Minestrone
Minestrone is a traditional Italian soup. It is made with a mix of vegetables and a poultry stock. It is quite simple to make, but preparing all the vegetables takes time.
There are doubtless as many minestrone recipes as there are Italian cooks, but here is my version.
There are doubtless as many minestrone recipes as there are Italian cooks, but here is my version.
184 K 4.3/5 (29 reviews)
3 hours 30 min.
Average
6 people
15 IngredientsLast modified on: May 29th 2011
For 6 people, you will need:
- 1
200 g white beans - 2
200 g peas - 3
4 spring onions (scallions) - 4
2 tomatoes - 5
200 g green beans - 6
2 courgettes - 7
2 carrots - 8
2 turnips - 9
2 potatoes - 10
200 g green asparagus spears - 11
6 tablespoons olive oil - 12
2 litres water - 13
2 chicken stock cubes - 14
salt - 15
pepper - Total weight: 4,970 grams
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 2 hours 20 min.
Cooking: 1 hour 15 min.
All in all: 3 hours 30 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1
The day before, put 200 g white beans to soak overnight if you are using dried beans. For fresh ones this isn't necessary.
Stage 2 - 10 min.
Shell 200 g peas, or use frozen ones.
Stage 3 - 10 min.
Peel, wash and chop 4 spring onions (scallions).
Stage 5 - 10 min.
Wash 200 g green beans, cut off the ends and cut into pieces.
Stage 6 - 30 min.
Prepare 2 courgettes in small pieces.
Stage 8 - 20 min.
Peel and boil 200 g green asparagus spears in salted water until just tender, but still with some crunch.
Stage 9 - 20 min.
Throw away the water that the beans have soaked in and replace with salted water, Boil until they are cooked but still slightly firm.
Drain.
Drain.
Stage 10 - 1 min.
Pour 6 tablespoons olive oil into a large pan over medium heat. When hot, add the chopped onions, salt, pepper and cook while stirring for 1 minute.
Add the turnips, carrots and potatoes. Stir to mix well.
Add the turnips, carrots and potatoes. Stir to mix well.
Stage 11 - 5 min.
Add the courgettes, haricot beans, green beans and asparagus. Stir to mix well and cook together for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time.
This preliminary cooking of the vegetables in oil is important to add flavour to the minestrone.
This preliminary cooking of the vegetables in oil is important to add flavour to the minestrone.
Stage 12 - 35 min.
Moisten with 2 litres water and add 2 chicken stock cubes.
Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and leave to simmer gently until all the vegetables are well cooked.
Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and leave to simmer gently until all the vegetables are well cooked.
Stage 13 - 10 min.
Then add the tomatoes, check seasoning and leave to cook for a further 10 minutes.
Remarks
Ideally a minestrone should include at least 5 vegetables, but they can be any you choose, so you can vary this recipe in both ingredients and proportions.
You can also add a cupful of rice along with the vegetables. There are those who consider that this should replace the haricot beans, but I think it's good with both.
Minestrone is even better reheated the following day.
You can also add a cupful of rice along with the vegetables. There are those who consider that this should replace the haricot beans, but I think it's good with both.
Minestrone is even better reheated the following day.
Keeping: Several days in the fridge.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 60 RDI=20 % | 260 RDI=20 % | 110 RDI=20 % | 2,170 RDI=110 % | 9,080 RDI: 110 % |
| Per 100 g | 1 RDI=0 % | 5 RDI=0 % | 2 RDI=0 % | 40 RDI=2 % | 180 RDI: 2 % |
| Per person | 9 RDI=4 % | 40 RDI=4 % | 20 RDI=3 % | 360 RDI=20 % | 1,510 RDI: 20 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 6 people : 10.80 €
- Per person : 1.80 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Water
Like these other recipes: Mixed seed grissini, Pistachio powder or paste, Aperitif rolls, How to heat milk without it catching on the bottom of the pan, Ciabatta, ... See them all 136
Green asparagus spears
Like these other recipes: Farfalle with green asparagus, Creamy polenta with green asparagus, Eggs with green asparagus and Parmesan cheese, Green asparagus omelette, Raw green asparagus salad, ... See them all 9
White beans
Like these other recipes: Harichou salad, Cornouaillaise salad, Warm white bean salad with smoked trout, Beans with tomatoes, Duo of slow-cooked pork, ... See them all 13
Green beans
Like these other recipes: How to prepare green beans, Pork sautéed with green beans, Asian style, Green beans with tomato and cheddar cheese, Green bean and potato salad with paprika, Cherry tomato and green bean salad, ... See them all 17
Other recipes you may also like
Four quarters
It's "the simpliest cake in the world", called four quarters, because it's made with 1/4 eggs, 1/4 sugar, 1/4 flour and 1/4 butter. February 21th 2011329 K3.7 1 hour 15 min.
Pesto
Pesto is an Italian sauce made from pine nuts, Parmesan and basil. It's very simple but quite delicious, and goes particularly well with pasta. July 25th 2020284 K 25 15 min.
Rice pudding with fruit and nuts
This is cooked like a normal rice pudding, but with fruit and nuts added halfway through: toasted almonds and pistachios, sautéed diced apple and strips of dried apricot. These added flavours and textures make an already creamy rice pudding even more delicious. June 18th 201751 K4.5 1 hour 5 min.
How to freeze plums
When fruit is in season, there's sometimes a glut - far more than we can use at once. Freezing is a good solution, but plums and other stone fruit should not be frozen whole; the fruit will be unappetizing when thawed. Here's a simple method for successful freezing. September 4th 2019131 K3.7 12 hours 40 min.
Chestnut cake
This delightful cake is doubly chestnutty: it contains chestnut flour, and sweet chestnut purée. August 28th 2025347 K5 1 hour 15 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-09-21)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.