winter minestrone
Minestrone is one of my go-to recipes when I feel depleted and in need of some major nourishment. While maybe not the most “authentic”, I treat this dish as a year-round soup, changing the ingredients with the seasons. This recipe is my winter version of minestrone which uses leeks, potatoes, and hardy winter greens. I use dried cannellini beans and chickpeas because I love how fresh and flavorful they taste, but when you’re in a crunch feel free to use canned. You can also feel free to use whatever beans you have on hand here (just make sure to stick to the same amounts). You could use all chickpeas, all cannellini beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, or some combination of any of these.
In this recipe I used rainbow chard because I love the extra pop of color, but feel free to use interchangeably with whatever greens you have access to such as Swiss chard, kale, Bok choy, collard greens, etc. I top this soup with lots of pecorino, black pepper, and parsley, and I HIGHLY recommend you don’t skimp on this part. The pecorino (or whatever substitute you choose) adds a nice umami, salty flavor that elevates all the other veg in the soup and makes it feel extra cozy.
This dish makes about six servings, so it’s great for batch cooking for the week. One thing to note is that when reheating, you may need to add some more broth to thin it out because the pasta tends to absorb a lot of the liquid, thickening the soup.
This minestrone is best served sitting around a fireplace with a blanket, watching the snow fall outside on a cold winter evening. I hope you enjoy!
winter minestrone
ingredients
1-2 tbsp olive oil (plus extra for drizzling on top)
1 onion, finely diced
2-3 carrots, finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and sliced thin (be sure to clean the dirt out too!)
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight (or 1 14 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed)
½ cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight (or 1 14 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed)
4-5 small yellow potatoes, chopped into ½ inch pieces
Salt
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (or use 2 14 oz cans)
3-4 sprigs of thyme
1-2 springs of rosemary
3-4 sprigs parsley, plus ¼ cup chopped for topping
1 fresh bay leaf
6-8 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
½ cup small pasta such as small macaroni, elbows, or if you’re feeling cute use stelline (use gluten free if needed)
1 bunch swiss chard, stemmed, and chopped (or use kale, rainbow chard, whatever hearty greens you have on hand)
Pecorino romano (can also use parmigiano Reggiano or vegan parm if needed), to taste
Black pepper, to taste
instructions
Make a bouquet garni (basically a bundle of herbs) by bundling the sprigs of thyme, rosemary, and parsley together with some kitchen twine. [If you don’t have anything to tie it with, feel free to just add them to the soup at the same time you would add the bouquet garni, just be prepared to fish them out at the end.]
Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrots, celery, and leeks and cook until everything has softened and the onion is translucent.
Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly until the garlic is very fragrant.
Next, add the soaked cannellini beans, chickpeas, yellow potatoes, and 1 tsp of salt. Stir gently to combine.
Then, add the diced tomatoes, the bouquet garni, and 6 cups of vegetable or chicken broth. Stir to combine and turn heat to high.
Bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to a simmer and cover anywhere from 30-45 minutes (this varies depending on how fresh your dried beans are and whether you use canned versus dried) or until the beans are cooked through and the potatoes are fork tender.
Next, add the pasta and cook for another 8-10 minutes or until the pasta is cooked but still al dente.
Once the pasta is cooked, remove the bouquet garni (or loose herbs), add the greens, and stir, cooking until they are wilted and incorporated.
Taste the soup. At this point, I usually add another teaspoon or more of salt. Also check the thickness of the soup to see if it needs to be thinned out with more broth.
Once it tastes exactly like you want it, ladle the soup in to bowls. Top with pecorino (or whichever substitute you choose), fresh ground black pepper, fresh chopped parsley, a drizzle of your favorite olive oil, and serve with some toasted sourdough.
Enjoy!
