Minestrone Soup with Chickpea Pasta
The soup that has been feeding Italy for centuries and still makes more sense than anything else on a weeknight. Deep, vegetable-forward, and genuinely nourishing. A Parmesan rind in the pot does more work than most ingredients you will add all week.
Servings: Four To SIX
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium zucchini, diced
4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
2 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 Parmesan rind, optional
2 cups kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
6 ounces chickpea pasta, small shape such as elbows or ditalini
Grated Parmesan, optional for serving
PREPARATION
Build soffritto: Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, and a generous pinch of salt. Cook stirring occasionally 8 minutes until vegetables are soft and beginning to color. Add garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
Simmer soup: Add diced tomatoes, white beans, green beans, zucchini, vegetable broth, water, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, and Parmesan rind if using. Season generously with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes until vegetables are tender and flavors have melded.
Cook pasta: While soup simmers bring a separate pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook chickpea pasta according to package directions until just al dente. Drain and toss with a drizzle of olive oil.
Finish soup: Remove bay leaves and Parmesan rind. Add kale and stir until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in fresh parsley. Taste and adjust salt.
Plate: Ladle soup into bowls. Add a portion of cooked chickpea pasta to each bowl. Top with grated Parmesan if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes:
Cook the chickpea pasta separately and add it to each bowl rather than stirring it into the pot. Chickpea pasta absorbs broth quickly and turns mushy if left sitting in the soup.
The soup without pasta keeps in the refrigerator up to 4 days and freezes beautifully up to 3 months.
Save your Parmesan rinds in a sealed bag in the freezer. They are one of the most underused flavor builders in the kitchen.
