Minestrone roughly translated as “soup” or “big soup.” It's quite thick and rich vegetable soup chik, to which green or dried beans, rice or pasta are necessarily added. Minestrone soup is prepared from many ingredients.

And it is believed that real Italian minestrone soup consists of about ten or even more types of vegetables.

Of the seasonal vegetables, Italian minestrone soup must include beans, stem celery, tomatoes and carrots. However, in general, any vegetables are suitable for soup, depending on the season, as we have already noted. So, in Italy, in each region, certain ingredients - vegetables and herbs - can be added to a minestrone dish or, conversely, taken away. In vegetable minestrone, you can add fried ham and ham. Then the soup will become even more satisfying.

You can also add grated Parmesan cheese or pesto sauce, finely chopped herbs, spices and, of course, basil to the prepared minestrone soup. A lighter but heartier soup vegetable minestrone called minestrina (minestrina).

Classical minestrone soup- these are celery, onions, fennel and carrots. Potatoes and pumpkin are also added. In general, here you need your imagination and the widest scope for culinary creativity!

Why is minestrone a “soup of the second day”?

There is only one explanation, and quite simple. Try making minestrone and you will immediately appreciate the difference between its taste the day you prepare it and the taste the next day. Everything is banal and simple. The soup absolutely needs to brew well, soak in the vegetable aromas, but let the vegetables “make friends” with each other properly.

So, these are the few rules for making real minestrone soup, in addition to the ten vegetable rule. You can prepare minestrone soup with either vegetable broth (the classic version) or meat broth. However, the Italians themselves like to cook such a broth with Italian ham (pancheta), or ham, as well as chicken broth. Gourmets prefer to add grape wine to minestrone soup.

You can also add any vegetables you like to minestrone. However, legumes must be present in this dish. Most often these are beans. The most delicious minestrone is made from seasonal, most often summer, vegetables. Italians increasingly began to use celery, onions, carrots, fennel, potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, zucchini and pumpkin for this soup. Italian minestrone soup is always very rich, thick and satisfying.

Classic minestrone contains pasta made from durum wheat and rice.

The traditional recipe for minestrone is as follows: simmer the vegetables until tender, and then chop half of them in a blender and leave the other half as is. Then whole vegetables, mixed with chopped ones, simmer in olive oil over low heat, which will allow you to get the real “same taste” of traditional minestrone. Don't forget that the best herbs and spices for this dish are any herbs and basil.

Italian minestrone soup recipe

Throughout Europe, Italian cuisine is very in demand and popular. Moreover, some Italian dishes in rich European restaurants have become not only classics, but also a permanent feature of their menu. The harmonious refined taste of Italian dishes, their beautiful names– these are just a few of the reasons for the popularity of Italian cuisine. Italian minestrone is an exquisite and unique vegetable soup made in the best traditions of Italy.

We present to your attention a recipe for Italian minestrone soup. This is a very tasty minestrone soup with green beans. The taste of this soup with the addition of a few spoons of pesto will sparkle before your eyes with amazing, bright, multi-colored colors, and thus you will discover a completely different world for yourself - the world of exquisite taste and gastronomic bliss.

Ingredients:

• 4-5 small potatoes.
• one piece of onion.
• One or two cloves of garlic
• 1-2 carrots
• half a 200 gram glass of peas
• one zucchini.
• celery stalk
• half a glass (200 gr.) of green beans and French beans
• a quarter of cabbage.
• 8-10 pieces of cabbage leaves.
• spicy herbs - to taste
• Parmesan cheese and cheese - to taste.

How to cook minestrone. Chop the garlic and onion very finely (you can chop the carrots on a fine grater) and fry them in olive oil. After frying, add a little water so that it takes up no more than 2/3 of the pan. Add all the finely chopped vegetables listed to the pan and cook until fully cooked. At the end of cooking, you can add tomatoes and beet leaves.

Meanwhile, take a separate pan and boil the beans and potatoes in it, which are well mashed with a fork or wooden spatula after cooking. Combine potatoes and beans with the contents of the first pan and cook over very low heat. Vegetable minestrone soup is served with Parmesan cheese, toasted bread, broth and noodles.

Minestrone soup Italian style

Minestrone soup is the most popular dish in both Italy and Europe. This is an old dish that has been prepared in different parts of Italy for many centuries. This soup was mainly prepared by rural residents, for whom minestrone soup was an everyday dish. This soup was prepared only from seasonal vegetables.

From rural Italian cuisine, minestrone soup slowly moved into national cuisine. However, in each region of Italy this soup is prepared differently. We will tell you about preparing minestrone with beans at home, by preparing which you can brag to your family and friends about such a European restaurant dish, but to some extent also familiar to you. After all, this dish is now prepared from those products that can be bought here, in our country. Here's minestrone soup, photo for it.

Ingredients:

• Water - 2.5 liters,
• bacon and rice - 100 grams each,
• tomatoes – 4 pieces,
• dried peas – 200 grams,
• potatoes, zucchini - 2 pieces each,
• onions and carrots - 1 piece,
• cabbage – ½ head,
• canned beans,
• olive oil,
• spices marjoram, oregano and basil.

