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Minestrone has a secret that most restaurants keep to themselves: a hard piece of parmesan rind dropped into the pot while it simmers. It softens slowly in the broth and gives plain vegetables a deep, savory taste, as if the soup had cooked all day. You fish it out before serving, and nobody at the table ever knows why your minestrone tastes better than theirs.
The rest is whatever is in the crisper at the end of the week. Onion, carrot and celery, a zucchini, a handful of green beans, a can of tomatoes and a can of kidney beans, with a little pasta at the end. The one problem everybody meets with minestrone is the next day: the pasta sits in the pot overnight, drinks the broth and swells until you wake up to stew. This recipe shows how to keep the pasta from soaking up all the broth, so the leftovers are as good as the first bowl.
It is a soup for a cold afternoon, cheap, filling and full of vegetables, with a slice of crusty bread on the side.
Why this minestrone works
- A slow start. Onion, carrot and celery cooked gently in olive oil build the base of the flavor.
- Tomato paste cooked in the pot. A minute in the hot oil turns it sweet and deep instead of sharp.
- The parmesan rind. It melts slowly into the broth and adds a rich, savory taste no spice can give.
- Vegetables in order. Hard vegetables go in first and soft ones last, so nothing turns to mush.
- Pasta on the side. Cooked separately and added to each bowl, it stays firm and the broth stays a broth.
Ingredients
Makes about 12 cups, 6 generous bowls. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the soup
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 can (28 ounces, 794g) crushed or diced tomatoes
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth (1.4 liters)
- 1 parmesan rind, about 3 inches (75g)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano and 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 cup green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces (110g)
- 1 can (15 ounces, 425g) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups baby spinach (60g)
- 1 teaspoon fine salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
To serve
- 1 cup small pasta such as ditalini or small elbows (115g)
- Freshly grated parmesan
- Crusty bread
Most cheese counters sell parmesan rinds cheaply, or save the end of every wedge in the freezer. Cannellini beans can replace the kidney beans. Any vegetable you have works: potatoes, cabbage, peas or a handful of kale.
How to make minestrone
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and lightly golden.
- Add the garlic and tomato paste and stir for 1 minute, until the paste darkens.
- Pour in the tomatoes and broth. Add the parmesan rind, oregano, basil and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 20 minutes.
- Add the zucchini, green beans and kidney beans and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes more, until the green beans are tender.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a separate pot of salted boiling water until just tender. Drain it and toss it with a drop of olive oil so it does not stick.
- Stir the spinach into the soup and cook for 1 minute, until wilted. Remove the parmesan rind and the bay leaf. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Put a spoonful of pasta in each bowl and ladle the hot soup over it. Top with grated parmesan and serve with crusty bread.
Tips that make the difference
- If you would rather cook the pasta in the pot, add it in the last 10 minutes and serve the whole pot that day. Add an extra cup of broth when you reheat any leftovers.
- Cut the vegetables about the same size as the beans, so every spoonful has a bit of everything.
- Taste before salting. The rind and the broth both bring salt.
- A spoon of pesto or a drizzle of good olive oil in each bowl brightens the soup at the table.
Variations
- With beef. Brown half a pound of lean ground beef with the onions for a heartier supper soup.
- Winter. Use diced potato, cabbage and kale instead of zucchini and green beans.
- Rice. Use a half cup of rice instead of pasta, also cooked on the side.
- Vegetarian. Use vegetable broth and a vegetarian hard cheese rind.
Storage and make-ahead
Keep the soup and the pasta in separate containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The soup tastes even better on the second day.
Freeze the soup without pasta for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, reheat it gently and cook fresh pasta to add.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my minestrone turn thick the next day?
The pasta keeps absorbing broth as it sits. Cooking the pasta separately and adding it to each bowl keeps the soup brothy.
What does the parmesan rind do?
It softens slowly and releases a rich, savory flavor into the broth. It does not melt completely, so remove what is left before serving.
Can I make it without a parmesan rind?
Yes. Stir a quarter cup of grated parmesan into the pot at the end instead. The broth will be a little less deep but still very good.
Is minestrone healthy?
It is mostly vegetables and beans in a tomato broth, so it is filling, high in fiber and fairly light.
Put the rind in the pot, cook the pasta on the side, and you will have soup good enough for two days.
Homemade Minestrone Soup (Parmesan Rind Broth, Pasta That Stays Firm)
Homemade minestrone with vegetables, kidney beans and tomatoes simmered with a parmesan rind for a rich broth, and small pasta cooked on the side so it never soaks up the soup.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 can (28 ounces, 794g) crushed or diced tomatoes
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 parmesan rind, about 3 inches
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano and 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 cup green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces
- 1 can (15 ounces, 425g) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 teaspoon fine salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 1 cup small pasta such as ditalini or small elbows
- Freshly grated parmesan
- Crusty bread
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and lightly golden.
- Add the garlic and tomato paste and stir for 1 minute, until the paste darkens.
- Pour in the tomatoes and broth. Add the parmesan rind, oregano, basil and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 20 minutes.
- Add the zucchini, green beans and kidney beans and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes more, until the green beans are tender.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a separate pot of salted boiling water until just tender. Drain it and toss it with a drop of olive oil so it does not stick.
- Stir the spinach into the soup and cook for 1 minute, until wilted. Remove the parmesan rind and the bay leaf. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Put a spoonful of pasta in each bowl and ladle the hot soup over it. Top with grated parmesan and serve with crusty bread.
