How to make minestrone soup

1. Start by cooking the aromatics: I include the usual onions, celery and carrots.




2. Sauté them until they’re fragrant and fork tender but not too soft; only a few minutes.




3. Next, add in zucchini (and any other vegetables), along with garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. This is where you can get really flexible with this vegetarian minestrone soup.




4. Cook all those together until they’re fragrant.




5. Now add the tomato paste and the crushed tomatoes,
   
   
   along with vegetable broth. Bring it all to a boil and then let it
   
   
   simmer for 20 minutes. You want to thicken the broth and soften the
   
   
   vegetables.




6. Then it’s time to add the canned beans along with the pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente only.

Once the pasta is cooked, you can taste to adjust for seasoning and


add more broth or water if the mixture is looking thick. I like to enjoy


the vegetarian minestrone soup as a thick hearty soup. Keep in mind that the pasta will continue to absorb more liquid and will get even larger the next day, thereby reducing the broth.

As it is, this soup is actually a vegan minestrone soup because


there’s no dairy used in the recipe. However, I do love topping it off


with some shaved parmesan cheese along with fresh parsley.

Tips for making minestrone soup

1. Swap the zucchini for any seasonal vegetables and greens. The
   
   
   word minestrone literally translates to a thick vegetable soup. So the
   
   
   vegetables are important in vegetarian minestrone soup. And I recommend
   
   
   using what’s in season like green beans, squash, peas or even potatoes.




2. Add a piece of Parmesan rind to the soup. This is
   
   
   one of those amazing flavor enhancers that’s very simple to achieve. Add
   
   
   it while the broth is boiling and be sure to remove the rind right
   
   
   before you serve it.




3. Use short pasta cuts. The best pastas for making
   
   
   this vegetarian minestrone soup are the short ones so that each spoonful
   
   
   of the soup contains pasta, veggies and beans. Look for macaroni,
   
   
   orechiette, mini wheels or ditalini, which is what I like to use.




4. Cook the pasta separately to keep it al dente. The
   
   
   pasta will absorb more liquid as it sits, and especially the next day.
   
   
   So the consistency can get much softer after a while. To avoid that, you
   
   
   can cook the pasta separately and then add it on top of the soup when
   
   
   you serve. I do this if I’m serving to guests for best presentation, but
   
   
   I cook everything together when it’s just for my family.

https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/minestrone-soup/