Traditional Old-World Recipe with Fresh or Pantry Ingredients

By Chef Charles Knight

Minestrone comes from the Italian minestra, meaning soup, with minestrone describing a large, hearty soup. For generations, Italian families made it from seasonal vegetables, beans, pasta or rice and whatever was available from the garden and pantry.

There is no single authentic minestrone recipe. That's part of its tradition. This version builds deep flavor with a slowly cooked soffritto, pancetta, tomatoes, two kinds of beans, Parmigiano-Reggiano and ditalini pasta.

Serves: 8–10
Preparation: 25 minutes, plus soaking time if using dried beans
Cooking: 60–75 minutes, plus bean cooking time if needed

Equipment Needed

• 6-quart Health Craft stockpot with cover — for the minestrone
• 4-quart saucepan or stockpot — if cooking dried beans
• 2-quart saucepan — optional, for cooking pasta separately
• Chef's knife and cutting board
• Colander
• Wooden spoon
• Ladle
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Potato masher or immersion blender
• Cheese grater

Ingredients

The Soffritto

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces pancetta, finely diced
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 1 medium leek, white and light-green portions, washed and sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced

Fresh Vegetables

• 1 medium Yukon Gold potato, diced
• 1½ cups fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups Savoy cabbage, chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, diced

Tomatoes — Choose One

• Fresh: 2 pounds ripe Roma or plum tomatoes, peeled, cored and chopped, or
• Canned: 1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled Italian tomatoes, crushed by hand with their juice

Beans — Choose One

For the best old-fashioned, from-scratch version:

• ¾ cup dried cannellini beans
• ¾ cup dried borlotti (cranberry) beans

OR, for the quicker version:

• 1 can (15–15½ ounces) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15–15½ ounces) borlotti or cranberry beans, drained and rinsed

Broth & Seasonings

• 6–7 cups good chicken or vegetable stock*
• 1 Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small sprig fresh rosemary
• Sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper

*If using dried beans, reserve their cooking liquid and substitute 1–2 cups bean liquid for an equal amount of stock.

Pasta & Italian Finish

• ¾–1 cup ditalini pasta
• Fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Fresh basil, torn
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Hot Italian garlic bread, for serving

If Using Dried Beans

Rinse and sort the dried beans. Cover with at least 3 inches of cold water and soak 8–12 hours or overnight.

Drain and rinse.

Place in the 4-quart saucepan, cover with fresh water by approximately 2 inches and bring to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook approximately 45–75 minutes, or until tender.

Drain, reserving 2 cups of the bean cooking liquid.

Set the cooked beans aside.

Important: Cook dried beans until tender before adding them to the minestrone. Don't rely on the soup itself to cook hard, dried beans.

Prepare the Minestrone

1. Make the Soffritto

Heat the olive oil and butter in the stockpot over medium-low heat.

Add the pancetta and cook until it begins to render its fat and becomes lightly golden.

Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook slowly for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and aromatic.

My preferred method: Add an extra 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cover the pan, close the vent, and reduce the heat to low.

Add the leek and garlic and cook another 2–3 minutes.

Don't rush the soffritto. This is where much of the minestrone's flavor begins.

2. Add the Tomatoes

Add either the 2 pounds of fresh prepared tomatoes or the 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes.

Cook for 5–10 minutes, allowing the tomatoes to break down and concentrate slightly.

Fresh tomatoes that are especially juicy may need a few additional minutes.

Use a potato masher to break them up. 

3. Build the Minestrone

Add the potato, green beans, cabbage, Parmigiano-Reggiano rind, bay leaf and rosemary.

Add the beans.

If using dried beans, add 1–2 cups reserved bean cooking liquid plus 4–5 cups stock.

If using canned beans, begin with approximately 6 cups stock.

Bring to a gentle simmer.

4. The Secret to a Richer Minestrone

Remove approximately 1 cup of the cannellini beans and mash or purée them with a little hot broth.

Stir them back into the pot.

This naturally thickens the minestrone and creates a richer, silkier broth without flour, cornstarch or cream.

5. Simmer Slowly

Partially cover and gently simmer for approximately 35–45 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Don't hard-boil the soup. A gentle simmer allows the flavors to develop without destroying the vegetables.

6. Add the Zucchini

Add the zucchini during the last 15 minutes.

Zucchini cooks much faster than carrots, potatoes and cabbage. Adding it later keeps it from becoming mushy.

7. Add the Ditalini

Add the ditalini and cook until al dente.

Add additional hot stock or reserved bean liquid if the minestrone becomes too thick.

For leftovers: Cook the ditalini separately in the 2-quart saucepan and add it to individual bowls. The pasta won't continue absorbing your minestrone broth overnight.

The Italian Finish

Remove the Parmesan rind, rosemary stem and bay leaf.

Taste before adding salt because the pancetta, stock and Parmigiano already contribute salt.

Ladle the hot minestrone into warm bowls.

Finish each bowl with:

Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano • Fresh basil • Italian parsley • Cracked black pepper • A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil

Serve with plenty of hot, golden Italian garlic bread for dipping.

Chef Charles' Tip

For the most authentic rustic character, use fresh Roma tomatoes and dried beans cooked from scratch. For a quicker weeknight minestrone, quality canned Italian tomatoes and canned beans work beautifully.

The secret isn't whether the ingredients came from the garden or pantry. It's building the flavor slowly—soffritto, tomatoes, beans, vegetables, Parmesan rind and herbs—and giving everything enough time to come together.

And make enough for tomorrow.

Minestrone is often even better the second day.