This soup takes some time to make, but it's simple and delicious! Feel free to substitute any of the given vegetables with similar replacements of your choice. No need to strictly adhere to the quantities, either. A minestrone is a blank slate!
Watch the Pasta Grammar video where we make this recipe here:
For this recipe, you will need:
- 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 cup (140g) pinto beans, soaked overnight and drained
- 2-3 stalks rosemary and thyme, tied into a bundle with butcher twine
- 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1/3 large carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1/3 medium butternut squash, cubed
- 1 whole peeled tomato, diced
- 1 leek, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cauliflower, broken into florets
- 4 oz. (115g) kale, chopped
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 5 asparagus stalks, chopped
- 1/4 cup (40g) frozen peas
- A piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano rind, scraped clean (optional)
- Salt
- 1/3 cup (60g) carnaroli or arborio rice
- 3-4 fresh basil leaves
In a large pot, bring the olive oil up to medium/high temperature. Add the onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until tender and slightly transparent.
Now begins the process of gradually adding the rest of the vegetables. Except where noted, the procedure is always the same for each ingredient and can be repeated.
Add the beans and herb bundle, and stir them into the onions. Add warm (or at least room temperature) water until the beans are covered. Bring the soup to a simmer and let cook for about 5 minutes (no need to be very precise) before adding the next ingredient and repeating the process.
Do so with the potato, celery and carrot (added together), squash, tomato, leek, cauliflower, kale, and the zucchini and asparagus (added together). The idea here is to generally add the vegetable starting with those that take longest to cook. Each time you add a vegetable, add more water as necessary to keep them covered and bring the pot to a simmer.
After adding the zucchini and asparagus, add 1-2 cups more water so that there is some excess liquid which can evaporate. Partially cover the pot and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Next add the frozen peas and (optionally) a piece or two of cleaned Parmigiano cheese rind. Salt the soup to taste, partially cover the pot again, and let simmer for a further 10 minutes. If the soup thickens too much for your liking, feel free at any time to add more water.
After 10 minutes, add the rice and tear in a few leaves of basil. Simmer, uncovered, for the recommended cook time of your chosen rice (about 15 minutes usually).
Serve hot. Buon appetito!