Minestrone Recipe

Make Minestrone Recipe tonight: cook Minestrone Recipe in one pot for a cozy, veggie-packed soup in 60 minutes.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 ounces (55 g) pancetta or smoked bacon, finely diced (optional but recommended)
• 1 medium yellow onion (about 6 ounces / 170 g), finely diced
• 2 medium carrots (about 5 ounces / 140 g), peeled and finely diced
• 2 celery stalks (about 4 ounces / 115 g), finely diced
• 1 small fennel bulb (about 6 ounces / 170 g), cored and finely diced (optional but recommended)
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 6 fresh basil leaves, torn, added at the end)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional, for gentle heat)
• 1 cup (140 g) russet or Yukon Gold potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) cubes
• 1 small zucchini (about 6 ounces / 170 g), cut into 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) cubes
• 1 small yellow squash (about 6 ounces / 170 g), cut into 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) cubes (or use an additional zucchini)
• 1 cup (150 g) green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces
• 1 (14.5-ounce / 410 g) can diced tomatoes with their juices
• 6 cups (1.4 L) low-sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth
• 2 cups (480 ml) water
• 1 (15-ounce / 425 g) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15-ounce / 425 g) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup (120 g) small pasta such as ditalini, small shells, or elbow macaroni
• 1 1/2 cups (45 g) finely sliced green cabbage or shredded savoy cabbage (or baby spinach)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small piece Parmesan rind (about 1 ounce / 30 g), well scrubbed (optional but highly recommended)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil leaves (if not using dried basil earlier)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 small lemon), plus more to taste
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving (about 1 ounce / 30 g per person, to taste)
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling at serving (about 1 teaspoon per bowl, optional)

Instructions

Step 1: Gently render and soften the aromatics

Warm the extra-virgin olive oil until it shimmers, then add the finely diced pancetta (if using) and let the fat render until the meat is lightly browned and glossy but not crisp. Add the finely diced onion, carrots, celery and fennel to the warm fat and sauté gently until the vegetables are softened and the onion turns translucent — tender, slightly glossy pieces that yield under a spoon but show no browning. This stage builds the flavor base: soft, juicy vegetable textures bathing in a warm, amber lipid sheen.

Step 2: Brighten and deepen with garlic, tomato paste and herbs

Stir in the minced garlic just long enough for it to perfume the pot, then fold in the tomato paste and the dried herbs and crushed red pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste darkens and clings to the vegetables, leaving a tacky, umami-rich coating across every dice and a faint rusty tint across the surface — an aromatic, concentrated paste that signals a deeper, savory turn in the soup’s personality. Keep the wooden spoon close; you’ll see it streaked with the reddish-brown paste.

Step 3: Add the root vegetables and early summer squash, combine

Add the cubed potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash and trimmed green beans and stir thoroughly so each cube and spear is slicked with that herb-and-tomato coating. The scene should read as a mix of soft white potato cubes, pale green zucchini, sunny yellow squash and vibrant emerald beans — all neatly cubed and showing distinct edges, their starchy and vegetal textures promising a tender bite after simmering. This is the moment the soup becomes a textured mosaic of shapes and colors.

Step 4: Pour in tomatoes, broth and beans, bring to a gentle simmer

Add the canned diced tomatoes with their juices, the broth and water, then nestle in the bay leaf, the Parmesan rind and the drained cannellini and kidney beans. Scrape up any fond so the liquid is flecked with browned bits and aromatics. Increase heat until the pot reaches a gentle boil, then immediately lower to maintain a steady, quiet simmer. The pot’s surface should show slow, regular movement — floating tomato chunks, pale beans bobbing near the surface, and a clear, savory broth that’s begun to take on color and body.

Step 5: Finish with pasta, leafy greens, bright herbs and acid, then rest and serve

Once the potatoes and beans are tender, stir in the small pasta and the shredded cabbage (or spinach) and simmer just until the pasta is al dente and the greens have softened. Remove the bay leaf and Parmesan rind, fold in the chopped parsley and basil, then stir in fresh lemon juice to brighten. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Let the soup rest off heat for several minutes so the textures settle and the flavors meld. Ladle into warm bowls and finish each serving with a generous grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano and a light drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Notes

• For a vegetarian version, omit pancetta and Parmesan rind and add a tablespoon of miso for umami.
• If freezing, leave out the pasta and add fresh pasta when reheating.
• Taste for salt near the end because canned beans and Parmesan rind add sodium.
• Use firm, similarly sized vegetable cuts so everything cooks evenly.
• Finish each bowl with fresh lemon and Parmigiano-Reggiano for brightness and depth.