Minnestrone Soup

If I close my eyes and imagine the perfect comfort food from my childhood, this soup immediately comes to mind. I can almost smell it bubbling on the stove in our tiny house and my mouth waters just at the memory of it. My mom frequently made a large batch of this soup during the winter. It was satisfying, healthy, and a way to get my brother to eat his vegetables without realizing it! I loved the combination of Italian sausage, leeks, and tomatoes topped with tiny macaroni and fluffy piles of grated Parmesan.

My family is not Italian (tragic-I know) but this recipe came to my mother via her friend Nina’s Italian grandmother who lived Italy her entire life. Nina loved the recipe so much that she wrote it down on a visit in the 1970′s while her grandmother was making the soup and then thankfully shared it with my mother. So through a round-about way this recipe did come straight from an Italian grandmother. (Just not mine, darn it!)

The soup can be made ahead, and even frozen. Simply leave out the macaroni and add it in right before serving the soup (it will get soggy if you add it in ahead of time or put it in the freezer). Minestrone is excellent with a rustic bread and the recipe can easily be doubled to serve a crowd. If you want to keep things healthy, low-fat chicken Italian sausage will still make a very tasty soup. The refried beans are a surprising and seemingly non-Italian addition. All I can say is that they work really well here, and provide a texture that would be missing if they were omitted.

So if you’re looking for a comforting soup that will make your home smell like your own Italian grandmother has been visiting, here you go.
Buon Appetito!

The Ingredient Line Up
The Ingredient Line Up

Sauteing LeeksAdding in the Italian Sausage

Simmering AwayAdding in the Zucchini

Adding in the pastaMinnestrone Soup Close Up

Mom’s Minestrone
Serves 4 (main course)

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 leeks, rinsed and chopped
2 Italian sausages
1 14.5oz can refried beans
6 celery stalks w/ tops, strings removed, cut into bite sized pieces
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into bite sized pieces
2 medium zucchini, sliced into bite sized pieces
1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano flakes
8 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
1 14.5oz can chopped tomato
1/2 cup salad macaroni

Fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Add oil and butter to the pot. Saute onion, garlic, parsley, leeks, and sausage until vegetables are just wilted and sausage is broken into pieces. Add refried beans. Stir and cook one minute to soften beans. Add in broth and the remaining ingredients (except the zucchini). Simmer for 40 minutes. Add in the zucchini and simmer for another 20 minutes.

In a separate medium pot, cook salad macaroni according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Just before serving the soup, add in cooked macaroni along with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with plenty of freshly grated Parmesan on top.

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