What’s For Dinner?

Everyone who is able to stay home from work now is faced with the dilemma of what to make for their next meal. I hope this recipe for Minestrone Milanese provides you with some inspiration!

Minestrone Milanese is one of my favorite vegetable soups! It is the perfect soup to make when you’re trying to use up all your veggies in the fridge. This version has rice instead of pasta, so it is naturally gluten free.

You literally just need one of each veggie to make a big pot of soup! Add in some beans, cooked chicken, or broth to make the soup heartier. Use fresh herbs to garnish each bowl.

Minestrone Milanese Soup

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• Author: Rachel Zierzow
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
• Yield: 3 quarts 1x
• Category: Soup
• Cuisine: Italian

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Ingredients

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• 2 ounces pancetta or bacon, chopped (optional)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped (divided)
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 small Yukon gold potatoes, diced
• 8 cups spring or filtered water, divided
• 2 ½ teaspoons sea salt (divided)
• 2 zucchini, diced
• ¾ cup cooked barlotti or cranberry beans, white beans, or pinto beans*
• ½ cup long grain white rice
• 1 cup green cabbage, diced
• 4 fresh sage leaves, chopped
• 1 ½ cups frozen or fresh green peas
• ¼ cup basil leaves, chiffonade
• ½ cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated (optional)

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Instructions

1. Heat large soup pot over medium heat. Add pancetta or bacon and brown on bothsides. Add olive oil, onions, and pinch of salt for about 5 minutes.
2. Add garlic, half of the parsley, celery, tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes, and sautéa few minutes more.
3. Add 4 cups water and 1½ teaspoons salt and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.
4. Add zucchini, beans, rice, cabbage, sage, and the remaining water. Simmer another 15 minutes, then add green peas.
5. Add more salt to season, if needed. Ladle into soup bowls, drizzle with basil olive oil, and garnish with parsley and parmesan, if desired.

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Ideas for Substitutions

Don’t have all the ingredients listed in the recipe? No problem! Try these substitutions:

• Sub butternut squash for potatoes
• Sub leeks (white and light green parts only) for onion
• Sub green beans for cooked barlotti beans and/or green peas
• Sub kale for cabbage
• Sub short pasta like farfalle, rigatoni, or shells for the rice
• Sub tomato puree for fresh tomatoes

Make Soup Often to Stay Healthy!

Make this soup often to stay healthy! Minestrone Milanese Soup is hydrating, chock full of minerals, loaded with vegetables, and is easy to digest. What more could you want in a meal?