Italian Vegetable Soup (Minestrone)

Build the soffritto

Heat 45 ml of the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion, celery and carrot and cook, stirring often, for 8–10 minutes. Keep the heat low enough that the vegetables soften without browning — this slow start is what gives the soup its deep flavor.

• 45 ml olive oil
• 1 onion
• 2 stalks celery
• 2 carrots

✅ Done when: the vegetables are soft, translucent and smell sweet, with no browning

Add garlic, tomatoes and broth

Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, Parmesan rind, bay leaf and vegetable broth, then raise the heat and bring to a boil, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot.

• 2 cloves garlic
• 400 g canned tomatoes
• 1 piece Parmesan rind
• 1 bay leaf
• 1.5 litres vegetable broth

✅ Done when: the broth is bubbling steadily

Add potatoes and beans

Lower the heat so the soup simmers gently. Add the potatoes and cannellini beans, season with salt and pepper, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes.

• 300 g potatoes
• 400 g cannellini beans
• to taste salt and black pepper

✅ Done when: the potatoes are starting to soften at the edges

Add remaining vegetables

Stir in the zucchini, green beans and shredded cabbage. Simmer gently, uncovered, for about 15 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

• 200 g zucchini
• 150 g green beans
• 200 g savoy cabbage

✅ Done when: all the vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork

Cook the pasta

Stir in the pasta and cook until al dente, about 9–10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes so it doesn't catch on the bottom. If the soup gets too thick as the pasta swells, loosen it with a splash of hot water or extra broth.

• 100 g small pasta

✅ Done when: the pasta is tender but still has a slight bite

Rest off the heat

Turn off the heat. Fish out the bay leaf, and the Parmesan rind if it hasn't melted away (chop any soft bits and stir them back in). Stir in the basil and taste, adjusting salt and pepper. Let the soup stand for 5 minutes before serving — this short rest is when minestrone really comes together and thickens to the right consistency.

• 1 bay leaf (to remove)
• 1 piece Parmesan rind (to remove)
• a handful fresh basil

✅ Done when: the soup has settled into a thick, spoonable consistency

Serve the soup

Ladle the minestrone into bowls and finish each one with a drizzle of good olive oil and a generous grating of Parmesan.

• 30 ml olive oil
• to serve grated Parmesan