Recipe for Minestrone Soup Made Easy

Minestrone is a thick soup of Italian origin made with vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice. Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes.

There is no set recipe for minestrone, since it is usually made out of whatever vegetables are in season. It can be vegetarian, contain meat, or contain a meat-based broth (such as chicken stock). Angelo Pellegrini, however, argued that the base of minestrone is bean broth, and that Roman beans (also called Borlotti beans) "are the beans to use for genuine minestrone"

Recipe for Minestrone Soup Made Easy

Ingredients

• 1 cup diced pancetta Italian bacon
• 2 cups diced celery
• 2 cups diced green cabbage
• 2 cups sliced zucchini
• 1 head escarole, cut in 2 inch cubes
• 2 cups stewed Italian tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup white beans, cooked until partially tender
• 4 qts. beef broth
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup olive oil
• 2 cups diced white onions
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1/4 tablespoon crushed red chili peppers
• 2 cups diced carrots

Preparation

In large pot over medium heat, saute pancetta in olive oil until slightly crisp. Add onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Addseasoning, carrots, celery, cabbage and zucchini and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add escarole, tomatoes, white beans and beef broth. Simmer soup 45 minutes to 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper. When serving, add a little pesto (optional) and 1/4 cup cooked pasta to each dish (optional).

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