am in love with anything Italian, especially its cuisine and this hearty vegetable soup is just delicious! The interesting thing about this soup is that it really has no set recipe when it comes to its ingredients. In general, seasonal vegetables are used to make it which means it never tastes the same. Unless you use the same recipe over and over again, that is!
I have to admit I usually use the same vegetables when I cook it but not the same quantities. Sometimes I add more carrots, celery or kale. If I have some small pasta I also add those but not all the time. However, there are two ingredients that I feel like they have to be part of this soup EVERY TIME and without them I wouldn’t call this soup Minestrone. These two ingredients (actually more like final touches) that can’t be omitted or substituted for something else are Parmesan cheese and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Enjoy our easy recipes!
Ingredients:
2 Large Carrots
3-4 Celery Sticks
1 Medium Onion
1 Kale
Fresh Basil
1 Can Canelloni Beans (400g)
2 Cans Tinned Tomatoes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese
A Handful of any Small Pasta Shapes
2 Bay Leaves
1 Chicken Stock Cube
Salt
Makes: 4-5 portions
Time: Preparation 15 minutes + Cooking 40 minutes
Method:
Pour a generous amount of olive oil in a large pot. While the oil is heating up, dice the onion. Add it in the pot. Cover with a lid and sweat for about 5 minutes on medium heat.
Wash, peel and cut carrots & celery sticks. Add them to the pan. Stir occasionally.
Wash and separate kale leaves and cut out the hard middle parts. Cut the kale leaves into thin strips and add to the pot. Add 2 cans of chopped tomatoes, 2 bay leaves, 1 litre of water and a stock cube. Season with salt (1 tea spoon). Simmer for 20 minutes. Taste, add more salt if necessary.
Now add cannelloni beans. Simmer until the vegetables are cooked to your liking. At last add small pasta shapes and cook until they are ready. Turn off the heat.
Serve in a bowl topped with generous amount of Parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil and some basil leaves. This soup is really nice with a slice of warm buttered toast.
Happy Cooking with HappyFoods Tube!