Winter Minestrone Soup

The chilliest months of Winter are upon us and you may be filling bloated with the post-festivity feats. If you’re looking for a hearty winter soup recipe loaded with vegetables, then this winter minestrone soup recipe will be perfect for nourishing you and keeping you warm. With a few simple recipes, you can learn how to cook for winter (such as this minestrone soup from scratch which is a great vegetable soup recipe for detox) with the best produce you have on hand to get dishes that are sure to deliver on flavour every time.

You will need:

2 Tbsps Olive Oil, for frying

2 onions, peeled and chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 celery sticks, trimmed and chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced 

4 bacon slices, roughly chopped

1 bay leaf

8 cups of chicken stock or vegetable stock

1 tsp of rosemary (fresh is preferred but dried works just as well).

1 tsp of smoked paprika 

2 cans of chopped tomatoes (400g or 15 ounces for each can)

1 can of cannellini beans (400g or 15 ounces for each can)

200g or 7 ounces of chopped kale

1/2 cup of small pasta

Steps:

In a heavy pot or dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium heat. Next, add the chopped bacon, reduce the heat to medium-low and gently fry the bacon till nicely browned. 

Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and rosemary. Fry over medium heat for about 8 to 10 minutes to allow the vegetables to brown and soften. You can some salt and pepper to start seasoning the dish. The added salt will also help to draw out the moisture in the vegetables.

Add the chopped kale, the 2 cans of tomatoes, chicken stock (or vegetable stock), 1 bay leaf and allow to simmer gently for 30 minutes.

After the vegetables have become tender, add 1 can of cannellini beans and half a cup of dried small pasta. Once the pasta is cooked through remove the bay leaf and check if the thickness of the soup is to your liking. If the soup is too thick, add more chicken stock (or vegetable stock) to loosen it up to your liking.

Scoop a hearty portion into a bowl and top off with grated parmesan cheese and good quality extra virgin olive oil or truffle oil.