Words Joan Saunders
Photos Kathryn Alvarez Photography
This recipe, which creates one of the most versatile soups you can make, is perfect for a winter meal. It’s healthy, it’s hearty and the recipe produces enough for a few days for both you and also for those guests that may still be mooching about in January. Put them to work chopping up some veggies and you’ll all enjoy the final results of your labours.
If you don’t have the exact ingredients on hand, it’s OK; you can substitute as needed. Minestrone soup is easily adaptable and very customizable. Use up what you have hanging around in the fridge or cupboard. Replace the green beans with diced zucchini or another type of squash. Skip the celery and chop up a bit of fennel. Instead of kidney beans, try navy or cannellini beans. Throw in some leafy greens like finely chopped kale near the end of the process if you’ve still got some hardy leaves hanging on in the garden.
When you make soup with pasta, you have to be careful with the timing, as the noodles will absorb more broth the longer they sit in the pot. You could cook the pasta separately and stir it into the soup closer to the time you want to eat. Or just add more broth or water if you find it gets too thick. One option is to skip the pasta and add extra beans, as that’s a great alternative.
I love to garnish this soup with some freshly grated parmesan, as the saltiness of the cheese augments the flavours in the minestrone. For a little heat, sprinkle on a few red pepper flakes. Fabulous.
And to go along with the soup, some quick and easy beer bread. You could always make focaccia bread instead, or soda bread, but the flavours in this recipe really work with the heartiness of the minestrone. It’s a robust loaf, with a crunchy, buttery exterior. However, if you would prefer a softer crust, melt the butter and pour it into the batter instead of dotting it on top.
Just make sure that you sift the flour for the beer bread before you mix it together with the rest of the ingredients. It’s a subtle step, but an important one, as this ensures that the bread will remain light and not turn into a stodgy blob. Also, don’t overmix or pat the loaf down. Just gently push the batter into the corners of the pan. Less is definitely more with this recipe.
Minestrone is perfect for this time of year, as it can be adapted and easily customized. And in the end you’ll be rewarded with a wonderful wintertime meal that’s quick to make, no matter who has been roped into chopping the veggies, and oh so very delicious.
Veggie Minestrone Soup
3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped small
3 carrots, peeled, chopped
3 sticks celery, sliced thin
1 tsp sea salt
black pepper
3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine or grated
1 – 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 – 14 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (or more, if desired)
1 – 14 oz can green beans, drained
4 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1 ¼ tsp dried oregano
1 ¼ tsp dried thyme
¾ cup small pasta (small elbow pasta, orzo, farfalline, anellini) or barley
for garnish, or as desired: chopped parsley, red pepper flakes, grated parmesan
Heat oil in large pot over medium-low heat. Add chopped onion, carrots, celery, salt and some black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, but don’t start to brown. This will take about 9-10 minutes.
Add minced garlic, tomatoes, beans, green beans, broth, bay leaves, oregano, thyme. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
Stir in pasta and continue to cook, uncovered, for 10-12 more minutes, until pasta is cooked.
Season to taste and add some parmesan, red pepper flakes or parsley as garnishes, if desired.
Easy Beer Loaf
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour (If using self-raising flour, omit baking powder and salt)
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/8 cup sugar
12 oz (1 ½ cups) beer of your choice at room temperature
¼ cup butter, in small chunks
Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix dry ingredients and beer in bowl. Do not overmix.
Put dough in buttered loaf pan. Very lightly, push dough into corners of pan. Do not pat dough down. Dot top of dough with chunks of butter.
Bake for 1 hour. Let rest for 15-20 minutes; remove from pan.
