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Italian Green Minestrone di Verdure Recipe

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★★★★★

4.7 from 56 reviews

This Italian Green Minestrone di Verdure is a vibrant, hearty vegetable soup packed with fresh green cabbage, golden potatoes, cannellini beans, and aromatic herbs. Finished with a bright and nutty basil pesto, this comforting minestrone is perfect for a wholesome lunch or dinner, offering a delicious balance of flavors and textures with a nourishing boost from fresh produce and Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

Scale

Soup Ingredients

  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 stick celery, diced
  • 2 cups green cabbage, shredded
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 8 sprigs thyme
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1.5 qt low sodium vegetable stock (plus more as needed)
  • 1.5 cups golden potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1.5 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
  • 15 oz canned borlotti or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns
  • 4 inches Parmesan rind (optional)

Greens and Garnish

  • 1 cup baby arugula or spinach
  • 1 bunch fresh basil leaves only
  • 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, walnuts, or hazelnuts
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lemon, juiced (divided)
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 pinch sea salt, to taste
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions

  1. Heat the soup base: Place a soup pot on medium heat and add a generous lug of olive oil to warm up.
  2. Sauté aromatics: Add the diced onion, celery, and carrot with a pinch of sea salt and saute for about 10 minutes until softened and fragrant.
  3. Add herbs and garlic: Mix in the sliced garlic, rosemary sprig, thyme sprigs, and whole black peppercorns, tossing to coat everything evenly in the oil and aromas.
  4. Cook the cabbage: Stir in shredded green cabbage and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes, until the cabbage wilts down nicely.
  5. Add potatoes and stock: Pour in diced golden potatoes, add the Parmesan rind if using, and pour 1.5 quarts of low sodium vegetable stock. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 10 minutes until potatoes are tender.
  6. Incorporate beans and season: Stir in the drained beans to warm through, then taste and adjust the seasoning with additional sea salt as needed.
  7. Prepare the pesto: While soup simmers, combine fresh basil leaves, extra virgin olive oil, garlic cloves, toasted nuts, and half the lemon juice in a food processor. Puree until smooth and season with sea salt and more lemon juice to taste.
  8. Serve: Ladle the minestrone into warm bowls and spoon generous amounts of the fresh basil pesto on top. Finish each serving with grated Parmesan cheese and a splash of remaining lemon juice if desired.

Notes

  • You can substitute the cannellini or borlotti beans with any white beans available, such as navy beans or great northern beans.
  • Adding the Parmesan rind while simmering enriches the broth with a subtle umami flavor; remove the rind before serving.
  • The pesto can be adjusted to taste by varying the amount of nuts and lemon juice for more tang or creaminess.
  • Use fresh herbs for the best flavor, but dried rosemary and thyme can be substituted if needed—use about 1 tsp dried rosemary and 1 tbsp dried thyme instead.
  • For a vegan version, omit the Parmesan rind and cheese, and use nutritional yeast in the pesto as an alternative flavor enhancer.

Keywords: Italian minestrone, green vegetable soup, cannellini beans soup, basil pesto soup, vegetarian Italian soup

Find it online: https://kitchenwithkai.com/italian-green-minestrone-di-verdure-recipe/