Tuscan-Inspired Minestrone Soup
Over thirty years ago, when I was in high school, my parents took our family on a trip to Italy to see the Renaissance masterpieces in Florence, the capital of Tuscany. Although Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise and Michelangelo’s David were striking, what was more memorable for this foodie was a bowl of rich Tuscan minestrone soup. This soup has lingered on my palate for three decades, so I was bound and determined to remake a version that evoked that bowl of hearty soup. Here, I finally cobbled together a recipe that satisfied my craving for Tuscan’s minestrone soup. It’s my hope that this recipe becomes so well loved in your home that it gets stamped on your palate, too!
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried garbanzo beans
- 1 cup dried borlotti or cranberry beans
- 1 large yellow onion
- 5 medium carrots
- 3 large celery stalks
- 2 large Yukon potatoes
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes, I prefer Pomí Italian tomatoes
- 1 bunch Italian lacinato kale
- 5 cups vegetable broth and 1 cup vegetable purée, see my Better than Boxed Vegetable Broth recipe under Soups
- ¼ cup + 3 T. Parmesan cheese, plus more to garnish
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 3 T. olive oil
- Kosher salt to season
Directions
- Step 1 The day before, make my homemade vegetable broth. Although this step is optional, I suggest that you try your hand at my Better than Boxed Vegetable Broth (see my post in soups). It is the key to making this soup. If you decide to try my broth, the reason I recommend you make it the day before is to break up the cooking process. However, it can be made the day of as well.
- Step 2 The night before, soak the beans, adding them to a medium saucepan and covering them with 3-4” of water. Drain the water the next day.
- Step 3 Finally, the day of, remove the outer skin off the onion and quarter it, placing the pieces into the basin of a food processor if you have the luxury of having one. Then, wash, scrub, and peel each carrot (if they’re non-organic), cutting off their tops and bottoms, chopping them into 1 1/2-2” segments. Add the carrot to the food processor, along with the onion, and pulse rather coarsely or chop by hand. Next, wash the potatoes and celery and cut into 1 ½-2” pieces, pulsing them in a food processor or chopping by hand. Lastly, mince the garlic by hand since a food processor may not evenly slice it up and de-stem the kale, cutting it along the stalk into 4″ or longer strips.
- Step 4 Now, heat 3 T. olive oil in a 12” nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. When hot, add the diced veggies (save the kale) and sauté for 8-10 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
- Step 5 Lastly, pour 5 cups of vegetable broth and 1 cup of purée (from my broth recipe) into a 6-7-quart stockpot. Add the veggies, garbanzo beans, and cranberry beans and heat on high until the soup comes to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and boil for a total of 35 minutes, stirring every so often, so the veggies don’t stick to the bottom. After 25 of the 35 minutes is up, you can toss in the kale. Then, cook for the last 10 minutes or until the beans are tender and the kale is slightly wilted. Finally, season with salt and Parmesan to your taste. I used ¼ cup + 3 T. of Parmesan. Note: the Parmesan is salty by nature, and so, I added this cheese first and then, added the salt to round the flavors out. Enjoy!
Tuscany is where I first fell in love with this region’s take on that legendary dish, minestrone soup. Who cannot love the creamy consistency of Italian’s homegrown borlotti beans, the vitamin-packed leaves of lacinato kale, and the gritty texture of that nutty yet savory Parmesan?
Nutritional Information: serving size: 741 g., servings per recipe: 6, calories: 619, total fat: 11.1 g., saturated fat: 2.4 g., cholesterol: 5 mg., sodium: 1742 mg., total carbohydrate: 104.4 g., dietary fiber: 34.3 g., total sugars: 10.2 g., protein: 32.5 g., calcium: 381 mg., iron: 8.4 mg., potassium: 2677 mg., magnesium: 247 mg., vitamin D: 1 IU, vitamin C: 137 mg., vitamin B-1: 4.6 mg., folate: 776 µg.
Oh my! I am going to have to be careful – I may end up trying the minestrone soup! Sounds fabulous!
I love your descriptions – do think you have found your “calling”. Great work Kristina – much love, Patty