My No.1 clear-fridge recipe, minestrone. It’s so comforting and allows you to eat loads of vegetables in one shot. Make it in 20 minutes.
Feel Free to Use Any Veggies
The 8 kinds of vegetables I used were onion, potato, carrot, yellow lentils, Brussels sprout, red and yellow bell peppers, parsley – were all leftovers in the fridge. It was also the essence of an Italian minestrone soup.
What to use in a minestrone is totally up to you. For example, if you don’t have lentils, Brussels sprouts or bell pepper, it doesn’t matter! Just see if there are other fruit vegetables or leafy vegetables that can be replaced. Celery and fennel are a good choice because they can enhance the fragrance. It’s a good idea to keep the potatoes, since its starch can thicken the soup.
Those vegetables in very high water content may not be suitable, such as cucumber and lettuce. Their selling point is the crunchy texture. Boil them in soup is like a wrong marriage.
A Small Tips of Making Great Minestrone
Some recipes recommend to add meat, like beef, to boost the umami. But if you want to make a vegetarian version, consider add a piece of Parmesan rind into the minestrone, which I learned from a cookbook called ‘Pasta A-Z’ whose author, Rachel Roddy living in Rome. The cheese impart flavour as well as thicken the soup body.
4 Reasons to Make Minestrone
First of all, the vegetables to use in minestrone is very forgiving, which makes it much easier to prepare. A great start!
Second, vegetable soup is an easy way to get those lovely plants’ nutritions. Although vitamin C is water-soluble, since you’ll drink the soup as well, the nutritions all go into the stomach!
Third, cooking soup requires zero cooking skills. Just chop the vegetables, cook in one pot, and it’s done!
Fourth, there are merely a few kitchen utensils needed since all happens in one pot., means less to wash, a happy ending!
Ingredients
Serves：2
- 40 g macaroni
- ½ onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 (100 g) potato, diced
- ½ carrot, diced
- 8 Brussels sprouts, quartered
- 40 g mung dal (split lentils)
- ⅙ red bell pepper, diced
- ⅙ yellow bell pepper, diced
- 75 g tomato passata
- 1 ½ tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried basil/oregano
- 1 ½ tsp salted vegetable bouillon powder
- 1 L boiling hot water
- small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tsp oil
How to Make 8 Veggies Minestrone in One Pot
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan, sauté the onions and garlic until fragrant. Then add the potatoes and carrots to get a brief stir fry, followed by adding the bell peppers and Brussels sprouts. They don’t need to take on any colour, just let them get some heat first.
- Pour in the lentils and hot water. Add vegetable bouillon powder, tomato paste, tomato passata and dried herbs. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil, them simmer for 10-15 mins, until the lentils are soft enough.
- If you’re using short pasta, check how much time is required to cook. For example in my case, the macaroni takes 11 mins to cook, so I added it right after the soup got boiled.
- Finally, mash some potatoes to make the soup thicker. Have a taste and adjust, garnish with fresh parsley. Serve with a good piece of garlic bread.
More Veggies Loaded Pasta Recipes
- Thyme to eat! Cauliflower and Mushroom Penne
- Triple Green Spaghetti (400g Veg Boost)
- Salmon Spinach Spaghetti in Forest Sauce
- Lemony Brussels Sprouts Creamy Spaghetti
- Lentils Bolognese
