Minestrone
Hearty Italian vegetable soup with small pasta, two kinds of beans, zucchini and green beans in a light tomato broth.
Recipe in testing: I'm cooking it in my TM7™ and will update the steps and the photo with my own.
Minestrone is the Italian soup of whatever the garden gives: carrots, celery, green beans and zucchini in a light tomato broth, with white cannellini and red kidney beans and a handful of small pasta to make it a meal. Every family makes it a little differently, and it is a great way to use up vegetables.
The Thermomix® TM7™ grates the Parmesan, chops and sautés the onion and garlic, then cooks the vegetables on reverse at soft speed so every piece keeps its shape. The pasta and beans go in for the last 10 minutes. Finish each bowl with Parmesan, basil and a drizzle of good olive oil.
Made in the Thermomix® TM7™
Minestrone
Makes: About 1.8 L (7 1/2 cups)
- Prep20 min
- Cook35 min
- Total55 min
- Serves6
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place the Parmesan in the dry mixing bowl, grate 10 sec/speed 10 and transfer to a small bowl.
- Place the onion and garlic in the mixing bowl and chop 5 sec/speed 5. Scrape down the sides, add the olive oil and sauté 4 min/120°C (250°F)/speed 1.
- Add the carrot, celery, green beans, tomatoes, broth, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, salt and pepper and cook 10 min/100°C (212°F)/reverse/speed soft.
- Add the zucchini, pasta, cannellini and kidney beans and cook 10 min/100°C (212°F)/reverse/speed soft, until the pasta is tender. Check the time on the pasta package and add a minute or two if needed.
- Remove the bay leaf, tear in the basil, taste and adjust the salt.
- Serve in bowls with grated Parmesan, a few basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.
Tips
- Have a Parmesan rind? Add it in step 3 and take it out in step 5. It gives the broth a deep, savory flavor.
- The pasta keeps drinking the broth, so add a splash of broth or water when you reheat leftovers. The soup keeps 4 days in the fridge; freeze it without the pasta for up to 3 months.
- Save the other half of the kidney beans for a salad or for the next batch. Freeze them in a small bag if you won't use them within 3 days.
- For a vegetarian bowl, note that most Parmesan is made with animal rennet. Use a vegetarian hard cheese, or skip the cheese for a vegan soup.
