A few zucchini here, a couple chopped tomatoes there, some beans, grab the lonely leek that’s sitting in the fridge, add some chicken stock, a handful of pasta, and in a few minutes, you have summer in a soup. Minestrone is, by its very nature, a throw-together event. An improvisation. You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand. You can use vegetable or chicken stock. The soup can be thin and focused on the broth, or it can be thick and stew-like. On a recent trip to Italy, visiting my sweetheart’s Italian relatives, we were served minestrone twice, both times with apologies (“I’m sorry we don’t have anything special for you, only minestrone”), and both times the broth was exquisite, the vegetables perfectly fresh and tender. To our hosts, the minestrone was everyday home cooking. To us, it was revelatory.
The Perfect Summer Minestrone Soup
This summer minestrone recipe captures the freshness of the soups we had in Italy. It’s probably a bit thicker, we are serving up more veggies for the broth, but the taste is spot on. Consider the recipe a guideline, and feel free to play with the amounts or types of vegetables. Make it your improvisation! (And let us know how it goes in the comments.)
Check Out More Minestrone Recipes
Classic Minestrone Soup Chicken Minestrone with Basil Pesto Spring Minestrone
Storing Leftover Summer Minestrone Soup
Whether you’re refrigerating or freezing this soup, the pasta will expand and become chewy as it continues to soak up liquid. Consider storing it pasta-less and adding cooked pasta to individual servings as needed. Refrigerating: Refrigerate tightly covered for up to 5 days. Freezing: Freeze in a freezer-safe zipper bag or container for up to 3 months. Sauté for 8 to 10 minutes until softened, lowering the heat to medium to prevent browning. Add the minced garlic and cook for a minute more, until fragrant. Heat to a simmer again and lower the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables and the pasta are cooked through. Remove the bay leaf.
