An Italian soup chock full of veggies and a savory tomato beef broth which swaps the pasta for barley and lentils
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time50 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr20 minutesmins
Servings: 10
Author: Adapted from Sardinia Minestrone - Blue Zones recipe
Ingredients
extra-virgin olive oil
1medium yellow or white onionchopped (about 1 cup)
1cuppeeled and chopped carrots
1/2cupchopped celery stalks
2teaspoonsminced garlic
128-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2cupmedium yellow potatoespeeled and diced
1 1/2cupgreen beans cut into bite-sized pieces
1 1/2cupschopped fennel bulb
16ozcan Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1cupdry barley/pea/lentil mix (see notes for options)
1/4cupchopped Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4cupchopped fresh basil leaves
1-2tbsptomato paste
5-6cupsbeef broth + water
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepperto taste
finely grated Parmesan cheese
chopped fresh parsley and basil for garnishif desired
Instructions
Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery; cook, stirring often, until soft, about 7-10 minutes. (I covered the pan for a few minutes to help it soften without browning.) Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
Stir in the tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, fennel, beans, barley/pea/lentil mix, parsley, basil, tomato paste, and beef broth. Add enough water to cover everything.
Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, adding more water as necessary if the mixture gets too thick, about 35-40 minutes. I covered the pot for the last 10 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve the soup with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of Parmesan, and chopped fresh herbs, if desired.
Notes
I swapped out the pasta traditionally used in Minestrone and used a dry barley/pea/lentil mix. This mix used precooked ingredients which cooked in the same amount of time as the vegetables. Other options include using barley, lentils, or pasta. For pasta, the original recipe recommends fregula, couscous, or acini di pepe which is added during the final 10 minutes of simmering.