Authentic Minestrone
Valentina P
This authentic Italian minestrone recipe is coming straight from Bravabod's Sicilian grandmother. Made with an plenty of green vegetables, carrots, potatoes, and beans. No tomatoes or pasta needed. This makes a very large batch, so it's great for healthy meal prep.
How To MakeDiet Type: Plant-based
Shopping List
- 2 large bunches fresh spinach (about 14 ounces total)
- 1 bunch swiss chard
- 2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed (Note 1)
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 4 large carrots, peeled
- 3 celery stalks
- 2 zucchini, unpeeled
- 3 medium-sized yukon gold potatoes, peeled
- 1/2 large white or yellow onion (or 1 small)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Step 1: Rinse and roughly chop the chard, celery, lettuce, zucchini, carrots, and potatoes into 1 inch pieces. Dice the onion into smaller 1/2 inch pieces. The spinach does not need to be chopped.
- Step 2: Place all of the ingredients, except the beans, into a very large pot. Add 6 cups of water to the pot (it will look like a huge amount of soup, but will cook down a lot). Bring the pot to a low boil over medium-high heat. Note: If your pot is not too large, you'll need to prepare this soup in two batches.
- Step 3: Once boiling, cover the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the potatoes and vegetables are all fork-tender.
- Step 4: Uncover the pot and stir in the beans. Remove the soup from the heat. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. If your vegetables were on the larger side, you may need to add an extra splash of water.
- Serve: Enjoy your warm minestrone with a generous drizzle of olive oil. This is great alongside some crusty bread.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: To make this more authentic, prepare a little under 2 cups of cooked borlotti beans. They can be purchased dried and cooked separately, stirred in right before serving. For a time-saver, the pinto beans are a great substitute.
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