Ina Garten’s Minestrone
Ina Garten’s Minestrone is a version of the classic soup, packed with a variety of veggies, tomatoes, beans, and pasta, all of which are suspended in a vibrant tomato broth. You can prepare it with your preferred vegetables, with or without meat, and with or without pasta. It is warm, delicious, and versatile!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter you may sub olive oil
- 2 medium-sized carrots chopped (1 cup)
- 1 small onion diced
- 4-6 garlic cloves minced
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth you may sub vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 3 stalks celery chopped (1 cup)
- 5 ounces fresh green beans trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 zucchini thickly sliced (1/4 inch) and quartered
- 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes with juices
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (15.5 ounce) can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ teaspoon each dried basil and dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon each dried oregano, salt and sugar
- ½ teaspoon each black pepper and dried thyme
- 1/8-1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf
Add Later
- 1 ½ cups uncooked small pasta shells
- 2-3 cups baby spinach
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- fresh basil optional
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the carrots and onions and cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent, about 7 to 9 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook it for 30 seconds.
- Add the water followed by the other soup ingredients. Cover the soup and bring it to a boil.
- Remove the lid and continue cooking the soup at a low simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the pasta and cook until it is just al dente.
- Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the spinach, allowing it to wilt for 1 minute.
- If you like a less “chunky” soup, you may thin it down by adding more water.
- Place some freshly grated Parmesan on the top of each bowl of soup along with basil (optional) before serving.
Notes
- Cook the Pasta Al Dente: Cook the pasta just until it is al dente, which means it should still have a little bit of bite to it. This is necessary because the pasta will continue to cook a little bit even after it has been removed from the heat, and there is nothing worse than ruining a whole pot of minestrone with soggy pasta.
- Cook the Pasta Separately: According to the instructions for this minestrone soup recipe, the pasta should be cooked in the same pot as the vegetables. If you don’t want to stand over your pasta while it’s cooking, you can just cook it on its own in a different pot and then add it to individual bowls. If you intend to freeze your minestrone, you will need to prepare the pasta in a separate pot before freezing it.
- Get Creative with the Vegetables: You may adjust the vegetables in this minestrone recipe, as it is very forgiving. You may replace the spinach with Swiss chard or baby kale, add potatoes (chop them into half-inch pieces and put them in with the green beans), add frozen peas and cabbage (add at the end with the spinach), and so on.
- Cooking the Zucchini: To ensure that the zucchini is cooked in the shortest period possible, ensure that you chop it into pieces that are at least one-quarter of an inch in size.
- Green Beans: Although I enjoy green beans when they are fresh, green beans are not my first choice when it comes to vegetables. But guess what?! In this minestrone soup recipe, they are my absolute favorite vegetable. Therefore, I cannot suggest them enough.
- Zucchini: a view from a great distance depicting a large portion of the classic Minestrone Soup Recipe
- Add Protein: I like using this minestrone soup as a foundation for any type of meat we happen to have on hand or any kind of meat we might be wanting. Shredded rotisserie chicken, any kind of ground meat (beef, turkey, or Italian sausage), or even some small meatballs are wonderful additions to this soup.
- Pre-Chopped Veggies: Vegetables that have already been chopped will help you prepare your minestrone soup in a very short amount of time. They will make this dish practically as easy as “dump and simmer.”
- Scale Down: You can reduce the ingredients if needed because the soup includes a good number of servings. I would advise reducing the ingredients if you do not have a large family or if you do not like to have leftovers. However, for a quick and easy meal that can be enjoyed for either lunch or supper, leftover minestrone is a great choice. Raise your hand if you’re one of those people!
- Rice Instead of Pasta: Feel free to replace the rice with pasta. Because I am such a huge admirer of wild rice, I often substitute it for pasta when I make this minestrone. If you decide to add rice, I suggest cooking it in a separate post so that you can guarantee it is cooked properly and prevent the vegetables in the soup from becoming overcooked.
- Consistency: It is entirely up to the individual to decide how “chunky” they would like their soup to be. Simply adding more water at the very end of the cooking process will make the minestrone soup smoother and less lumpy.
Nutrition
Calories: 243kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 12gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 797mgPotassium: 826mgFiber: 7gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 4274IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 111mgIron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!