How to cook minestrone in Italian

We cut the cabbage into strips, and we cut the zucchini into equal cubes, we also cut the carrots, potatoes and tomatoes into cubes. Cut the onion into half rings and fry it in advance along with the bacon in olive oil. Bring the water to a boil, add all the necessary vegetables, simmer over low heat for an hour and a half. Pour in the onions along with the bacon, rice, thoroughly washed and green pea. Cook until all vegetable ingredients are ready. Sprinkle minestrone soup with grated cheese before serving.

Minestrone soup classic recipe

Minestrone classic - This is another excellent option for a hearty soup, even for those who want to lose weight, since this soup, while very nutritious, is also low in calories, because... it is cooked purely in vegetable broth. Of course, Italian classic cuisine is very close to Russian cuisine. Therefore, all those who love to eat vegetables will have dinner or lunch with great pleasure with this very nourishing and very tasty soup! Here is a classic minestrone soup recipe with photos.

Ingredients:

• 450 grams of tomatoes or tomatoes in their own juice,
• 200 grams of dry green beans,
• 400 grams of canned beans,
• 100 grams of short pasta,
• 1 clove of garlic,
• zucchini, large stalk of celery,
• potato tuber,
• onion,
• 2 carrots,
• dried rosemary – 0.5 teaspoon,
• hot and black and red ground pepper,
• grated parmesan,
• basil,
• olive oil,
• salt.

How to cook classic minestrone

Heat a deep frying pan, pour in olive oil, place carrots, celery, onions cut into slices, pepper with black and hot pepper. Add salt, season with rosemary, fry until the onion is browned for five minutes.

Mash the tomatoes with a fork, place them separately in the pan and simmer for two minutes. Cut the zucchini and potatoes into cubes, drain the liquid from the beans, rinse the dry beans thoroughly, put all these vegetables in a frying pan with other vegetables and simmer for two minutes.

Pour more than 1.7 liters of water into the pan, remove everything from the pan, add chopped green beans, bring the entire contents to a boil. Cook vegetables until soft. At the end, add the pasta. Season classic minestrone soup with freshly chopped garlic and basil before serving. Stir the finished soup well one more time, keep it covered for a while (5 minutes). Pour grated Parmesan into bowls of soup.

A real vegetable minestrone. Recipe with photo

This is the most exquisite and nutritious vegetable minestrone soup, the recipe of which calls for the addition of over 10 vegetables.

We suggest preparing minestrone; see photos of how to prepare it below.

Ingredients:

• medium red onion – 1 piece
• carrots – 2 pieces (also medium)
• celery – 1 piece
• hot red pepper - 1/8 teaspoon
• fresh rosemary – 1 tsp. (or half a teaspoon of prepared, dry rosemary)
• tomatoes in their own juice – 450 grams
• one potato and one medium zucchini each
• canned beans – 1 jar
• green beans – 250 grams
• dry short pasta – 100 grams
  garlic, grated Parmesan cheese
• basil for serving
  salt

Minestrone soup recipe

Chop carrots, onions, and celery very finely. Cut zucchini and potatoes into equal cubes. Drain the liquid from the beans in advance, rinse them, and let the water drain. Green beans are cut into small pieces.

Place the pan on the fire, the heat is slightly below medium. Heat 1 tablespoon on it olive oil. Add celery, carrots, onions, add hot pepper, rosemary, 0.25 teaspoon of ground black pepper. Fry, stirring constantly, for about 5-8 minutes, until the onion is completely golden. Add well mashed tomatoes with juice. Cook for no more than a minute until the liquid from the tomatoes has reduced slightly.

Add zucchini, potatoes and beans. Pour in vegetable broth (1.5 liters), bring the broth to a boil. Then add the beans and cook until softened. Add the paste ten minutes before the vegetable minestrone is ready. Add basil, garlic. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Minestrone soup, preparing a “big” soup

Minestrone soup in Italy is as frequent a guest on the table as we have borscht. This delicious first course has a lot of cooking variations. Even classic recipe does not have clear specifics regarding its components. If you haven’t tried cooking this dish in your kitchen yet, you should definitely do so.

Even if lunchtime has already passed, your family will be able to appreciate its taste tomorrow, because Minestrone is considered a soup of the second day. We will tell you the recipe for minestrone soup and you will learn how to prepare the popular Italian dish yourself at home.

Cooking minestrone at home

Classic minestrone is also called “big soup”, and all because it contains a lot of ingredients. These are mainly vegetables, and in classic minestrone, Italians add exclusively seasonal vegetables grown in their own garden or purchased at the local market.

So the minestrone recipe depends to a large extent on what vegetables are available at the time of preparation, but there should certainly be a lot of them.

Besides them, in traditional recipe Minestrone soup includes vegetable (less often meat) broth, pasta, rice or beans, and sometimes pesto is added directly to the plate when served. The main feature of the soup, which distinguishes it from other first courses, is that the vegetables for it are fried slowly and alternately.

Traditionally, some of the prepared vegetables are pureed in a blender and then added to the pan. As you can imagine, the color and consistency of the soup can vary greatly. Italians believe that the most delicious minestrone soup is on the second day, when all the vegetables give off their aromas and tastes and they all mix into a holistic culinary composition.

Tomato minestrone recipe

Each housewife, after several trials, will discover her ideal vegetable minestrone, and perhaps the recipe we have proposed with a photo of an appetizing result will become just that.

