I spent some time in Italy this fall and, of course, now I am totally motivated to do more Italian-inspired cooking like this minestrone soup, for example. It’s very easy to get inspired when traveling to beautiful parts of the world, especially those known for fine cuisine and wines!
Vineyards were busy as the grape harvesting was on when we were in Italy. The one in the photo below was near Manarola in Cinque Terre (Liguria Region) on the rugged Italian Rivieria. Those are terraced vineyards you see in the background in the photo above and a close up of one in the photo below as harvesters collect the grapes for winemaking.
And, of course, I always check out the local farmers markets, like the one below in Venice, when I travel.
And, I can never pass up colorful Italian pasta or good quality olive oil!
But, alas, I am back home in my Prince Edward Island kitchen with lots of ideas for Italian-inspired dishes. I have actually been making this minestrone soup for many years, tweaking and adjusting it until it reached my satisfaction. In fact, it is a staple in my freezer – I freeze portion-sized servings and then take them to work for weekday lunches. Served with a homemade biscuit, crusty roll, or garlic bread, this is a filling soup.
Minestrone is what I call the “kitchen sink of soups” because many different ingredients can be included in the soup, almost everything but the kitchen sink! It’s often called “the big soup” for a reason and that is because it contains lots of ingredients. This is a vegetable-type soup that, no matter the recipe, will contain common ingredients like beans, onions, tomatoes, a variety of vegetables, and some kind of pasta. Other ingredients, such as meat, can be added as well to make it a more hearty meal. Pretty much any vegetables you like can be added to the soup but you will generally find carrots, peas, string beans, tomatoes, and zucchini in most minestrone soups. There is no fixed recipe as such for minestrone and ingredients vary according to the regions of Italy and what is in season and available at the time the soup is made. There are as many versions of this soup as there are cooks! I have tasted minestrone in different restaurants and they all taste different but they all still go by the same name!
This Mediterranean soup is cooked in a broth – beef, chicken, or vegetable stock may be used. Like many soups with vegetables, I find the broth needs some extra seasoning. I rely heavily on basil, oregano, and Italian seasoning for this soup and these are somewhat standard in most minestrone recipes. To further deepen the flavor, I also add a couple of tablespoons of my homemade basil pesto. You can find my pesto recipe by clicking here.
What follows is my recipe for Beefy Minestrone (printable version of the recipe follows at end of posting).
The Bistro’s Beefy Minestrone
Ingredients:
330g (¾ lb) stew beef, cut into small ¼” – ½” bite-size cubes
2 tbsp cooking oil
2/3 cup onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh fennel, very finely chopped (optional but good)
½ cup celery, chopped
2/3 cup carrots, sliced thinly
1 – 796 ml (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 – 284 ml (apx. 10 oz) can tomato soup
2 tbsp tomato paste
6 cups stock (beef, chicken, or vegetable)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1½ tsp fresh lemon juice
1½ tsp brown sugar
1¾ tsp dried basil
1¾ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup green or yellow string beans (fresh or frozen), cut into 1”–1½ “ inch pieces
1 – 540 ml can (apx. 18 oz) six-bean medley or red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
160 g (apx. 1¼ cups) zucchini, diced
1 cup uncooked elbow pasta
1½ cups frozen peas
1-2 tbsp basil pesto
Olive oil for drizzling (optional)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Method:
In large stock pot, brown beef cubes in oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add onion, garlic, fennel, celery, and carrots. Cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and adding a small amount of additional oil, if necessary.
Add the next 11 ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook slowly for about 12-15 minutes. Add the string beans. Simmer for 5-7 minutes.
Stir in the six-bean medley (or red kidney beans), zucchini, elbow pasta, and frozen peas. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer for about 7-10 minutes, or until pasta is just fork tender.
Remove soup from heat and stir in the basil pesto. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with either a drizzle of olive oil or grated Parmesan cheese.
Yield: Apx. 12, one-cup servings
Pin This Minestrone Recipe To Pinterest!
An Italian-inspired hearty minestrone soup with beef and a variety of tasty and healthy vegetables and pasta cooked in a broth flavored with basil and oregano
Ingredients
- 330g (¾ lb) stew beef, cut into small ¼” – ½” bite-size cubes
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 2/3 cup onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh fennel, very finely chopped (optional but good)
- ½ cup celery, chopped
- 2/3 cup carrots, sliced thinly
- 1 – 796 ml (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 1 – 284 ml (apx. 10 oz) can tomato soup
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 6 cups stock (beef, chicken, or vegetable)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1½ tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1½ tsp brown sugar
- 1¾ tsp dried basil
- 1¾ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ cup green or yellow string beans (fresh or frozen), cut into 1” – 1½ “ inch pieces
- 1 – 540 ml can (apx. 18 oz) six-bean medley or red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 160 g (apx. 1¼ cups) zucchini, diced
- 1 cup uncooked elbow pasta
- 1½ cups frozen peas
- 1-2 tbsp basil pesto
- Olive oil for drizzling
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In large stock pot, brown beef cubes in oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add onion, garlic, fennel, celery, and carrots. Cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and adding a small amount of additional oil, if necessary.
- Add the next 11 ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook slowly for about 12-15 minutes. Add the string beans. Simmer for 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the six-bean medley or red kidney beans, zucchini, elbow pasta, and frozen peas. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer for about 7-10 minutes, or until pasta is just fork tender.
- Remove soup from heat and stir in the basil pesto. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with either a drizzle of olive oil or grated Parmesan cheese.
