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Sardinians are world-renowned for their longevity and healthy way of life. This Sardinian minestrone soup is bursting with greens, grains, pasta and beans in a tomato-rich broth and is a tried and tested long life elixir. Imagine, with an investment of 40 minutes kitchen time, you could live forever*!
*when consumed as part of a balanced diet and active lifestyle
Minestrone is mild by nature, aromatic with garlic and herbs, and categorised by soft-on-the-tooth short pasta. This chorizo, vegetable and bean soup drops the pasta and brings the spice. It’s belter if you’re after some fire in your belly.
I am being social media targeted by all things anti-aging right now; collagen supplements, LED face masks, retinol eye serums, Brazilian Butt lift creams! And yes, I have succumbed to a couple of the marketing ploys (I won’t tell you which), but I’m still a staunch believer that one of the key routes to youthfulness is through the stomach.
I recently watched a show called ‘Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones’, and this reinforced my belief. The programme focuses on the five ‘Blue Zones’ around the world where their populations tend to live longer than anywhere else.
One Blue Zone is Sardinia, an Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea, where there are 13 centenarians for every 100,000 people (according to a 1999 study) all regularly enjoying minestrone soup.
As well as eight other life-prolonging principles, the ‘plant slant’ principle suggests whole foods such as vegetables, pulses, legumes, nuts and grains should make up the majority of a diet while meat takes a back seat- only two portions per week! The show even goes so far as to suggest that eating a serving of beans every day can increase life expectancy by two years!
Which, on the off chance, makes an excellent case for cooking up a vat of this delicious, nutritious vegetable and bean soup! And it’s far cheaper than an LED face mask, btw.
Easy minestrone soup
I just love this soup. Besides being unparalleled in nutritional value and satisfaction factor, it’s a super convenient way to minimise food waste.
A true minestrone needs a few basic and readily available ingredients (basic and available are the key words here): vegetables, legumes, tomato, pasta and parmesan cheese.
I’ve checked those boxes with a soffritto (the holy sauté trinity of celery, carrot and onion), fennel, potato and Tuscan kale; two types of beans (creamy cannellini, bulky borlotti), short pasta, and parmesan cheese. All of which were already in my stores waiting for their minestrone moment.
However, in a break from tradition, I’ve included two strips of bacon. Minestrone will rarely use meat, perhaps some pig skin in winter. So bacon isn’t too much of a stretch and is still thrifty. A nice fatty rasher will bring an umami quality to the soup. It’s a completely optional addition, so leave it out for a meat-free version.
If you avoid pasta, you can substitute this element with grains. I’d suggest giant Israeli cous cous. It has a nutty flavour, a sturdy texture and pleasing bite that’s not dissimilar to pasta. It’s an additional plant point too if you’re aiming for 30!
Recipe tips and notes
- There is a recipe template to minestrone, but that shouldn’t stop you embracing the cucina povera ethos and using what’s fresh and seasonal or slowly wilting in the fridge. I’ve used cabbage and potatoes as they are in season right now.
- I tend to avoid buying ingredients specifically for this Italian vegetable soup and endeavour to use up in what I already have at home. This is cucina povera in its purest form- minimising waste and maximising flavour. Get creative and go freestyle!
- If it feels safer at first to follow this recipe to a T, go ahead.
- To take the guesswork out of what’s available every season, follow the Spring minestrone recipe for a regenerative bright green veg and white bean-filled soup. Or my Harvest minestrone recipe at the golden end of summer/ start of fall for an autumnal squash and dark bean variation.
- Mostly, this is a vegetarian soup, meat being reserved for special occasions, but I can’t resist a salty bacon rasher or two. I cook mine in the pot first to render the fat and kick start the soffritto base.
- You could use pancetta if you prefer it or top the soup with sliced sausage or chicken.
- Equally, in true cucina povera spirit, leave the bacon out for an authentic and meat-free vegetable and bean soup.
- This recipe calls for variety: root vegetables, leafy vegetables, beans, grains, potatoes, pasta, and meat if you want it. All these elements have varied cook times so add them to the pot mindfully!
- Minestrone soup is a debatable scale of stew and soup. I have mine on the thick side, but if you like it soupy- up the stock.
Serving suggestions
This magnificently hearty Italian soup really needs no accompaniments- Sardinians find it filling enough. However, if dipping a hunk of chunky, rustic bread into a steaming bowl of soup is irresistible to you, I suggest a dense sourdough or spongy focaccia.
Storage and leftovers
This recipe makes up eight servings, so if you’re also a four-person household you will likely have leftovers. Luckily, Sardinian minestrone is ideal for freezing, keeping up to three months in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container.
I tend to portion out the soup into a zip-lock baggy in individual servings in so I can eat like a Sardinian on days when no-one is home for lunch.
Alternatively, leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. Pasta is prone to absorb liquid, so add a splash more stock when reheating to bring it back to its original soupiness.
More soup recipes to try
- Beef Barley Soup Recipe
- Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
- Spicy Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup
- Creamy Chicken Bacon Gnocchi Soup
Sardinian Minestrone
Ingredients
- 2 strips of bacon, (optional), chopped
- 1 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 carrot
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 small onion, or 1/2 large onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 small bulb / 1 cup fennel, chopped
- 500ml / 2 cups This is an affiliate link.canned chopped tomatoes , or crushed tomatoes
- 4-5 basil leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- Salt to taste
- 2 litres / 8 cups This is an affiliate link.chicken stock, or vegetable stock
- 400g / 14 oz This is an affiliate link.cannellini beans, drained
- 400g / 14 oz This is an affiliate link.borlotti beans, /Roman beans, drained
- 2 small potatoes, cubed
- 70g / 1 cup small pasta like Sardinian fregula , or giant Israeli Couscous
- 250g / 2 cup cabbage , or cavolo nero / Tuscan kale
- 1-2 tbsp This is an affiliate link.Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Start by cooking the chopped bacon in a soup pot until the fat renders. If the bacon didn’t release enough fat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and then add the chopped onion, sliced carrot and celery and sauté for 5 minutes over low heat, then add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer
- Pour in the canned chopped tomatoes, chopped fennel, sliced fresh basil or dried basil and oregano with a pinch of salt, mix to combine, then let the vegetables cook in the sauce for 10 minutes with a lid on. We are looking for the tomatoes to cook down and for the flavours to blend.
- Now top the contents of the pot with peeled and cubed potatoes and both types of canned beans.
- Pour in the vegetable or chicken stock and bring to a simmer, then add pasta and sliced cabbage, continue cooking over low heat for 10-12 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Loved this!!
Glad you enjoyed it, Marie.
Hi Julia – are you sure on the stock amount – 2 liters? Seems like an awful lot of liquid not sure it equals eight cups?
Hi Chantal, 2 litres are approximately 8 cups. The recipe makes enough for 8 servings but you can also half the ingredients for a smaller family. If you add less liquid, you will end up with a thick stew.
Hi Julia! I wasn’t keen on the thickness or flavoring after two litres of stock (we are two but eat big portions!) so I blitzed half like in your pasta fagioli soup recipe (which I have perfected and done to death). Came up Lovely, a denser flavor and nicer thickness (for me personally). Next time I’ll add more fennel as I think it can take it and probably caramelise it with the onion, plus make my potatoes smaller as they took ages, and less liquid (maybe 1 or 1.5). Delicious soup though!