Mum’s Simple Minestrone Soup is a classic Italian comfort dish made with a mix of vegetables; courgettes, green beans, Borlotti beans, peas, carrots, celery and tomato, along with spaghettini pasta in a tomato-based broth.
Recipe Intro
Growing up with Friulian cuisine, minestrone was often on our table. My mum would make it with or without meat, using whatever vegetables we had, often leftovers, seasonal produce, or whatever was in the fridge, to create a delicious and hearty soup, perfect as a main meal.
There are many versions of this tasty soup, but I hope you enjoy this one, simple to make, visually appealing and full of flavour.
Simple Minestrone Soup Ingredients
Vegetables
- courgettes – leave the skin on
- Borlotti beans – canned
- green beans – fresh or frozen
- peas – use fresh or canned
- carrots – you can add parsnip too
- celery – use stalk and leaves
- tomato – if fresh, must be very ripe or best use canned
- kale
- onion
Herbs and Spices
- parsley – use fresh
- basil – fresh or dry
- oregano – fresh or dry
Pasta: Use spaghettini pasta, a thinner version of classic spaghetti, but if you prefer, you can substitute it with vermicelli for a similar texture.
🥣 While you’re here, explore these delicious international soup recipes:
Fabada – bean and sausage soup 🇪🇸
Pumpkin and Carrot Soup 🇬🇧
How to make Simple Minestrone Soup?
- Start by prepping your vegetables. Finely chop everything so it cooks evenly and quickly.
- Heat oil in a large pot and sauté the onion with half of the chopped parsley for 2-3 minutes, until it softens and becomes translucent. Don’t let it brown.
- Next, add the hard vegetables, carrots and celery, to the pot. Fry them for about 3 minutes. Then, pour enough water to cover the vegetables, and season with herbs, salt, and pepper. Let it simmer for 10-12 minutes so the flavours start to meld together.
- After that, add the rest of your vegetables, except for the canned ones (since they’re already cooked). These can go in later. Continue simmering for another 10 minutes.
- Once that’s done, add your chopped tomatoes and a small pinch of sugar to balance the acidity. Let everything cook for another 10 minutes. .
- Now for the pasta; break the spaghettini into 2-3 cm pieces and add them to the soup. They’ll only need about 5 minutes to cook.
If the soup thickens too much, add a little water to help the pasta cook properly. Don’t worry, the soup will thicken up again once it cools. If you prefer a thinner consistency, add more water at the end of cooking.
- Stir in the remaining chopped parsley in the last 1-2 minutes of cooking. This gives the soup a fresh pop of colour and flavour.
How to serve Minestrone Soup?
Serve the soup hot, and top it with a generous amount of grated Parmigiano or Grana Padano cheese. It’s eaten with rustic bread (focaccia or ciabatta are perfect for soaking up the soup) nothing else is needed.
Buon appetite!
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Recipe Card
Minestrone – Simple Italian Vegetable Soup with Spaghettini Pasta
Ingredients
VEGETABLES
- 2 courgettes
- 3 carrots
- 1 celery - stalks and leaves
- 1 leaf kale
- 1 onion
- 1 can 400g chopped tomatoes
- 3-4 green beans
- 1/2 cup peas
- 1/2 can Borlotti beans
HERBS
- 4 tbsp parsley
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp basil
OTHER
- 1/2 cup Spaghettini pasta
- a few tbsp olive oil
- 1-2 tsp sugar
- salt, black pepper - to taste
- 1 vegetable or chicken stock cube - optional
Instructions
- Finely chop all vegetables.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot, sauté the onion with half the parsley for 2-3 minutes until soft. Don't let the onions brown.
- Add carrots and celery and fry for 3 minutes. Pour enough water to cover and season with herbs, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 10-12 minutes.Add the remaining vegetables (except canned ones), and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in chopped tomatoes and a pinch of sugar, cook for another 10 minutes.
- Break spaghettini into 2-3 cm pieces and add to the soup. Cook for 5 minutes. Add water if the soup thickens too much.
- Stir in the remaining parsley in the last 1-2 minutes of cooking.