McCormick's Minestrone

Minestrone is Italy’s original throw-it-all-in soup, and this version goes full traditional: a base of great northern beans simmered from scratch, then a parade of chopped vegetables (celery, green pepper, onion, cabbage, zucchini, potato, and spinach) along with tomatoes and elbow macaroni.

The beans do a lot of the heavy work. Soaking overnight and a long, slow simmer gets them creamy and tender before anything else joins the pot. That’s what builds body into the broth.

The aromatic saute (celery, pepper, onion, parsley, garlic in olive oil) is the Italian soffritto. Don’t rush it and don’t brown it. Just coax the flavors out gently before they meet the beans.

Like most bean soups, this one tastes better the next day once everything has had time to mingle.

Kitchen Tips

• Use the quick-soak method on the bean package if you forget to soak overnight. Boil 2 minutes, let stand 1 hour, drain and proceed.
• Add the pasta at the end, not the beginning. Cooking pasta in minestrone for hours turns it to mush.
• Taste and salt only after the beans are fully tender. Salted beans refuse to soften properly.
• Finish each bowl with a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a generous dusting of grated Parmesan.

Variations

• Add a Parmesan rind to the simmering pot for a deeper, nuttier broth.
• Swap spinach for kale or Swiss chard; add earlier since the leaves are tougher.
• Stir in pesto just before serving for the Genovese ‘minestrone alla Genovese’ style.