Ina Garten’s Winter Minestrone Soup

Ina Garten’s Winter Minestrone. I can’t say enough good things about this soup recipe…foolproof, hearty, comforting, but the proof is in the bowl.

 From Barefoot Contessa Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust, Ina Garten’s Winter Minestrone is not only foolproof, it is hearty, comforting, and the perfect soup for a cold winter day!

 I borrowed this cookbook from my sister and devoured it over the weekend. My cookbooks runneth over, but the 150 mouth-watering color photos and the ‘Foolproof’ factor, makes it one I want at my fingertips and hard to resist!

 With the pasta, beans, and spinach, I could eat this soup straight from the pot with some grated Parmesan cheese and crusty garlic bread to dunk!

Pesto is swirled into the pot at the end of the cooking time, and I might have been guilty of adding a teaspoon of pesto to our individual bowls :)

Ingredients

Good olive oil

4 ounces pancetta, ½-inch-diced*

1½ cups chopped yellow onions

2 cups (½-inch) diced carrots (3 carrots)*

2 cups (½-inch) diced celery (3 stalks)

2½ cups (½-inch) diced peeled butternut squash

1½ tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

26 ounces canned or boxed chopped tomatoes, such as Pomi

6 to 8 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade*

1 bay leaf

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed*

2 cups cooked small pasta, such as tubetti*

8 to 10 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves*

½ cup good dry white wine

2 tablespoons store-bought pesto*

Garlic Bruschetta (recipe follows)

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven. Add the pancetta and cook over medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.

Add the onions, carrots, celery, squash, garlic, and thyme and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.

Add the tomatoes, 6 cups of the chicken stock, the bay leaf, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 ½ teaspoons pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Discard the bay leaf. Add the beans and cooked pasta and heat through. The soup should be quite thick but if it’s too thick, add more chicken stock.

To cook the pasta, put 1 cup of pasta into a large pot of boiling salted water. Cook according to the directions on the package, drain, and set aside. You can make this soup ahead and reheat it before serving. It will need to be reseasoned.

 Just before serving, reheat the soup, add the spinach, and toss. Cook just until the leaves are wilted. Stir in the white wine and pesto. Depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock, add another teaspoon or two of salt to taste.

Garlic Bruschetta

1 baguette

Good olive oil

1 garlic clove, cut in half lengthwise

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Slice the baguette at a 45-degree angle in inch-thick slices. Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil and bake for 6 minutes, until lightly toasted. Take the slices out of the oven and rub the surface of each one with the cut clove of garlic.

Notes:

• I used pancetta that was already cubed and closer to 1/4 inch dice, 1/2 inch diced would be better.
• I used cubed butternut squash available in the produce department at most grocery stores which is a real time saver.
• I ended up using 8 cups of chicken stock.
• Next time I make the soup, I’ll use two cans of beans instead of one.
• I couldn’t find tubetti pasta, so I used Pipette.
• I used a 6 oz. package of baby spinach.
• To reseason the soup before serving, I added a healthy teaspoon of pesto to each bowl.

Print Recipe

Winter Minestrone Soup

Ina Garten’s Winter Minestrone. I can’t say enough good things about this soup recipe…foolproof, hearty, comforting, but the proof is in the bowl.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Barefoot Contessa, bruschetta, butternut squash, cannellini beans, cooked pasta, Ina Garten, minestrone soup, pancetta, soup

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• Good olive oil
• 4 ounces pancetta 1/2-inch-diced
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
• 2 cups 1/2-inch-diced carrots (3 carrots)
• 2 cups 1/2-inch-diced celery (3 stalks)
• 2 1/2 cups 1/2-inch-diced peeled butternut squash
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic 4 cloves
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• One 26-ounce can or box diced tomatoes such as Pomi
• 6 to 8 cups chicken stock preferably homemade
• 1 bay leaf
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups cooked small pasta such as tubetti (I used Pipette)
• 6 oz. package of baby spinach
• 1/2 cup good dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons store-bought pesto + more for serving
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Garlic Bruschetta, recipe follows

• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving
• Garlic Bruschetta
• 1 French baguette
• Good olive oil
• 1 clove garlic cut in half lengthwise

Instructions

• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven.
• Add pancetta and cook over medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.
• Add onions, carrots, celery, squash, garlic, and thyme and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.
• Add tomatoes, 6 cups of the chicken stock, the bay leaf, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper to the pot.
• Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
• Discard bay leaf. Add beans and cooked pasta and heat through.
• The soup will be thick but if too thick, add more chicken stock.
• Just before serving, reheat the soup, add the spinach ans stir. Cook just until the leaves are wilted.
• Stir in the white wine and pesto. Depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock, add another teaspoon or two of salt to taste.
• Serve with bruschetta on top, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, drizzle with olive oil and serve hot.

Garlic Bruschetta

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Slice the baguette at a 45 degree angle in 1/2-inch-thick slices.
• Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil and bake for 6 minutes, until lightly toasted.
• Take the slices out of the oven and rub the surface of each one with the cut clove of garlic.

Notes

• I used pancetta that was already cubed and closer to 1/4 inch dice, 1/2 inch diced would be better.
• For a time saver, use cubed butternut squash, available in most grocery stores.
• To reseason soup before serving, add a healthy teaspoon of pesto to each bowl.

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