Italian
Hearty Minestrone
Beans, small pasta, tomato, and a pile of vegetables simmer into a soup that is lunch on its own. A spoon of Parmesan goes in at the end, not for the whole simmer.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Beans and pasta make it a meal.
- The vegetables are the body of the soup, not a garnish.
- Parmesan at the end adds salt without cooking for half an hour.
- It is better the next day for lunch.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Rough grocery estimate for the full recipe: about $9–$13 at a typical US supermarket. Prices vary by store, region, and season.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
Cook the onion, carrots, and celery in the oil over medium heat until the onion is soft, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and stir 30 seconds.
- 2
Add the tomatoes, broth, beans, salt, and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes.
- 3
Stir in the pasta and cook until it is tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add a splash of water if the soup gets too thick.
- 4
Stir in the kale and cook 2 minutes, until it wilts.
- 5
Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the Parmesan and serve.
Pro tips
- Pasta keeps absorbing broth. If you are saving most of the pot, cook the pasta in a separate saucepan and add it to the bowls.
- Kale stems are tough. Use the leaves.
- Taste the salt after the Parmesan. The cheese is salty.
Easy substitutions
- Kale
- Spinach
- Cannellini beans
- Kidney beans
- Parmesan
- Skip it for a dairy-free bowl
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 4 days. The pasta softens.
Reheating
Warm on the stove over medium-low with a splash of broth. Microwave a bowl 90 seconds, stir, and heat 30 seconds more if needed.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 280
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fiber
- 8 g
Budget friendly · Stovetop, One Pan · Vegetarian
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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