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AI-generated photograph: Minestrone in a wide shallow white bowl, a clear red broth with small diced carrot, courgette, white beans and little pasta tubes, ribbons of dark green cavolo nero, a green basil leaf and a bright swirl of olive oil

Home · Recipes · Minestrone with cannellini beans and cavolo nero

Italian · Soups and starters

Minestrone with cannellini beans and cavolo nero

soffritto broth · white beans · cavolo nero

AI-generated photograph

A light Italian vegetable soup: onion, carrot and celery softened in olive oil, then simmered with tomatoes, white beans, little pasta and dark cavolo nero, finished with basil and a swirl of good oil.

Contains: celery and cereals containing gluten, as written. This recipe contains celery, from the celery sticks, and gluten, from the wheat pasta. Stock cubes and stock pots can also contain celery, so check the packet.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to serve
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, finely diced
  • 2 celery sticks, finely diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 courgette, diced
  • 1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes
  • 1 litre hot vegetable stock
  • 1 tin (400g) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 60g small soup pasta, such as ditalini
  • 80g cavolo nero (Italian black kale), thick stalks removed, leaves shredded
  • Salt
  • Black pepper
  • To serve: a few fresh basil leaves

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Let's cook

  1. Warm the olive oil in a large pan on a medium low heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt and cook gently for 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and sweet but not brown. Italians call this soffritto and it is the base of the flavour.
  2. Add the garlic and courgette and cook for 2 minutes more.
  3. Tip in the chopped tomatoes and the hot stock. Bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer for 10 minutes.
  4. Add the beans and the pasta and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring now and then so the pasta does not stick to the bottom.
  5. Stir in the cavolo nero and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the pasta is tender and the leaves have wilted.
  6. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Ladle into warm bowls, tear over the basil and finish each with a little swirl of olive oil.

Tips

  • Dice the vegetables small for a starter: every spoonful should hold a little of everything.
  • The pasta keeps soaking up liquid, so add a splash of water when reheating.
  • Keeps 3 days in the fridge. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through.

Swaps

  • Gluten free: use gluten free pasta or a handful of rice, or leave the pasta out.
  • No cavolo nero: use savoy cabbage, kale or spinach (add spinach at the very end).
  • Not vegan: grate a little vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese over each bowl (adds milk).

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Our own recipe. The photograph is AI-generated.

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The Italian meal plan