Learning the SECRET of Nonna’s Minestrone Soup Recipe

Do you know that soup can keep you warm, help you lose weight, and improve your digestive system? Nonna’s minestrone soup recipe can guide you to make unforgettable soup packed with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.

You will find minestrone a delicacy for all times, whether homemade minestrone soup or old-fashioned minestrone soup. We know you are already drooling and wondering how to make it. So, let us explore all about it.

What is Minestrone Soup?

Minestrone soup is a result of a vegetable mix-match. It can please any appetite. Soup lovers find this soup as having unending nourishment. Also, you can make it with any choice of vegetables that you like. Some of the common vegetables that you can use to make minestrone soup are:

• Garlic
• Onions
• Carrots
• Tomatoes
• Celery

If we list all the vegetables you can use to make minestrone soup, it can go to infinity. However, you do not have to limit yourself to a specific number of vegetables when making this soup. So, get creative and try several vegetables until you get the right combination to make the best minestrone soup.

If you are a vegetarian, you will find minestrone soup your liking. So, when you step out to eat out, request the chef to omit meat in your soup and add beans to ramp up the nutritional content of your soup. You can opt for soup with zucchini, cabbage, northern white beans, and kidney beans. Such a combination results in a soup that will change your dining experience.

Do you have to take minestrone at any specific time? No. You can take the soup anytime. However, you will find this soup fulfilling and hearty in winter and fall.

When cooking this soup, you can opt to cook it down. The move results in a thick, rich soup. Alternatively, you can opt to cook it for a short time. This process results in a light soup and chunky, al dente vegetables.

What to Serve With Nonna’s Minestrone Soup Recipe

You will find minestrone soup as an ideal and light first-course meal. It goes down well with a variety of accompaniments. The following are some of the accompaniments you can take with this soup:

Veggies

• Roasted broccoli, zucchini, peppers
• Bruschetta

Starches

• Grilled baguette
• Roasted potatoes
• Cheese bread
• Garlic bread

Salads

• Rocket salad
• Spinach salad
• Marinated vegetable salad
• Garden salad
• Squid & bean salad

Meat

• Lamb or beef skewers
• Roasted chicken

Fried Choices

• Fried calamari
• Mozzarella sticks

More Options

• Ham & Cheese Panini
• Olive Oil Poached Tuna
• Cheese Crisps
• Mini Pizzas

The History of Minestrone Soup

Minestrone soup dates back thousands of years. Its popularity began when Rome conquered Italy in the second century BC. During this era, the resultant economic growth of Italy resulted in markets with various new vegetables.

Initially, Italians only hand a handful of conventional vegetables. Also, the main dish was pulte, porridge that was simple but filling. Italians made this porridge using spelt flour and saltwater. They also added any available vegetables.

After the Roman invasion of Italy, the Italians never used spelt flour again. Instead, the Romans introduced bread that substituted flour porridge. So, pulte became a meal for the poor.   

The euphoria of having new vegetables plus the introduction of plates contributed to the invention of minestrone soup. However, poor Italians made this soup from leftover meals. So, it had the name poor man’s soup. For this reason, the ingredients of making minestrone soup are not standard. Also, the recipes for making this soup are endless.

The ancient Romans enjoyed a frugal diet. It was a combination of legumes, cereals, and vegetables. The Romans took it with thick soups. So, vegetables were their staple meal.

According to De Re Coquinaria, a cookbook that Marcus Apicius wrote, polus was a Roman soup that dated back to 30 AD. It consisted of chickpeas, faro, fava beans, onions, lard garlic, and vegetables.

Minestrone soup evolved with time. So, Apicius kept updating his soup recipes to include fancy trimmings, including wine and cooked animal brains. Then, in the mid-sixteenth century, potatoes and tomatoes from America came to Italy. The two ingredients became an Italian staple.

Italians have preserved their tradition of making minestrone soup. So, they still use their classic minestrone recipes. They categorize the soup under the Cucina Povera, which means poor kitchen. It is the opposite of Cucina Nobile, a name for the noble and aristocratic cooking style.

The Best Minestrone Recipe – Nonna’s Secret

Time: 60 Minutes

Serving Size: 8 Servings

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time:  40 Minutes

Equipment Needed

• 2 Stockpots
• 1 Cooking spoon for stirring
• 1 Drainer
• 1 Kitchen knife
• 1 Glass

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 Medium carrots (cut them into 1/4 inch (0.64 centimeters) dices)
• 1 Medium onion (cut them into 1/4 inch (0.64 centimeters) dices)
• 3 Celerity ribs (cut them into 1/4 inch (0.64 centimeters) dices)
• 3 Bay leaves
• 1 Head of cauliflower (cut it into bite-sized pieces)
• 1 Cup of tomato passata
• 10 Cups of water
• 2 Zucchini (cut them into bite-sized pieces)
• 2 Idaho potatoes (cut them into 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) chunks)
• 10 ounces (283.5 grams) of frozen peas (thawed)
• 113 ounces (3.2 kilograms) of jar cannellini beans (drained)
• 6 ounces (170.1 grams) of fiochetti pasta (or any preferred small pasta)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Grated cheese for topping

Directions

1. Gather all the listed ingredients.
2. Put cooking oil in a stockpot and bring it to medium heat.
3. Add carrots, celery, onions, and bay leaves in the pot and cook until soft (five to seven minutes).
4. Add cauliflower and salt, and saute for five minutes.
5. Add potatoes and stir when cooking for three minutes.
6. Add zucchini and more salt and cook until soft.
7. Add the passata and rinse the holding glass with a bit of water to pour into the pot. Cook it for three minutes.
8. Add more water, bouillon cubes, peas, and cannellini beans. Cook until the potatoes become soft (20 minutes).
9. Bring salted water in another stockpot to boil and add pasta generously. Cook until al dente (2 minutes). The pasta will continue cooking after adding it to the soup.
10. Drain the pasta and add it to the stockpot with soup.
11. Serve with crusty bread and top up with grated cheese and extra-virgin olive oil.

Final Thoughts

If you have never tasted minestrone soup, it is time to make an order for it or make it at home. You can use a traditional minestrone soup recipe or an authentic Italian minestrone soup recipe to make it. Quick browsing online can also provide you with the best minestrone soup recipe that you can also use to make your soup.

Better still, try Nonna’s recipe that we have provided. You will live to tell about the goodness of this soup.