Autumn Minestrone Soup Recipes

AUTUMN MINESTRONE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in an 8-quart stock pot over medium high heat. Add onion, celery, fennel, potatoes, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and their juices, stock, and cannellini beans; season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in vinegar and Swiss chard; season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta evenly between 6 to 8 bowls. Ladle over soup and garnish with cheese. Serve immediately.

GLUTEN-FREE NORTHERN ITALIAN AUTUMN MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Place cranberry beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let soak, 8 hours to overnight. Drain.
• Shred carrot, yellow onion, celery, and red pepper in a food processor to create a sofrito mixture.
• Heat oil in a 7-quart pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Add sofrito mixture and saute until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add soaked beans, potatoes, diced carrots, zucchini, pumpkin, and diced onion. Cook and stir until warmed through, 3 to 5 minutes more. Add oregano, rosemary, and bay leaf. Stir well to coat vegetables with oil and seasonings.
• Add enough broth to cover vegetables by 1 inch. Close the pressure cooker lid and bring up to pressure, about 10 minutes. Cook an additional 10 minutes from the first whistle.
• Allow pressure to release naturally and remove lid, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust salt if necessary. Add additional broth to allow for cooking the pasta. Bring to a boil and add pasta. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Add more boiling broth if needed during cooking.
• Ladle soup into bowls and top with minced hot pepper and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

AUTUMN MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Warm the oil in a large soup pot on medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the squash, celery, carrots, potatoes, oregano, salt, pepper, and water and cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are almost done. Add the kale and beans and simmer for another 5 to 7 minutes, until the kale is tender and the beans are hot.
• Serve immediately.

VEGGIE-PACKED AUTUMN MINESTRONE

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until no longer pink and just turning brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the celery, carrots and onions and saute until translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the rosemary, tomato paste and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the stock, tomatoes, beans and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 40 minutes.
• Add the sweet potatoes and zucchini and simmer until cooked al dente, about 10 minutes more.
• Place 1/2 cup of baby spinach at the bottom of each serving bowl and ladle on a portion of bubbling hot soup. The heat from the soup will wilt the spinach perfectly. Serve with some freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

FALL MINESTRONE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, zucchini, and onion; saute until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and rosemary; cook, stirring so the garlic doesn't burn, for another 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, potatoes, and chard.
• Bring to a simmer and cook until the chard is wilted, about 5 minutes. Add beef stock and beans, bring to a simmer, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

ALICE WATERS'S SEASONAL MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Soak the beans overnight in a large pot, covered by several inches of water.
• The next day, simmer the beans 2 hours or until tender. Drain and set aside, reserving the cooking water.
• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook for about 10 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaf and salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes longer.
• Add 3 cups water and bring to a low boil. When boiling, add the leek and green beans. After 5 minutes, add the zucchini and tomatoes. After 15 minutes, add the spinach and beans and cook for 5 more minutes. If the soup is too thick, add water (reserved bean water is good).
• Remove the bay leaf and bare thyme sticks and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Serve in bowls, each garnished with grated Parmesan cheese or pesto.