Minestrone soup

Minestrone soup

1 h
In the mood for a hearty and flavourful meal? Take a look at our recipe for minestrone soup with bacon and pasta; a true classic that will always be a family favourite. Made with tasty, savoury vegetables like onions, celeriac, leeks, and carrots, this Italian classic is loaded with goodness. Serve the homemade minestrone with bread crostini toasted with a tasty, herby cream cheese spread to round off this lunch or dinner idea.
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Instructions

Minestrone soup:
  • Cut bacon into thin strips and sauté in a saucepan for approx. 3 minutes.
  • Add olive oil, garlic, onion, celeriac, leeks, and carrots and sauté for approx. 2 more minutes.
  • Add diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper to the saucepan as well and bring the soup to a boil. You can remove any potential foam from the broth.
  • Add pasta and let it simmer for about 10 minutes until tender.
  • Season to taste.
Served with:
  • Preheat oven to 190°C (grill).
  • Mix cheese, milk, salt, and pepper and spread the herb cream cheese paste onto lightly toasted bread.
  • Broil the bread slices in the upper part of the oven for about 5 minutes until the spread becomes golden in colour.
Enjoy!
Tips

If you enjoy a nice and thick minestrone soup, you can do as many Italians have done for centuries and use bread to thicken it. If you happen to have some stale white bread lying around, you can tear it into small pieces and add it to the soup.

Tips

As it boils, the bread pieces will break down and thicken the dish. This way, bread that was ready to be thrown out becomes useful and helps make the Italian classic creamier.

Questions about minestrone soup

A quick and easy minestrone soup is a wonderfully hearty meal. To learn more about the Italian classic, continue reading below!

What is minestrone soup?
An authentic minestrone from Italy does not necessarily have a set list of ingredients as the dish is usually prepared with seasonal vegetables. However, the soup is usually made with a sweet, savoury, and thick tomato broth base and often contains onions, carrots, beans, a type of celery, as well as either rice or pasta. This makes it a very hearty soup with a lot of texture.
How to make minestrone soup?
Making a quick minestrone soup for lunch or dinner is not a big commitment when you consider how delicious it tastes! Start by cooking the bacon for a few minutes before adding the fresh vegetables. After a few minutes, transfer the broth, tomatoes, and seasoning to the saucepan as well, and bring to a boil. Then, add the pasta and let it simmer. Enjoy the soup warm straight away.
Can you freeze minestrone soup?
Freezing minestrone soup is a good option if you happen to have any leftovers. It will last for up to 6 months in the freezer. Allow the dish to cool, and transfer it to portion-sized, airtight containers. Leave room in the containers for the liquid to expand as it freezes. There is no need to thaw it before reheating it in the microwave or a saucepan. If you would prefer to thaw it first, though, simply leave it in the fridge overnight.
How long does minestrone soup last in the fridge?
Homemade minestrone soup will keep for 3-4 days if refrigerated properly. After it has cooled, pour it into one big airtight container or portion it into multiple different ones if you are planning to enjoy the leftovers on more than one occasion. When you are ready to eat the rest, reheat it in the microwave or on the stove.
How to thicken minestrone soup?
Like the Italians, you can use stale bread to make a thick and creamy minestrone soup. Simply, tear up the day-old white bread and add it to the soup as it boils. Stir occasionally to help the bread break down. As it does, it will thicken the soup and give it a lovely, creamy consistency.
What pasta is used in minestrone soup?
The best pasta to use in soups, including this one, is a small variety that will fit on your spoon. As such, options like elbow pasta, ditalini, and small shells work well. Choosing whole wheat varieties will ensure a bit more bite which is great with rustic soups like minestrone.

Ingredients

Minestrone soup:
Sliced bacon
100 g
Olive oil
1 tbsp
Small garlic clove, finely chopped
1
Yellow onions, coarsely chopped
2
Celeriac in small pieces
¼
Leeks cut into rings
2
Carrots cut on the slant
3
Diced tomatoes
1 can
Vegetable broth
1¼ l
Small sprigs of fresh thyme
5
Coarse salt
1 tsp
Freshly churned pepper
Dry whole wheat pasta, for instance, elbow or ditalini pasta
100 g
Served with:
Cream cheese, onion and herbs
50 g
Milk
1 tbsp
Coarse salt
¼ tsp
Freshly churned pepper
Thick slices of wholemeal bread
4
Other recipes
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Classic Italian minestrone soup

This delicious vegetable minestrone soup with pasta is warming as well as flavourful. The many fresh vegetables, bacon, and whole wheat pasta make for a chunky broth with a lot of texture. The addition of toasted crostini with a herby cream cheese spread takes this Italian classic to new heights.

If you are on the lookout for more tasty Italian classics like pasta dishes and pizza, we suggest checking out our simple recipes for lasagne and calzone as well.

Soup with vegetables and bacon

The best minestrone recipe gives you a tasty soup with a selection of delicious and complementary ingredients. From the thyme-infused savoury tomato broth to the earthy, nutty celeriac, the salty bacon, and the sharp onions, garlic, and leeks that add depth, it has it all.

Cut into perfect bite-sized pieces, these wonderful ingredients come together to create a chunky soup with a lot of bite and a velvety smooth tomato base.

Serve with herb cream cheese on grilled bread

A traditional minestrone recipe becomes even better with the addition of a delicious, small side dish. If you have been wondering what to serve with minestrone soup, you need to look no further as we pair it with a herby crostini. Having something crispy with a toasty, herby flavour to dip in and enjoy with the soup is simply irresistible.

The crispy, toasted wholemeal bread with its broiled, creamy cheese spread pairs nicely with the hearty soup as the multi-faceted flavours of the piquant cream cheese mirror the soup's savoury and earthy ones.

Choose the best pasta for minestrone soup

Picking out good ingredients includes finding the perfect pasta type. It needs to be quite small as it must be able to fit well on a spoon and leave room for all the other ingredients at the same time. This makes smaller kinds of macaroni like elbow pasta and small ditalini tubes great options. Smaller varieties of shell pasta will work well in this dish too as they also mix well with the other bite-sized ingredients.

No matter what kind of pasta you choose, opting for a whole wheat variety will ensure pasta with a bit more bite – something that beautifully complements this rustic soup with its many textures.

Make a spicy minestrone soup

Get ready to experiment a bit and make a spicy minestrone soup. While you may, of course, spice up the classic recipe by adding either fresh, finely minced red and green chilli peppers, smoky chipotle peppers, or chilli powder, you can also do so by using diced chorizo or another spicy sausage in it.

This will introduce a bit of heat into the dish as well as an additional savoury element with a soft and chewy texture that works well in the loaded, hearty soup. A spicy minestrone soup will give you a delicious alternative and the possibility of shaking things up a little bit. In addition, the spiciness works beautifully with herb cream cheese bread.

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