Minestrone Alla Romagnola

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This Minestrone Alla Romagnola is adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by the late Marcella Hazan. It is rich and flavorful using the best of the season’s ingredients like green beans and tomatoes.

This Minestrone Alla Romagnola takes three hours to cook and develop its flavor. The long cooking process also gives the vegetables a tender, silky texture where they almost melt into the soup and mingle together. Although there is a fair amount of prep and chopping in the beginning there is nothing complicated about making this soup. Once all the ingredients have made it into the pot, the rest of the cooking process is mostly hands-off as the soup simmers gently on the stove.

This is one of those dishes that doesn’t require perfect advance preparation. You can easily prepare and cut each vegetable as the previous one is added to the pot. You can add more or less of any vegetable based on your personal preference or what you have on hand. You can also toss this soup together and let it simmer for just an hour, and it will be good. But if you can let it simmer for two or three hours, the flavor will truly develop. Even better, make it a day ahead of time and reheat it.

Minestrone Alla Romagnola

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

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• Yield: 6 -8 servings 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 lb zucchini
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons Earth Balance butter
• 1 cup onion (thinly sliced)
• 1 cup carrots (peeled and diced)
• 1 cup celery (diced)
• 2 cups potatoes (peeled and diced)
• ½ lb green beans (ends trimmed)
• 3 cups shredded cabbage
• 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• Parmesan rind
• Sea salt
• 28 ounces canned cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)

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Instructions

1. Soak the zucchini in a large bowl of cool water for at least 20 minutes. Drain and dice.
2. Soak the green beans in cool water, drain, trim ends, and dice.
3. In a large stockpot, mix the oil, butter, and sliced onion. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook until onion wilts and becomes pale gold, but not darker.
4. Add the carrots and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the celery and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add the green beans and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add the shredded cabbage and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes.
5. Add the broth, water, parmesan rind, and tomatoes. Salt very lightly. Stir thoroughly. Cover the pot, and lower the heat to simmer.
6. When the soup has cooked 2 ½ hours, add the cannellini beans. Stir and cook another 30 minutes.
7. Just before serving, remove the parmesan rind. Swirl in grated cheese, if desired, and season with salt and pepper.

• Author: Pralines and Greens