How to make a delicious minestrone soup

Minestrone is a soup made with beans, pasta and vegetables, according to the cook's taste.

Minestrone is an Italian soup commonly made from leftover vegetables and pastas. There is no one recipe for minestrone, nor is there a commonly agreed-upon flavor for the soup. No one knows if there is a classic minestrone recipe that has been altered over the years or if minestrone is a soup that's never supposed to taste the same way twice. Although there are some common elements in minestrone recipes such as the addition of tomatoes and beans, the true key to a delicious minestrone soup is to make it with ingredients you personally think are delicious. The suggestions below should serve four to six people.

Things You'll Need

• 4-quart stockpot
• 4 to 6 cups of broth
• 4 cups vegetables
• 1 cup pasta
• 2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup beans
• Seasoning

Instructions

1. Choose your stock. Minestrone can be made with a meat- or vegetable-based broth. Pick a broth you find tasty, or simply use whatever leftover broth you have in your refrigerator. Mixing broths isn't generally a good idea, as the flavors may fight one another. You want the base of your soup to be uniform so you don't overwhelm the taste buds.

2. Choose a type of canned beans. Navy, cannelloni or great northern beans are common additions to this soup. Mix and match your beans as you prefer. Drain and rinse 1 cup of beans and set aside.

3. Decide on a type of pasta. Shorter, smaller pastas such as elbow macaroni, small shells or rotini are best for this soup since it will likely be eaten with a spoon. Boil 1 cup of pasta according to package directions. You can use a little more or a little less, depending on your taste. Set the cooked pasta aside.

4. Choose your other non-bean vegetables. Most minestrone recipes contain some tomatoes, but the rest is your choice. Use as many different vegetables as you want. Clean and chop 4 cups of vegetables. If you have chosen a heavier vegetable such as potatoes, cook them nearly to completion before adding them to the soup, to ensure doneness. Chop the vegetables chunky or fine according to taste, and set them aside.

5. Heat 2 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a 4-quart stockpot. Sauté the chopped vegetables in the pan until they are slightly tender. Add more olive oil if needed.

6. Add the broth to the sautéed vegetables and stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil, then let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Use more or less broth, according to taste.

7. Add the quick-cooking vegetables, beans and pasta to the stockpot, and simmer until the vegetables are completely tender.

8. Add seasonings such as salt, pepper, Italian seasoning or cayenne to taste just before serving.

Tips & Warnings

• When you add your vegetables to the olive oil, do not stir in vegetables that cook quickly, such as frozen peas or corn.

Resources

• All Recipes: Minestrone Soup
• All Recipes: Ken's Minestrone Soup
• Cooks: Minestone (Italian Vegetable Soup)