Classic Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
2 tbsp
olive oil
4 oz
pancetta or bacon, diced small
4
garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp
fresh thyme leaves
3 lg
carrots, diced small
3
stalks celery, diced small
1 lg
onion, chopped
0.5 c
dry white wine
0.5 lb
fresh kale, washed, stemmed, and roughly chopped
8 oz
potato, peeled and diced
30 oz
canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
14.5 oz
canned diced tomato with juice
6 c
chicken broth
1
bay leaf
0
salt
0
pepper
1 c
freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
0
garlic toast, to serve
Classic Minestrone Soup
Classic minestrone gets its rich, robust flavor from savory pancetta (or bacon) and hearty kale. And it doesn’t have to take all day—just use canned beans to save time. Prewashed kale speeds things up even more.
6 as a main course
- Heat a heavy, large pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and pancetta or bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to brown, about 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and thyme and stir for 1 more minute. Add the carrots, celery, and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the celery is tender, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the white wine, and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Raise the heat to high, and stir in the kale, potato, beans, tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaf, and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until the potatoes and kale are tender, about 25 minutes.
- Season again with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaf, and ladle into bowls. Top each bowl with a generous sprinkle of cheese, and serve with garlic toast if you like.
Recipe by Tara Tuckwiller