To prepare you will need:

• White beans, canned - half a can.
• Bacon - 100g.
• Onion - 1 medium.
• Hot red pepper - 1 piece.
• Potatoes - 2 small tubers.
• Sweet pepper - 1 piece.
• Green peas, frozen or fresh - half a glass.
• A small zucchini.
• Green beans - 100g.
• Fennel - half a head.
• Tomato juice - half a liter.
• Fresh tomatoes - 3 medium sized.
• Fresh basil (you can use other herbs too).
• Parmesan.
• Salt, bay leaf.
• Olive oil.
• A couple of cloves of garlic.

Let's start the cooking process. Italian minestrone soup has the following step by step diagram preparations:

First of all, all vegetables are peeled and cut into small cubes, except for garlic, which will be added with whole cloves.

Cut the bacon into small slices.

We take a large saucepan in which our vegetable minestrone will be cooked and pour olive oil into it.

The bacon goes into the pan first. Fry it over medium heat for 3 minutes. It should not brown.

Then add the onion and fennel to the bacon, fry for another 5-6 minutes, stirring.

Add hot pepper and continue to fry the mixture for about 3 minutes.

We are working on tomatoes, they need to be blanched: put a small saucepan of water on the stove and wait until it boils. Meanwhile, make a cross-shaped cut on the bottom of the tomatoes. Throw them into boiling water for just a minute. After this, the skin can be easily removed from the tomato. Blend them with a blender.

Place the tomato puree into a saucepan with soup.

Then after a couple of minutes add potatoes, sweet peppers, peas, zucchini, green beans and simmer the vegetables for 7 minutes.

Then add tomato juice and white beans. Mix everything and simmer for another 7 minutes.

Add water, salt, bay leaf and garlic cloves. Now our minestrone soup should simmer for 10-12 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the basil and grate the Parmesan cheese on a fine grater.

We take it out bay leaves and garlic so that they don’t bother anyone.

first course with tomato juice

RECIPE: CLASSIC MINESTRONE SOUP

Recipe ingredients:

• Bell pepper – 100 g
• Potatoes - 100 g
• Zucchini – 100 g
• Onion - 100 g
• Carrots – 100 g
• Green peas (frozen) - 70 g
• Spinach - 10 g
• Paste (fine) - 30 g
• Garlic -2 cloves
• Chicken broth - 500 ml
• Sunflower oil - 20 g
• Salt - to taste
• Pepper - to taste

Minestrone vegetable soup classic recipe

A classic dish of Italian cuisine is minestrone soup, which is made from... fresh vegetables. The word “minestrone” itself is literally translated from Italian as “soup” - it received this name because of its thickness and richness. If you cook it correctly, then, as they say, “the spoon should stand in the plate”!

The required ingredients for minestrone are carrots and celery. But for the dish, you can take any fresh vegetables, and also add pieces of ham, which will make the soup even richer and thicker. But still, the main feature of this soup is the number of vegetables: the more there are, the more varied they are, the better! Before serving, pesto sauce or finely grated Parmesan cheese are sometimes added to the minestrone and garnished with chopped herbs.

The indicated quantity of products is designed for 2 servings!

1. Peppers, carrots, potatoes. Cut the zucchini into cubes. Chop the garlic.
2. Heat sunflower oil in a saucepan. Add carrots and onions. Fry.
3. Gradually add garlic and pepper. The main thing is not to overdo it!
4. After a while, add the chopped potatoes and zucchini. Fry for 5-7 minutes.
5. Pour chicken broth into vegetables. Cook for 7-9 minutes.
6. Boil pasta in a separate bowl.
7. When the pasta is ready, add it to the vegetables in the broth. Pour in the peas.
8. Salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes.
9. Place spinach in a deep plate. Pour the soup. You can serve. Bon appetit!

Minestrone is the most popular soup originating in Italy. It is so associated with first courses that outside the republic, when they say “Italian soup,” they undoubtedly mean minestrone. It is based on broth, vegetables and legumes. Italians prepare it with seasonal products, but it is still allowed to use frozen peas or beans.

Healthy ingredients are a very significant plus of the dish. Minestrone is not just a soup. This is a symbol of Italian nutritional principles. Do you want to know how it came to be and how to make classic minestrone in your kitchen? Then you are welcome to the article.

Minestrone has a very ancient origin. They also prepared vegetable soup based on onions, garlic, carrots, asparagus, lentils and mushrooms. Additional ingredients have been added over the centuries due to new advances. For example, potatoes and tomatoes became part of the dish when they “arrived” in Italy after the discovery of America in the 16th century.

Initially, minestrone was a humble soup, which was prepared mainly from leftover main courses or from the cheapest vegetables. It was an everyday food, and not an option for a wedding or holiday table.

The modern lack of a strict recipe for soup is explained by the fact that the ingredients for it were never prepared in advance. In other words, if a person bought chicken in order to then fry it and eat it, then they did something different with minestrone. The components that were available in the house were used.

Dear reader, to find an answer to any question about holidays in Italy, use. I answer all questions in the comments under the relevant articles at least once a day. Your guide in Italy Artur Yakutsevich.

Between the 17th and 18th centuries, Italian chefs glorified the first dish outside the republic. But even today, soup is perceived as a tribute to peasant tradition.

