This extra-thick, melt-in-your-mouth minestrone soup may just be my best recipe yet. Big statement for sure, but we just can't get enough of it.A traditional Italian minestrone soup is made with fresh seasonal vegetables, legumes and pasta or rice. Jam-packed with vitamins, this soup is perfect to bolster your immunity as we head into Winter. The secret to this recipe that sets it apart from most minestrone recipes you'll find is that it uses potato and pumpkin to naturally thicken it, making it more like a hearty stew than a soup.I like to cook the pasta separately, put some in a bowl and just ladle the soup over it. That way your leftovers won't go all mushy.But to be perfectly honest, you don't need the pasta for this to be an incredible and fulfilling meal.**Bellissima**
Course Appetizer, Dinner, entree, Main Course, Soup, starters
Cuisine Italian
Servings 8
Ingredients
2tbsolive oil
1onionchopped
2clovesgarlicfinely chopped
4-5celery stickschopped
1/2smallbutternut pumpkinpeeled and diced into 1 cm cubes
4smallwashed potatoesunpeeled, dice into 1 cm cubes
200gsliced mushrooms
200ggreen beanscut in 2cm lengths
1capsicumchopped (I used a mixed colour but any colour is fine)
800gcan crushed Italian tomatoesFresh is better but they were a bit pricey when I made this.
400gcan red kidney beansrinsed (feel free to soak your own a couple of days in advance. Need about 1 cup)
2bay leaves
6cupsvegetable stock
2tbspdried basil
1/4cupnutritional yeast
1/4tsphot chilli flakesoptional
1tspdried oregano
1/2tspdried rosemary
1/2tspsmoked paprika
1/2tspwhite pepper
1cuppasta shells(if you plan on keeping some soup to freeze or to eat as leftovers it's best to cook your pasta separate as you need it rather than putting it in the pot, otherwise it will go all mushy)
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
heat oil in a large pot on medium heat, and add the celery, onion, carrot and garlic. Stir through and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer for 60 min, stirring occasionally
By this stage, the potato and pumpkin should begin to dissolve. With a large spatula or spoon press the potato and pumpkin up against the sides of the pot to help mash the lumpy bits. This will naturally thicken the soup. simmer for a further 15 min.
Cook some pasta separately now or add to the soup if you are planning on eating it all in one sitting. Simmer for another 15 min or until pasta is cooked through and serve with some crusty bread. (If you are cooking the pasta separately simply add a good spoonful of cooked pasta to each bowl when serving.
Keyword creamyminestrone, minestrone, minestronesoup, plant based soup, vegan Italian food, vegan minestrone