Today we talk about homemade minestrone, made with legumes and vegetables available in this season. It’s very easy, contains no gluten or lactose, is completely vegetarian, and can be customized and enriched with other legumes, grains, and vegetables according to the season and your tastes. It’s perfect for both lunch and dinner, thanks to its lightness; moreover, it is also good the next day.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz cooked beans
- 2 cups pumpkin
- 2 cups Jerusalem artichokes
- 2 carrots
- 1 fresh spring onion
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 fresh turmeric root
- 7 oz cauliflower
- as needed bean cooking liquid (or water)
- as needed fine salt
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
- 2 leaves bay leaves
- as needed ground pepper
Steps
To cook the minestrone, I used the cooking liquid from the beans I boiled. If unavailable, you can make a vegetable broth separately or add simple water.
Wash and remove all the scraps and inedible parts from the vegetables. Dice the pumpkin, Jerusalem artichokes, carrots, fresh spring onion (without discarding the stalk), and the celery stalk.
Cut the cauliflower into florets and finely chop the spring onion stalk.
Place these ingredients in a pot, add the bean broth until covered, and let it cook on low heat until the vegetables are cooked (about 25 minutes) or have reached your desired consistency.
At this point, add the already cooked beans, peeled and chopped turmeric root, salt, and let it simmer on low heat for another 10 minutes or so.
We like our minestrone a bit creamier and drier; if you prefer it brothier, add a little more broth or water, according to your taste.
Serve our homemade minestrone with a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil, freshly ground pepper, optional grated cheese (if desired), and toasted croutons.
Bon appetit
Add some chunks of porcini mushrooms (two or three are enough) to the homemade minestrone to give it an even more irresistible flavor and aroma.
If you have leftover minestrone, enjoy it with rice for a really delicious and hearty soup.
