The best Italian minestrone soup recipe belonged to my Grandmother. She made the most savory soups. Simply put, everything she cooked was an Italian masterpiece.
My Italian Grandmother was always in the kitchen cooking something that would fill the house with that distinctive aroma that would shout out “marvelous cook”.
This Italian soup is made with a cranberry bean. Your not likely to find that bean lying around in your neighborhood grocery store. You could probably order them on line. But when I make this soup, I use pinto beans or white beans.
If you don’t have the exact vegetable ingredients called for in the minestrone soup recipe you can substitute almost anything that appeals to you. My Grandmother would make it a little different every time. She would put whatever fresh vegetables she got from my Grandfather’s garden. Oh, the good old days.
My Grandparents lived in New Jersey, but their way of living and cooking was very close to how they lived in Italy. My grandfather always had a bountiful garden. I guess that’s why they call New Jersey “the garden state”. He also had goats and made all kinds of goat cheese and his own junket (a sweet custard made form milk). He pressed his own wine. He was quite a character too.
My grandmother used to call her soup fagioli italiano minestrone. Which translated means “big Italian bean soup”. It is a Big Soup and its quite hearty. I hope you enjoy my Grandmother’s soup as much as I do.
Delicious Italian Minestrone Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 hot Italian sausage links, (about 3/4 to 1 lb)
- 4 ozs salt pork, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
- 1 1/2 tbs olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped coarsley
- 2 celery stalks, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 zucchini sliced thinly, then slices cut in half
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped but not too fine
- 2 15 oz cans of beef broth
- 1 14 oz cans of beef broth
- 1 14 oz can Italian tomatoes with basil and garlic
- 3/4 cup elbow or small shell pasta
- 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced escarole leaves, its a less bitter than endive
- 1/2 cup canned green beans
- 1 15 oz can kidney beans or white beans
- 1 tsp chopped fresh basil leaves or 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- parmesan cheese
Instructions
- 1 15 oz can kidney beans or white beans
1 tsp chopped fresh basil leaves or 1/2 tsp dried basil1/2 tsp dried oregano1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes1 bay leafparmesan cheese
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