Minestrone Soup

 Originally posted by Modern-Day Ma on January 24, 2019

I have been making a version of this soup as long as I can remember. It has been a staple in our winter dinner rotation since long before I had hungry children to feed, and yet, somehow, I have never written it down until today, preferring, instead, to use my tattered copy of The Moosewood Cookbook with it’s stained pages and handwritten adjustments.

Each time I make this, I cannot help but think back through years of winters. There have been long winters with snow, slush, and sledding. Winters full of wrangling babies in and out of snowsuits until I was drenched in sweat. Warm winters full of bike tires and sand, desert trails stretching out through the holidays and into January and February, with cool air and seemingly-endless avenues for exploration.

There have been toddlers and young children running to show me a snowflake, a snowman, a new trick, or the perfectly-preserved leaf. Teenagers, running (and riding) away with friends, and then returning with ravenous appetites. This soup is there each year, to warm and nourish, gathering people and memories around the table in the dim of a winter’s evening.

*A few notes about the recipe before you begin. This is not a fussy formula. Adapt it to the needs and preferences of your people. Hate cabbage? Leave it out and substitute bell peppers or more zucchini. Not a celery person? No matter, it will be delicious with a few more carrots tossed in. If you use water instead of broth, be prepared to add an additional 2-4 teaspoons of salt. Finally, this makes a large batch, which is why I like to keep the pasta separate so that the leftovers aren’t full of soggy noodles. If you’d rather cook the pasta in the soup and save yourself a pot, please do. You’ll need 3-4 additional cups of water and some additional salt to do so. Add both pasta and the extra water along with the stock and simmer just until the pasta is done. Taste the soup for seasoning before serving.

Minestrone Soup

8 oz dry pasta
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 large carrots, diced (about ¾ cup)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
2 tsp salt (more to taste)
Freshly ground pepper
6 cups water or chicken stock
3-4 cups chopped cabbage
1 small zucchini shredded or diced
16 oz can tomato sauce
15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed (or half chickpeas and half red kidney beans)
1 medium tomato diced, optional for serving
½ cup minced fresh parsley, optional for serving
Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook until barely al-dente and drain. Do NOT overcook. You want the pasta to still have some chew left to it..
Heat a large pot or dutch oven for several minutes over medium heat. Add olive oil, then onion, and saute several minutes, stirring frequently until the onions begin to turn golden. Add garlic and stir another 30 seconds. Add celery and carrots and saute another 3 minutes, stirring often. Add oregano, basil, salt, and pepper and stir 20 seconds to toast.
Add water or stock, cabbage, zucchini and tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Lower heat and allow soup to barely simmer 15-20 minutes.
Taste for salt and adjust, if necessary. Turn off the heat.
Stir in fresh parsley and diced tomato, if using.
To serve, add a small scoop of cooked pasta to each bowl and ladle soup over. Sprinkle with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.
To store leftovers, keep soup and pasta separate to avoid pasta going soft.

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