Minestrone: the story of Italy's everyday vegetable soup

Minestrone is Italy's thick, everyday vegetable soup: seasonal vegetables simmered slowly with beans, usually with a little pasta or rice, and finished with olive oil and Parmesan. There is no single "correct" recipe. Every region, and practically every family, makes it with what the season and the garden provide. What makes it good is the method: a slow start on onion, carrot and celery, vegetables added in order of cooking time, and enough patience to let it rest before serving.

Where the name comes from

In Italian, minestra means soup, and the word is usually traced to minestrare, "to serve out". The ending -one makes it bigger, so minestrone is, quite literally, "the big soup": the substantial, crowded pot rather than a light broth. It belongs firmly to the tradition of cucina povera, the thrifty home cooking that makes something generous from vegetables, pulses and scraps such as a Parmesan rind or stale bread.

The soup has changed a great deal over the centuries. Some of today's staple ingredients, including tomatoes, potatoes, courgettes and the borlotti and cannellini beans most cooks now use, came originally from the Americas and only became common in Italian kitchens long after their arrival in Europe. Earlier vegetable soups would have relied on ingredients such as broad beans, chickpeas, cabbage, onions and grains. Exactly what those older soups looked like varies by source, so it is fair to say simply that minestrone has always changed with what was available.

The regional family

Travel the length of Italy and the "big soup" changes character.

• Genoa and Liguria: minestrone alla genovese is finished with a spoonful of basil pesto stirred in off the heat, which gives it a fresh, fragrant finish.
• Milan and Lombardy: minestrone alla milanese often uses rice instead of pasta, and in summer it is sometimes eaten tepid rather than hot.
• Tuscany: the close cousin ribollita, meaning "reboiled", is thickened with stale bread and cavolo nero, and is traditionally better on the second day.
• Everywhere: spring versions with peas, asparagus and broad beans, and autumn versions with pumpkin, cabbage and chard.

How to make a classic minestrone

Serves 6. Prep 20 minutes. Cook about 45 minutes.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots and 2 celery sticks, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 potato, diced
• 1 courgette, diced
• 100 g green beans, cut into short pieces
• 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
• 400 g tin cannellini or borlotti beans, drained
• 1.5 litres vegetable stock
• 1 Parmesan rind (optional)
• 80 g ditalini or other small pasta
• A handful of basil, salt and pepper

Method

1. Build the base. Warm the oil in a large, heavy pot over a medium-low heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and soften gently for 8–10 minutes, until sweet and translucent but not brown. This soffritto is the foundation of the soup's flavour, so don't rush it.
2. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, until fragrant.
3. Add the firmer vegetables. Stir in the potato, courgette and green beans and cook for 2 minutes to coat them in the oil.
4. Add the liquid. Pour in the tomatoes and stock, tuck in the Parmesan rind and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook, partly covered, for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
5. Add the beans and pasta. Simmer for 10–12 minutes more, until the pasta is al dente. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick.
6. Season and rest. Remove the rind, season well, stir in the torn basil and leave off the heat for 5 minutes. Serve with a thread of olive oil and grated Parmesan.

Changing it with the seasons

The rule is simple: hard roots and squash go in early, and tender greens and peas go in late.

Common mistakes

• Rushing the soffritto. Onions fried hot and fast taste harsh rather than sweet. Take the full 8–10 minutes.
• Adding every vegetable at once. The courgette collapses before the potato is cooked.
• Cooking pasta you plan to keep. Pasta keeps soaking up liquid and turns soft overnight. If you are making a big batch to eat over several days or to freeze, cook the pasta separately and add it to each portion.
• Under-seasoning. A pot of vegetables and beans needs more salt than you expect. Season at the end, after the Parmesan rind has done its work.
• Serving it the moment it is done. A short rest, or better a night in the fridge, lets the flavours settle and deepen.

From our books

Soups of the World gives the Italian soups their own chapter. Alongside the classic Minestrone above you'll find the Minestrone alla Genovese col Pesto, the Tuscan Ribollita and Pasta e Fagioli, the bean-and-pasta soup that shares minestrone's spirit. The recipe finder will also show you versions in our other books, such as the Minestrone with Borlotti Beans & Small Pasta in The Vegetarian Kitchen. If you are building a Mediterranean repertoire from scratch, start with our Mediterranean kitchen starter guide.

Questions people ask

Is minestrone vegetarian?

It can easily be. Made with vegetable stock and without the Parmesan rind, it is fully vegan. Some traditional versions start with pancetta or lard, and Parmesan is traditionally made with animal rennet, so check if that matters to you.

Can I freeze minestrone?

Yes, for up to about three months, but freeze it without the pasta. Cool it quickly, refrigerate within two hours, and reheat until piping hot, adding freshly cooked pasta when you serve it.

What is the difference between minestrone and ribollita?

Ribollita is a Tuscan relative, thickened with stale bread and dark cabbage until it is almost spoonable as a stew. Minestrone is looser and usually contains pasta or rice rather than bread.

Do I need stock, or can I use water?

Many Italian cooks use water, relying on the soffritto, vegetables and Parmesan rind for flavour. A light vegetable stock gives a rounder result, but it should never be so strong that it hides the vegetables.