Summer Minestrone
Minestrone soup for summertime, with fresh summer tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini and corn.
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time55 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 409kcal
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 medium carrot, chopped
- 1 rib of celery, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 large red or yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks (or 12 small new potatoes cut in halves or quarters)
- 6 cups plus 1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade (you can use water if you want but I think the soup is a little bland that way, better with chicken or vegetable stock)
- 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
- Piece of good Parmesan cheese rind, about a 2-inch piece
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 bunch of Tuscan kale, stems removed and roughly chopped (or Swiss chard or escarole)
- 1 ear corn, kernels cut off
- 1 cup ditalini pasta or other small pasta, like orzo
- 1 cup canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
- Freshly grated Parmesan and olive oil for serving
Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat.
Add the chopped carrots, celery and onion and season with a good pinch of salt. Cook and stir occasionally until they start to soften and brown, about 10 minutes or so.
Add the potatoes, sprinkle on some more salt, and continue cooking and stirring another 5 minutes or so, or until all the vegetables are nicely browned. You should have a good fond on the bottom of your pan, careful it doesn't burn.
Add 6 cups of chicken broth and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. This is good stuff you want. Then add the chopped tomatoes and Parmesan rind, a little more salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the zucchini,kale and corn simmer 5 minutes and then add the pasta and 1 cup chicken stock. Adjust heat to keep a simmer going and cook until the vegetables are tender, another 10 minutes.
Lastly, add the beans and simmer another 3 or 4 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Ladle into bowls and drizzle with a little good olive oil and a sprinkling of grated Parmesan.
Adapted from Mark Bittman in Parade magazine, 2012
Calories: 409kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 457mg | Potassium: 1218mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 6549IU | Vitamin C: 61mg | Calcium: 175mg | Iron: 3mg