In the kitchen with Elisa
Italian Minestrone Soup
Hearty and flavourful vegetable soup
Minestrone soup. Such a great hearty vegetarian soup.​
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I got a request from one of my YouTube subscribers for this Italian vegetable soup. The moment I saw that request I got really excited as I would have probably never come to it myself. I have had this soup a couple of times in a restaurant or a buffee and also my mom used to buy this one as a ready made soup in those little packets. So it wasn't something absolutely new to me, but I had never made it myself and never even thought of making it myself. It was time for some research and then for some brain storming :) The result was great! This is such a hearty soup even though it is a vegetarian soup and it is pact with so much flavour. I also really love how the italian seasoning, the dry thyme and the oregano, gives such a great touch to the tomatoe broth. Very yummy :)
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Now you might be thinking, why did I say it is hearty even though it is vegetarian. Well, I was raised in a family where all soups had to have some kind of meat in them. And not just meat, it had to be meat on a bone, which gives the broth a very hearty touch and a lot of flavour. Vegetable soups were not in the menu. So for me it is a whole new thing and I am loving it! :) I love vegetables so much and especially for their variety. There are so many and you can make so much with them. That is why I love getting creative and creating new vegetarian soup recipes along with other vegetarian recipes especially now that we have our own little garden where I can plant my own.
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Both myself and my boyfriend really enjoyed this soup, and I must say he is not a fan of vegetables or vegetarian dishes. So that says a lot :) I was happy I didn't have to eat the whole pot of soup myself, ​I did really love this soup, but that would have meant eating it for 5 days straight for both lunch and dinner :D And as much as I loved it, I don't like eating the same thing over and over for too long.
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Stay warm Lovelies!
Step by Step Video
RECIPE
​Italian Minestrone Soup
Hearty and flavourful vegetarian soup
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​INGREDIENTS
(makes about 6 portions)
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olive oil
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2 onions
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2 garlic cloves
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2 celery stalks
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2 carrots
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200g green beans
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1 zucchini
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1 can (400g) plum tomatoes
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2 tbsp tomato paste
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150g frozen spinach
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100g pasta
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1,5 litre vegetable stock
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400g canned small white beans
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400g canned kidney beans
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1tsp dry thyme
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1tsp dry oregano
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salt & black pepper to taste
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DIRECTIONS
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Peel the onions, garlic and carrots. Slice the onions and the garlics, cube the carrots, remove the ends from the celery and also cube the celery.
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Heat a big pot (5 litre) over medium heat and once warm cover the bottom with some olive oil. Add the onions, the garlic, the carrots and the celery. Cook for a couple of minutes until the onion has become translucent and the vegetables have started to just slightly soften.
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Wash the green beans and the zucchini. Remove the ends from the green beans and chop them into bite sized pieces. Cube the zucchini. Add the green beans and the zucchini to the rest of the vegetables. Also add in the frozen spinach. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.
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Then add in the plum tomatoes, wash the can with some cold water to get all of the tomatoes out of the can and add the water also into the pot. Add tomato paste and shortly mix it in. Turn the heat to high just to bring the soup to simmer. Add the pasta and the vegetable stock along with the white beans and the kidney beans. You want to run the beans under cold water shortly before adding them to the soup. Cover with a lid and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the pasta and the vegetables have almost cooked through.
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If you notice that the soup is getting too thick and you would like it to have more liquid in it you can add some more water just before seasoning the soup.
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Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste. Also season with dry thyme and oregano.
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Turn off the heat and allow the soup to rest for about 30 minutes before serving. This will allow the vegetables and the pasta to cook through and the soup to absorb flavour from the spices.