Its name literally translates to “that which is served” (as food). The first application of the term "Minestrone" to vegetable soup dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries.

The recipe for the dish depends on the region of preparation. Classic minestrone (Minestrone classico) is rather a relative concept, since there is no consensus among culinary specialists on its composition. But the main components are strictly regulated: broth, beans, onions, celery, carrots and tomatoes. Although conservatives advocate the absence of “non-European” vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes) in the dish.

Some people prefer to cook minestrone in water, others choose meat broths. Some people complement it with pasta, others prefer rice. Its consistency ranges from thick and dense (close to stew) to very liquid. For example, the classic version contains more broth than Minestrone alla genovese. The latter also contains Pesto sauce.

In fact, in Lately The word minestrone has become synonymous with the phrase “mix everything.” But, of course, modern cooks do not use leftover food from previous meals, but acquire fresh vegetables in advance when planning to prepare soup. Today it is eaten not as a main course, but as a light first course that opens a hearty lunch.

Classic recipe

Each region of Italy has its own classic minestrone recipe. But there are no significant differences. Only a few ingredients change. We invite you to prepare the most popular winter version of the dish in the republic. Taking into account the peculiarities of our climate, it is better for domestic housewives to create their delicacy in the second half of summer.

So, we will need:

• Water – 700 ml;
• Cauliflower – 400 g;
• Tomatoes – 350 g;
• Potatoes – 330 g;
• Pumpkin – 250 g;
• Fresh beans – 200 g;
• Green peas, fresh or frozen – 200 g;
• Leek – 150 g;
• smoked – 110 g;
• Zucchini – 100 g;
• Onion – 80 g;
• Carrots – 80 g;
• Celery – 60 g;
• Olive oil – 60 g;
• Rosemary – 6 g;
• Parsley – 5 g;
• Ground black pepper – 2 g;
• Garlic – 1 clove;
• Bay leaf – 2 pcs.;
• Salt and nutmeg to taste.

Before starting the process, you need to wash and dry all the vegetables. Rosemary and laurel sprig - tie tightly with kitchen string so that during cooking the herb leaves do not end up in the soup

How to cook

First, peel the pumpkin and remove the seeds and fibrous pulp using a spoon. Cut pumpkin and zucchini into cubes. If fresh beans are in pods, then remove the beans from them.

Divide the cauliflower into inflorescences. Cut the white part of the leek into thin rings and the pancetta into cubes.

We also turn peeled potatoes and tomatoes with the skin and stalk removed into cubes. Chop carrots without skin, celery and onion as finely as possible, parsley – coarsely.

Now all the ingredients are prepared, and you can proceed to the main stage. In a non-stick pan with high sides, fry carrots, onions and celery in olive oil for 7-8 minutes. It is necessary to avoid burning vegetables to the bottom of the container.

Add crushed garlic and pancetta without turning off the heat. The latter serves to flavor the soup. We also put a bouquet of herbs in the pan. Mix the leek rings with a small amount of water (about 50 ml) into the resulting mass and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.

The next components that go into classic minestrone are pumpkin and beans. Cook the dish over moderate heat for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Followed by potatoes, cauliflower, zucchini, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook the resulting vegetable mixture for about 5-6 minutes. Pour green peas and tomatoes into the pan, add the remaining water and cover with a lid. Cook the minestrone over moderate heat for about 30 minutes, remove the garlic and do not remove from the heat for another 15 minutes.

A few seconds before removing the container from the stove, add parsley. We remove the bouquet of herbs and mix thoroughly so that the vegetables are saturated with each other’s aromas.

If you prefer thinner soups, add a little boiled water to it. Your minestrone according to the classic recipe is ready! In Italy, the soup is sprinkled with olive oil or grated before serving.

Minestrone can be stored in the refrigerator in a container with a tight-fitting lid for no more than 3 days. Although, like many Italian soups, it acquires its richest flavor by the second day. If desired, you can extend its shelf life by freezing.

How to change a recipe

Minestrone is a very versatile dish. It is quite possible to replace the proposed vegetables with those that you prefer. Or, on the contrary, add something else. For example, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, mushrooms. And this list can be continued endlessly. But it must be emphasized that Italian chefs never put arugula and Brussels sprouts in soup, as they interrupt the taste of other vegetables. Chicory and artichokes are also illegal. Their presence will only impart unnecessary bitterness.

Those who prefer soups with pasta or rice should add the necessary component during the cooking process. In this case, until the minestrone is ready, there should be as much time as it takes to prepare the selected ingredient.

Minestrone with chicken differs from the classic only in the presence of cubes chicken breast added during the cooking process. The Genoese version of the soup is enriched with sauce (Pesto) at the end of the process.

Possible errors during cooking

Modern stores are filled with a huge variety of products all year round. Illiterate selection and subsequent processing of components are the main causes of errors in preparing vegetable soup.

