Minestrone from Campania Soup Recipe

I’m starting to wonder how many vegetable soups there can be out there. So many of them appear to be the same thing. It’s only when you look closely at the ingredients that you realize the nuances are what makes each soup unique. For instance, leeks and onions are very different things. Types of potatoes vary widely. And most importantly, when you add pasta to a vegetable soup, the door to a world of wonderful opens right up. I love pasta in vegetable soup because it adds a velvety smooth texture. It also adds bulk and interest, but those two things come after the texture.

The Recipe

This soup is a bit different than the other soups I’ve shared recently. The ingredient list for this soup is fairly involved. Not that anything is exotic or difficult to find, it’s just that there’s a wide variety of necessary vegetables. Also, this soup is considered a “Campania” minestrone because it’s prepared with all fresh vegetables. The Campania comes from the region from which the vegetables can be found nearly all year long. To me, this is exciting. As I’ve stated in previous posts, my favorite type of food is Italian and to imagine buying fresh vegetables from some market over in Italy – well, I can only dream. It sounds like a lot of fun.

This is a very simple soup to put together and the yield is quite surprising. I wasn’t expecting all the soup I made. I thought I’d have to double up on the recipe. When I read things like “1 cup of carrots,” I roll my eyes and throw in three cups. This one offers a lot though. Perhaps you should make a batch first to see how much you get and if you have a pot large enough, go crazy next time.

Regarding the flavor and texture, it’s all good. Think about a traditional vegetable soup (without tomatoes), but with more “freshness,” if that makes any sense. Remember, this soup includes leeks, green beans and fresh peas. All the vegetables combined, simmered and soaked up with broth is a wonderful combination. This soup is no slouch. And I mentioned the smooth texture above. I’d say it’s perfect.

Ingredients

Serves: 6

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 Large Sweet Onion, Sliced
9 Cups Vegetable Broth
2 Cups Green Beans, Cut into 2-Inch Pieces
Half Head of Green Cabbage, Cored and 1/2-Inch Slices
1 Cup Carrots, Diced
1 Cup Celery Root, Diced
3 Cups White Potatoes, Diced
1 Leek, 1/2-Inch Slices
1 Cup Peas
3/4 Cup Ditalini Pasta
2 Tablespoons Parsley, Chopped
1 Tablespoon Fresh Basil, Chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese for Topping

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank Carlo Bernasconi and Christian Teubner for their wonderful resource called The Complete Italian Cookbook. This book is getting better every time I look in it.

Soften the Onions & Garlic

Warm a large pot over medium heat and add the olive oil, onion and garlic to it. Let these vegetables soften for about three minutes. Then, add in the vegetable broth and bring that to a boil over high heat.

Add Beans & Potato

Next, add in the green beans, carrot, celery root and potatoes to the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil again and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer these ingredients for ten minutes.

Add Leek & Cabbage

After that, add in the leek slices and the cabbage and continue to simmer these ingredients for another five minutes.

Add Peas & Pasta

Finally, add in the peas and the pasta and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Add Final Ingredients

Turn off the heat. Then, add in the chopped parsley, basil, salt and pepper and stir everything together well.

Plate & Serve

Divide the soup between bowls and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over everything. Serve and enjoy!

The Final Minestrone Soup

This was a very good soup. I’d even venture to say that it’s a healthy soup, considering all the vegetables that were included and the relatively low salt level. If you decide to give this recipe a try, please let me know your thoughts in the comment section down below. Thanks for reading!