Minestrone Super Soup
Prep Time:12 Mins, Cook Time: 30 Mins, Total Time: 42 Mins
November 17, 2013
I haven’t made a minestrone soup for years. Definitely pre-kids so it’s been quite a while! And I’m not entirely sure as to why not. Admittedly there’s a teensy weensy bit more prep involved in a minestrone than your average veg soup as the veggies have to be finely diced and shredded, but they could just as easily be pulsed in a food processor. And they can be packed full of healthy goodliness, tomatoes, carrots, celery, onions, potatoes, cannellini beans, spaghetti, fresh rosemary, cabbage and kale galore, plus anything else you fancy throwing in!. Being more of a full blow stew than a soup, it’s certainly perfect for these cold wintery days. And as my kids chowed down with gusto it’s a very good thing! Served with homemade Pumpkin & Cheese Scones (recipe coming soon!) it was a more than substantial family dinner for us all. At least twice over.
To be honest the soup and scones were supposed to be part of Francesca’s school project, we were making ‘Percy the Park Keeper’ a warming lunch. But Frannie, as ever, did precisely thirty seconds of prep before scarpering off to find something more interesting to do, remarking that Jacques and I were the “cookers”, not her. Luckily for me sous chef Jacques happily stepped up to the mark and got stuck into plenty of useful chopping. He’s obsessed that boy. If there’s anything occurring in the kitchen, he’s there, wanting to assist stir, chop or taste.
Being as this is a cross between a Soup, Stew & One Pot Wonder I shall of course be entering it to the Four Seasons Food challenge, a seasonal cooking event hosted by myself and Anneli of Delicieux. And to Karen’s Cooking with Herbs challenge over at the fabulous Lavender and Lovage. To Helen & Camilla‘s Credit Crunch Munch as this is most definitely budget-friendly fodder with one cheap-to-make pot happily feeding a family a couple of hearty meals, hosted this month by Sarah over at Dinner with Crayons. And finally to A Mummy Too‘s Recipe of the Week event.
I should also confess I’m well aware that these photos are dreadfully yellow tinged, symptomatic of trying to take a photo with artificial light. I really must get my act together and make more food in the day light hours! Or invest in some lamps and studio kit, any suggestions or recommendations anyone?
Carrots, Celery, Onion, Garlic, Tomatoes, Cannellini Beans, Cabbage, Kale
Great For:
Toddlers, Pre-Schoolers, Big Kids, Grown Ups, Families, Family Lunches or Dinners, Making Ahead, Freezing, Making with Kids, Vegetarians, Vegans
Notes:
Makes 6 - 8 big servings.
Vary your veggies as to what’s seasonal or you have in, there’s no rules here other than dice them fairly finely. Dice the veggies by hand or to save time pulse in a food processor (if you don’t have a sous chef to hand that is!)
If making for littlies use a low or reduced salt stock, I use Marigold Reduced Salt.
Special Equipment:
One big saucepan or hob proof casserole
Minestrone Super Soup
Ingredients Prep Time:12 Mins, Cook Time: 30 Mins, Total Time: 42 Mins
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 celery sticks, very finely diced
2 large carrots, very finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium potatoes, very finely diced
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes or 400g fresh chopped tomatoes
1 dessertspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1.5 liters hot veggie stock, I use Marigold reduced salt
black pepper
1 400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
100g spaghetti, snapped into small pieces
200g cabbage or kale or any other green leafy veg, finely shredded (I used a mixture of cabbage & kale)
1) Heat the oil in a large saucepan or casserole, add the onion, celery and carrots and cook for 5 minutes stirring fairly regularly
2) Add the garlic and potatoes and cook for a further 2 minutes
3) Stir in the tomato puree, chopped tomatoes, rosemary, hot stock and a generous amount of black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover and allow to cook gently for 10 minutes
4) Tip in the beans, snapped spaghetti and the finely shredded greenery of your choice. Leave to cook for a further 15 to 20 minutes, stirring from time to time.
Serve hot with chunks of bread and butter or freshly baked savory scones or muffins
Home made minestone soup looks fab! I’m not a fan of the canned variety but this looks so much more interesting and I have some tiny soup pasta, we must have a bash at it at the weekend. Thanks for submitting to CCM!
Thanks Sarah. Homemade minestrone is pretty much incomparable to canned but really is a cinch to make! And I’m delighted my kids loved it twice over.
I DO love a GOOD hearty minestrone soup Lou and yours is an absolute winner! Karen
Thanks Karen, it’s certainly hearty with all those beans, potatoes and spaghetti. Perfect to knock the socks off a cold wintery day!
Your soup looks delicious Louisa - just right now that the weather’s turned wintery. And well done to Jacques for helping out - I could do with an assistant like him in my kitchen!
Thanks Sarah, it certainly is a perfect soup for these wintery days! And Jacques proving quite a useful assistant these days, might hire him out in the future….
What a super soup!! Literally PACKED with so much good stuff my head is spinning! I love soups that are a cross between a soup and a stew…so hearty and filling and satisfying. This is a gorgeous one pot winter warmer Lou. A great FSF entry xx
Thanks Anneli, it’s probably the heartiest soup I’ve ever made, which has to be a good thing on days like these in England. Brrr.
What a wonderfully hearty-looking minestrone. I have never made one but feel inspired and think that my toddler would enjoy this. So pleased to have discovered your great blog!
Thanks Antonia! It’s quite a fun soup for little children as there’s so many tasty bits to it, and most kids love anything with spaghetti (aka wiggly worms in our house) and tomato flavoured. Off to check out your blog now…..
Looks hearty, healthy and delicious. Thanks very much for linking up with #recipeoftheweek. I’ve pinned this 🙂 Also I’ve just put a fresh linky live for this week and would love you to join in.