To prevent your dish from becoming an unsightly, tasteless slurry, remember that:

1. Do not use frozen vegetables. Yes, it is very convenient and greatly reduces cooking time. But they change the taste of the soup for the worse. The only exception may be green peas. The use of legumes in the form of canned food is also strictly prohibited.
2. It is not allowed to add bouillon cubes to minestrone. The aroma of the first course with a bouquet of vegetables does not require additional chemicals. The only acceptable flavor enhancers are herbs (rosemary, sage, bay, thyme, parsley, basil, celery leaves), as well as salt and ground black pepper. The color of the broth is adjusted by products. For example, a decoction of unpeeled onions has a golden hue, tomatoes give a rich red color
3. There is no need to limit the variety of components. In Italy, as a rule, the maximum amount of vegetables in season is used. In autumn, in addition to standard ingredients, pumpkin, cabbage, and broccoli are used. Some cooks even add mushrooms.
4. The size of the chopped vegetables also matters. Heavily crushed fruits turn minestrone into a puree-like mass. On the contrary, large pieces are not completely saturated with the overall aroma of the soup. If beans are added, then when cutting the remaining vegetables, they are guided by their size. If not, cut everything into cubes with a side of 1.5 cm.
5. The taste of the dish is always enriched with additional ingredients. These include: durum pasta, egg noodles, rice, pearl barley, fried bread or croutons rubbed with garlic.

Calorie content and benefits

Minestrone is considered one of the healthiest soups. It is included in diet menus for weight loss, since its caloric content classic dish extremely small and amounts to about 39 kcal per 100 g.

Nutritional value is distributed as follows:

• Proteins – 1.7 g;
• Fats – 1.3 g;
• Carbohydrates – 5.4 g.

Low salt soup is great for keeping levels under control blood pressure. Rich in potassium, it helps diversify the diet of people suffering from hypertension.

Short glycemic index Minestrone has a positive effect on metabolism and makes the soup useful for feeding patients with diabetes.

Now you know everything about the most popular, healthy and simply delicious Italian soup. Live with humor, travel spontaneously and remember: “There is nothing better in the world than cooking minestrone in the summer!”

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Minestrone is vintage Italian recipe. If you translate its name, it will sound like “big soup.” Apparently, this is due to its composition, which includes a large number of ingredients.

During its existence, this dish has often undergone changes in the recipe, and today there are many options for its preparation. But at the same time, the soup must be thick and contain a large amount of vegetables.

From our article you will learn how to properly prepare real minestrone soup, you will find several step by step recipes his preparations!

Brief history and composition

This dish appeared in Italy around the 15th century. and at that time it was considered food for the poor. And, indeed, at that time the composition of the soup did not differ in particular variety and taste.

It included only legumes (beans, lentils, peas), onions fried in lard and various greens.

Europe became acquainted with potatoes and tomatoes only in the 16th century. They were immediately included in the recipe for the dish, which gave it great piquancy.

In the 17th century, when during one of the summer periods there was a severe drought, and most of the vegetables died, we tried adding pasta to those left over from last year. This option has taken root well and is used today.

The recipe was later supplemented zucchini, carrots, fennel, garlic, parmesan, tomato paste, pesto sauce and other ingredients.

Different regions of the country have developed their own characteristics of preparing this dish. Some add chicken, others bacon, rice and other foods.

Features and traditions of use

Minestrone is a dish that is prepared only from fresh local vegetables. This means that the recipe for the classic Italian vegetable minestrone soup uses those seasonal plant crops that are in this moment grow in garden plots and are sold in markets.

Although Italians are very particular about recipes and, as a rule, do not accept any substitutions, they consider changing the composition of this dish quite acceptable.

Many soups are usually served hot, immediately after preparation.

On the pages of our website you will also learn. We'll tell you all the secrets of preparing a traditional Italian dish!

Do you know how to properly cook real risotto? Look for recommendations for preparing a popular Italian dish.

How to cook

Since the composition of the dish depends not only on the time of year, but also on the culinary traditions of the area of ​​Italy in which it was prepared, there are currently a large number of its recipes, and some have significant differences from each other.

Traditional

Ingredients:

• Carrots (large) – 2 pcs;
• Zucchini (small) – 1 piece;
• Tomatoes (small) – 5 pcs;
• Celery petioles – 3 pcs;
• Leek – 1 piece;
• Peas (frozen) – 400 g;
• Garlic (large) – 3 cloves;
• Parmesan – 200 g;
• Olive oil – 100 ml;
• Tomato paste – 100 ml;
• Thyme (dry) – 10 g;
• Basil (fresh) – 1 bunch;
• Broth (vegetable) – 3 l.

How to cook:

• Cut carrots into small cubes, zucchini into thin slices, leek rings, celery stalks into small pieces;
• Heat oil, preferably olive oil, in a deep frying pan, add the prepared vegetables and simmer them for about half an hour. At the end add chopped garlic to them;
• Peel and chop the tomatoes;
• Place the stewed vegetables in a large saucepan, add broth, tomatoes, canned beans, tomato paste and cook for 40 minutes, add thyme, salt and pepper;
• Add a little grated cheese and chopped basil to the plates with the finished soup.

With beans

Components:

• Potatoes – 200 g;
• Zucchini (small) – 1 piece;
• Carrots (medium) – 2 pcs;
• Onion – 1 piece;
• Tomatoes (medium) – 4 pcs;
• Beans (asparagus) – 200 g;
• Garlic (large) – 3 cloves;
• White beans (canned) – 300 g;
• Olive oil – 100 ml;
• Green onions – 100 g;
• Greens – 1 bunch;
• Broth (vegetable) – 3 l.

