This minestrone soup has been inspired by all the minestrone soups I’ve enjoyed in the North End of Boston, aka Little Italy! It is so nourishing and comforting. I enjoyed it on a cold, snowy day and it made me feel so warm inside. When it came to making this, I had to follow the basis of how to make the soup from a cookbook I bought in the North End, but then made it my own! So let’s get to it.
Yields: 6 bowls of soup
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 2 hours max
This recipe is dairy free.
Ingredients:
1. ½ cup of ditalini pasta
2. ¼ cup of red kidney beans
3. ¼ cup of chickpeas
4. ¼ cup of cannelloni beans
5. ½ finely chopped eggplant
6. ½ finely chopped heirloom tomato
7. 1 finely chopped carrot
8. 1 finely chopped celery stalk
9. ½ finely chopped onion
10. 5 cups of water
11. 1 cup of chicken broth
12. 1 8oz can of tomato sauce
13. Salt, black pepper, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme
14. 1 TSP of minced garlic
15. Parsley to garnish
Replacement suggestion: You can replace the heirloom tomato with another tomato like beefsteak or plum. Onion is not necessary if you have a sensitivity. If you don't have ditalini pasta feel free to use small shells or elbows.
Instructions:
1. First, make sure all first 9 ingredients have been prepared.
2. Have the ditalini pasta strained on the side for later.
3. Now, grab a medium-large sized pot and fill it up with the 5 cups of water and 1 cup of chicken broth. Add all of the ingredients 2-9.
4. Keep it on medium-low heat and once it comes to a boil add the tomato sauce and minced garlic.
5. Cover and let it simmer for about an hour or more.
6. Then, add in the ditalini pasta, 1 TBSP of salt, some black pepper, 1 sprig of rosemary, and 1 sprig of thyme. Cover and let it simmer for another 20 minutes.
7. Taste test for any extra flavor like salt or garlic, and now remove the sprigs of rosemary and thyme.
8. Pour some minestrone into a bowl, garnish with parsley.
