There really is nothing more comforting then a bowl of Minestrone. My nonni used to grow every last bite of their Minestrone, in their organic garden; which perhaps made it all that much more comforting. Like a big hug! 🤗 The smell, when I would enter their home on a warm summer’s day, was always a pot of Minestrone boiling. Nonna would start to set the table for 3, 4 or 10 or however many of us decided to show up that day for lunch.It was like the miracle pot that could feed the 100s. Well, lucky me, I watched and learned and sampled very “often”!! 🙋🏻♀️🥣
In our region of North Eastern Italy, the province of Treviso, you won’t find too many complicated ingredients with Minestrone. The recipe below includes what my nonni grew in their garden. Nonna would often add frozen peas (about a cup) as in my photo above! Variations depended on what was available in the garden on hand!!
Nonna Iside’s Minestrone
Step 1
The base of most Italian dishes is always a soffrito; diced celery, diced carrots and diced onion all sautéed with about 3 tbsp of olive oil in a large stock pot. A soffrito needs to marinate well together before continuing. *Season your soffrito with salt and pepper. You can add dry or fresh Italian herbs at this point. 3 celery diced
3 carrots diced
1 large yellow onion
1-2 cloves of garlic (optional)
Step 2
Next, add in the layers: Zucchini, Potatoes and French or yellow string beans. Continue to sauté until a beautiful aroma appears and the vegetables are starting to cook.
1-2 large zucchini chopped
6 yellow potatoes or red potatoes quartered
3 cups of chopped frozen or fresh string beans
*Season again with salt and pepper. Add additional herbs if desired.
Step 3
Add organic vegetable stock (preferred) or water to cover all the vegetables, up to about 3 inches below the rim.
Step 4
Traditionally, nonna would drop a parmesano rind into the pot at this point, for extra flavour, texture and good measure. I have tweaked the recipe through generations and make my Minestrone vegan by adding 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast in replace of the parmesano. However, nonna would slap my hand for doing this!! 🌱 😝
Allow all the ingredients to come to a boil and then simmer with the lid ajar for approximately 45 min.
Step 5
In the mean time, your dry and pre soaked Romano beans, about 2-3 cups should be boiling in a separate pot on the side for 45 min, until soft. Canned Romano beans will do, but I must say, the fresh Romano beans grown in nonni’s garden will never be replaced by the canned options.
When the beans are cooked through and soft, rinse under cool water and set aside.
Step 6
At 45 minutes, everything should be ready to cook together for a final 15 minutes. Pour the beans into the pot of vegetables and let all the goodness happen. 💫
Some recipes suggest adding pasta to Minestrone. My nonna kept her version very clean. Instead, a rustic toasted baguette slice was place at the bottom of each of our bowls, topped with the Minestrone and then grated Parmesano!! (lots of)
Pure comforting love in a bowl! I hope you keep this recipe, think of my nonna instructing how to make it and allow it to become a part of your family’s table often!
Buon Appetito! Natasha xo 💚 👌🏼 ❤️
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