How to cook:

• Potatoes, carrots, zucchini and green beans should be cut into small cubes and placed in boiling broth;
• Grind half the white beans in a blender along with the brine, combine with the rest, add to the pan and cook for about 40 minutes;
• Finely chop the onion, chop the tomatoes and garlic;
• Heat oil in a frying pan, fry the onion, add tomatoes and garlic to it and simmer for 15 minutes;
• Combine the boiled vegetables with the sauce, add salt and pepper and cook for another 20 minutes;
• Before serving, season the soup with chopped green onions and herbs.

With Chiken

Ingredients:

• Chicken (fillet) – 500 g;
• Zucchini (small) – 1 piece;
• Carrot (medium) - 1 piece;
• Petiole celery – 1 piece;
• Cauliflower – 300 g;
• Tomatoes (medium) – 4 pcs;
• Onion (medium) – 3 pcs;
• Cheese – 100 g;
• Water – 5 l;
• Basil – 1 bunch;
• Italian herbs – 10 g.

How to cook:

• Pour water into a saucepan and boil chicken fillet and take it out;
• In the pan where the broth was cooked, put zucchini, carrots, celery, onions and tomatoes, cut into small cubes and cook for about half an hour;
• Add divided into inflorescences to boiled vegetables cauliflower, green peas, Italian herbs and cook for another 15 minutes;
• Cut the chicken fillet into small pieces and place in a saucepan;
• Divide the prepared soup into portions and sprinkle each with grated Parmesan and chopped basil.

With added bacon

Ingredients:

• Bacon – 300 g;
• Potatoes – 200 g;
• Zucchini – 300 g;
• Sweet pepper and chili - 1 pod each;
• Celery (stem) – 3 pcs;
• Tomatoes (medium) – 4 pcs;
• Green peas (frozen) – 400 g;
• Tomato paste – 100 ml;
• Garlic (large) - cloves;
• Olive oil – 100 ml;
• Parmesan – 100 g;
• Greens – 1 bunch;
• Water – 3 l.

How to cook:

• Pour olive oil into a pan and simmer bacon, cut into small strips, for 5 minutes;
• Peel all vegetables and cut into small cubes;
• Add the onion, celery and pepper mixture to the bacon and simmer for about 15 minutes;
• Place the remaining vegetables and tomato paste into the pan, pour out the water and cook for 40 minutes. At the end of cooking, add chopped garlic;
• Season the prepared dish with grated Parmesan and chopped herbs.

With pasta

Components:

• Potatoes – 300 g;
• Zucchini (small) – 1 piece;
• Squash (small) – 1 piece;
• Carrots (medium) – 2 pcs;
• Celery (stem) – 2 pcs;
• Porcini mushrooms or champignons (fresh) – 300 g;
• Onion – 1 piece;
• Green beans – 300 g;
• Tomatoes in tomato – 500 g;
• Pasta – 300 g;
• Olive oil – 100 ml;
• Provençal herbs – 10 g;
• Basil – 1 bunch;
• Broth (chicken) – 5 l.

How to cook:

• Place a mixture of zucchini, squash and mushrooms, cut into small cubes, into a large cup, add half the olive oil, salt, mix well, place on a baking sheet and place in the oven, heated to 180 degrees for 20 minutes;
• Pour the rest of the oil into the pan and fry the chopped carrots, onions and celery stalks in it;
• Combine baked and fried vegetables, pour broth over them and boil;
• Add chopped potatoes, green beans, peeled tomatoes, pasta, Provençal herbs to the pan and cook for another 20 minutes;
• Add parmesan pieces and chopped basil to the finished soup.

How can you replace hard-to-find products?

All the ingredients included in various soup recipes can be found in almost all regions of our country.

But, if any of them could not be acquired, then it is quite possible to find a worthy replacement for them.

Celery stalks can be replaced with parsley roots or parsnips, which have a similar taste and aroma.

Instead of Parmesan, which is quite expensive, other types of hard cheeses are used.

You can use Poshekhonsky, Dutch or Russian.

Before eating minestrone, grated Parmesan is usually added to the plates.. You can also add fresh chopped basil or any other herbs. It goes perfectly with fresh ciabatta (Italian bread).

You can use pesto sauce for dressing., which is made from basil, olive oil, pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic and lemon juice.

The proportions of ingredients are chosen arbitrarily, based on your own taste. This addition perfectly complements the taste of minestrone.

And from this video you will learn another option for preparing light and tasty minestrone soup:

As can be seen from the above, minestrone is not only tasty, but also a fairly affordable dish. The ingredients required for this soup can be grown in your own garden or bought at the market. It doesn't take much time to prepare.

It doesn’t matter which version of the recipe is chosen, in any case the result will be Italian National dish with wonderful taste and aroma.

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Minestrone soup is the most popular first course in Italy. Want to learn more about their nutritional principles? Then be sure to try one of the suggested recipes!

The classic Minestrone recipe is not at all complicated; it includes legumes, broth and vegetables.

Required Products:

• onion, carrot and sweet pepper;
• three potatoes;
• one and a half liters of vegetable broth;
• approximately 200 grams of canned beans;
• two tomatoes and zucchini;
• garlic clove;
• seasonings and herbs to your taste.

