Description
Hearty minestrone with sausage brings Italian countryside comfort to kitchen tables. Robust vegetables, tender beans, and savory sausage create a soulful soup you’ll savor with each spoonful.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb (450g) Italian sausage (mild or spicy, casings removed)
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 cups fresh spinach or kale, chopped
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 1 can (14.5 oz, 411 g) diced tomatoes
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 can (15 oz, 425 g) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup small pasta (e.g., ditalini or elbow)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (for serving)
- Fresh parsley, chopped (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Sausage Searing: Heat a large pot over medium flame and cook sausage, breaking into crumbly bits until golden and fully rendered. Remove sausage and set aside, preserving the flavorful residue.
- Vegetable Foundation: In the same pot, sauté onions, carrots, and celery until softened and translucent. Add garlic and briefly toast to release its aromatic potential.
- Liquid Integration: Combine zucchini, green beans, and tomatoes with the vegetable base. Pour broth and season with oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Bring to a robust boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes.
- Pasta and Bean Harmony: Introduce pasta and cannellini beans, cooking until pasta reaches perfect al dente texture, approximately 8 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Final Composition: Return sausage to the pot and fold in spinach or kale, allowing greens to wilt and meld with the soup’s rich profile. Adjust seasoning if needed.
- Serving Presentation: Ladle the vibrant minestrone into bowls. Optionally, crown with freshly grated Parmesan and chopped parsley. Serve alongside a crusty bread slice for a complete culinary experience.
Notes
- Manage Meat Temperature: Cook sausage until internal temperature reaches 160°F to ensure complete food safety and prevent potential bacterial risks.
- Optimize Vegetable Texture: Cut vegetables uniformly to guarantee consistent cooking and maintain balanced texture throughout the minestrone soup.
- Control Pasta Doneness: Add pasta toward the end of cooking to prevent overcooking and maintain ideal al dente consistency, preventing mushy texture.
- Customize Dietary Needs: Substitute meat sausage with plant-based alternatives like vegetarian sausage or additional beans for vegetarian/vegan adaptations, keeping soup’s robust flavor profile intact.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 360
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg