Homemade Minestrone

A pot of hearty Minestrone simmers on the stove, filled with vegetables, pasta, and ground meat, then topped with herbs and grated cheese. Slices of rustic bread and cheese rest on a cutting board nearby.

5 from 5 votes

This Homemade Minestrone combines savoury sausage with hearty vegetables like carrots, celery, zucchini, cabbage, and potato, all simmered in rich chicken broth. It’s finished with grated cheese and fresh basil.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: minestrone, minestrone recipe, minestrone soup

Servings: servings

Equipment

1 dutch oven, or large pot

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil
2 cups small pasta of choice ditalini, pastina, elbow, or orzo
4 Italian sausage links chopped into small bite sized pieces
4 garlic cloves minced
2 shallots finely chopped
2 carrots roughly chopped
2 celery stalks roughly chopped
2 zucchini roughly chopped
4½ cups green cabbage roughly chopped
1 large russet potato peeled, roughly chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine chardonnay
2¾ cup crushed tomatoes (680mL)
8 cups chicken broth unsalted: try my homemade version
1 can mixed bean medley rinsed, I use a combination of chickpeas, white cannellini and romano
1½ tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried fennel
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
pecorino romano optional to garnish
fresh basil chopped, optional to garnish

Instructions

Begin by removing the casing from the Italian sausage, then roughly chop it and set it aside.
Next chop your garlic, shallot, carrot, celery, zucchini, cabbage, and potato. Set aside.
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and pour in your olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the Italian sausage and cook it for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until it starts to brown.
Add your shallot, carrots, celery and sauté for an additional 3 minutes, just until the veggies begin to soften.
Next add your garlic and let sauté for 1-2 minutes.
Add your cabbage, potatoes, zucchini, and seasionings and let sauté on medium heat for another minute, just until they begin to soften.
Deglaze with your white wine and let simmer until reduced by half. About 2 minutes.
Add your crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, and a parmesan rind (if you have one on hand) and stir everything together.
Sammy's tip: don't forget to add a quarter cup of water to the tomato jar or can, give it a shake, and pour it into the soup to ensure nothing goes to waste.
Bring to a light boil for about 5 minutes then reduce to simmer, cover and let cook for 30 minutes or until the veggies are soft. Taste to see if you want to add any additional seasonings.
During the last 10 minutes of cook time, add your can of beans.
Once finished, remove from the heat.
Prepare your pasta according to package instructions, drain and return back to the pot you cooked it in.
Add a splash of olive oil to the pasta and mix. This will ensure the pasta doesn't stick together.
Sammy's tip: keep the pasta separate from the soup in case you have leftovers, as freezing the soup with the cooked pasta alters the flavour and texture of the soup.
To a serving bowl, add a large spoonful of cooked pasta and top with a few ladles of your minestrone.
Garnish with tons of freshly grated pecorino romao or parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, fresh basil, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Nutrition