Cooking process:

1. First, cut the garlic and onion into small pieces and fry them in a pan heated on the stove until they become a little transparent.
2. Then put the carrots in cubes there and keep for about five more minutes.
3. Chop all the remaining vegetables as finely as possible, add to the rest of the ingredients and cook until soft over low heat for 15 minutes.
4. We fill this vegetable mass with cold broth, season with the selected spices, add cubed potatoes and cook until they become soft.
5. Add the beans to the soup, after draining the liquid from them.
6. After two minutes, we take out a quarter of the vegetables from the soup, and turn those that are left into puree using a blender. Add the vegetables back to the soup and the dish is ready to serve.

In a slow cooker

Italian vegetable soup can also be made in a slow cooker, simplifying the process a little.

Required Products:

• onions and carrots;
• liter of broth;
• two tomatoes;
• zucchini and sweet pepper;
• seasonings to your taste;
• three potatoes;
• two cloves of garlic;
• about 200 grams of canned beans.

Cooking process:

1. Chop all the vegetables as finely as possible, except beans, of course.
2. Set the multicooker to the “Baking” mode and start frying the onions, gradually adding other vegetables to it and bringing them to softness. You don't need to use the potatoes yet.
3. Pour the resulting mass with broth and season with various spices. Place the potatoes and turn the multicooker on “Soup” mode for 30 minutes.
4. When the program comes to the end, add the beans, draining them of excess liquid. The dish is ready to serve.

Cooking vegetable soup Minestrone in Genoese style

Another version of a hearty Italian soup.

Required Products:

• two zucchini;
• 100 grams of peas and the same amount of beans;
• two tomatoes and the same amount of carrots;
• 50 grams of olive oil;
• 100 grams of pasta;
• three potatoes;
• bunch of basil;
• garlic clove;
• spices as desired.

Cooking process:

1. Place a pan of water on heat and add chopped potatoes, carrots and zucchini. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat, leave to simmer, and after a couple of minutes, add the beans and peas.
2. You need to prepare the sauce in a separate container. To do this, combine peeled tomatoes with garlic and basil, beat in a blender until smooth and add olive oil.
3. Place this mixture in a saucepan with soup, add seasonings, add pasta and remove after five minutes, when they are already soft.

Option with collard greens and white beans

You can slightly diversify your usual soup using other ingredients.

Required Products:

• 300 grams of tomato;
• two tablespoons of tomato paste;
• about 300 grams of white beans;
• bulb;
• 400 grams of kale;
• seasonings, garlic, herbs - optional.

Cooking process:

1. Start cooking immediately in the pan. Place chopped onion and garlic there, fry for a couple of minutes, season with spices.
2. Then add tomato paste, cabbage leaves, cut into small pieces, and keep on fire for about four minutes.
3. Free the beans from excess liquid, soften them in a bowl, and add them to the vegetables. Also add chopped tomatoes and fill everything with the required amount of water so that the pan is full.
4. Add garlic, pepper and herbs to taste and cook until cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes.

Unusual Minestrone soup with pasta

Since this is an Italian dish, it is not surprising that the soup can also be prepared with pasta.

Required Products:

• one zucchini;
• carrots and onions;
• 150 grams of pasta;
• 200 grams of beans;
• two potatoes;
• herbs and seasonings to your taste;
• 50 grams of Parmesan.

Cooking process:

1. Take a saucepan with a good bottom so that you can fry the vegetables in it.
2. Grind everything listed in the ingredients, except beans and potatoes, and bring until soft in a heated container.
3. Fill with water until the pan is almost full. Add seasonings.
4. Add chopped potatoes and beans without liquid to the soup and keep on medium heat until the ingredients are soft.

Serve the dish sprinkled with Parmesan.

Frozen vegetable soup

Of course, fresh vegetables are much healthier, but winter period You can also use “freezing”.

Required Products:

• two cloves of garlic;
• seasonings to taste;
• 50 grams of pasta;
• two potatoes;
• ready-made frozen vegetable mixture.

Cooking process:

1. Fill the pan with water and, when it boils, put in the pre-chopped potatoes, and then the chopped garlic.
2. After about 15 minutes, when the potatoes are almost soft, add the frozen mixture and cook it for 10 minutes after boiling.
3. Add pasta, add seasonings to taste and cook until done. You can remove it when the paste becomes soft.

Before serving, let the dish sit for 20 minutes.

Secrets and tricks of cooking

In order for the soup to truly turn out the way the Italians prepare it, some nuances must be observed.

1. Prepare the dish from seasonal vegetables, so the ingredients do not always have to be the same.
2. Avoid arugula and Brussels sprouts - these vegetables will overpower the flavor.
3. For piquancy, you can add a little dry wine to the soup.
4. You can cook it with any broth, but Italians prefer a mixture of bone-in ham and bacon.
5. To make the soup richer, add legumes, pasta or arborio rice, which is usually bought for risotto.

If you want to prepare a delicious soup for your family using a new recipe, pay attention to a traditional dish Italian cuisine - minestrone. This is a multi-ingredient soup that uses seasonal vegetables. As a rule, this is a lean dish without the addition of meat. That is why minestrone is distinguished not only by its rich aroma and satiety, but also by its extreme benefits. How to prepare such soup at home, we will consider in this article.

Minestrone or vegetable soup

Minestrone is translated from Italian as “big soup,” that is, with an abundance of ingredients. Indeed, many vegetables are used to create this dish. Rice or pasta is sometimes added to the minestrone recipe.

This is a dish of traditional Italian cuisine, which is extremely popular in the country. The soup cooks quite quickly. Vegetables are boiled until tender, some of which are chopped in a blender and added to the broth. Often the soup is seasoned with pesto, a sauce based on olive oil and basil, which gives not only aroma, but also a green color.

Initially, Italian housewives prepared minestrone from what was in the house - vegetables that grew at a given time of the year. The dish is not labor-intensive to create and also requires minimal financial costs.

Carrots, celery and more...

The more vegetables added to minestrone, the brighter the taste, and the better the satiety of the dish. Most often used to prepare soup:

• eggplant;
• fennel;
• legumes;
• carrot;
• green pea;
• garlic;
• tomatoes;
• pumpkin;
• beet;
• celery;
• Bell pepper;
• cabbage;
• potato;
• mushrooms;
• zucchini and other vegetables.

The following greens are suitable for minestrone:

• spinach;
• thyme;
• rosemary;
• parsley;
• basil.

Three secrets of minestrone

Italian vegetable soup has its own cooking characteristics. In order for the dish to have a unique taste, you should adhere to the following rules:

• Seasonality. Minestrone contains vegetables that grow in the country at a given time.
• Passerovka. The ingredients are fried in olive oil over low heat.
• Bouillon. The base ingredient of minestrone soup. As a rule, vegetable broth is used, less often - meat or cooked with pancetta (bacon).

Italians say that you should cook minestrone slowly, carefully selecting ingredients. By observing the above points, the soup will turn out aromatic with a rich taste.

The appearance, satiety, consistency and taste of minestrone depends on many nuances. Experienced chefs highlight some nuances that are extremely important during cooking. Let's note the following tips that will help you create real Italian minestrone:

1. You should not use arugula and Brussels sprouts, as they have a rich aroma, which can drown out the taste of other vegetables.
2. If you want to make the dish more rich, you can add potatoes, legumes, pasta, pearl barley or rice to the recipe.
3. Minestrone is considered a “second day” dish, that is, the richness of flavor appears a few hours after it is ready. But you can also serve it immediately after cooking.
4. Do not use frozen vegetables. Despite the fact that this is a very convenient option for every housewife, such products significantly distort the taste of the soup. The only exception is green peas. For minestrone, use only fresh vegetables.
5. Do not add canned legumes to the dish.
6. Do not add ready-made bouillon cubes to the soup. The aroma and taste of fresh vegetables does not require additional enhancement. You can add spice using various herbs and pepper.
7. Don't be afraid to put in a lot of vegetables. There is no need to limit the recipe to just a few products. Sometimes about twenty types of vegetables can be combined in minestrone, which gives the soup a rich and unique taste.
8. Do not grind the ingredients too much. The average height of vegetable cubes is 1.5 cm. If beans are placed in minestrone, then the products are cut based on their size.

Calorie content

The nutritional value of minestrone is quite low - only 39 kcal per 100 g. This indicator is possible since the basic ingredients of the dish are vegetables, and the classic recipe uses lean broth. The calorie content of the soup increases by adding pasta, rice, meat, meatballs, etc.

Minestrone – dietary dish, which has undoubted benefits for the body. Since vegetables undergo heat treatment, they are perfectly absorbed by the digestive system. In addition, do not forget that carrots, zucchini, garlic and other gifts of nature are sources of vitamins and minerals that are so necessary for the full functioning of the body.

In order for vegetables to bring maximum benefit to the body, it is important not to forget to sprinkle the soup with olive oil, because polyunsaturated fats promote the absorption of beneficial microelements.

Classic recipe

Prepare the vegetables to be used. Wash them thoroughly and peel them. Divide the cabbage into florets. You need to remove the seeds and fibers from the pumpkin. Remove the beans from the bean pods.

Large vegetables are cut into cubes. Onions, garlic and herbs are finely chopped. Parsley can be chopped larger.

The bottom of a non-stick saucepan or high-sided frying pan is irrigated with olive oil. Vegetables must be sautéed for 10 minutes. Herbs and spices are added when the ingredients have softened.

It is necessary to add water and cook the components for another 30 minutes. The amount of liquid depends on the consistency of the soup you prefer.

Popular spices used for minestrone are:

• salt;
• pepper;
• nutmeg;
• spices;
• Bay leaf.

Submission rules

Minestrone is a very colorful dish because it combines many vegetables - green, red, orange, etc. When serving, in Italy it is customary to drizzle the soup with a little olive oil, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and garnish with a sprig of parsley. It is also acceptable to add a little pesto to the dish, which will make the minestrone more spicy.

Do not forget about the importance of the dishes in which vegetable soup is served. Regarding minestrone, it is suitable both in an elegant restaurant serving and in a rustic style, for example, in pots, small cast iron saucepans, etc.

The ideal complement to the soup would be traditional Italian Ciabata bread, with a crispy crust and soft porous crumb.

Minestrone can also be sprinkled with croutons or crackers grated with garlic.

Both in winter and in summer...

Italian soup is prepared at any time of the year and in each period it will have its own unique and inimitable taste. There is no doubt that there are a lot more fresh vegetables in the summer. But in winter you can prepare minestrone from pumpkin, garlic, carrots, potatoes, onions, legumes and other products that are perfectly stored until spring.