Minestrone is one of the oldest Italian dishes still made in Italian cuisine today. Normally it’s served as an appetizer before the main course, but this version here is actually THE main course. This Minestrone with Orecchiette Pasta is a flavorful dish that will fill you up and warm you at the same time. Unfortunately, this is something you have to start thinking about again in September. There is no way to sugarcoat it: winter is coming! ;)
I might have mentioned it here and there – I am actually not a huge fan of soup. If you serve me a mostly clear veggie or chicken broth with some lonely noodles in it I will probably say “no, thanks” – unless I am really sick. In those moments I will eat every soup served. On every other day of the year, I definitely prefer a soup that has a lot of stuff in it. So much stuff it’s actually a stew or something similar. There can be some liquid, but I also want a lot of stuff to bite ;)
This version of the classic minestrone is packed with veggies and pasta. Some might say it’s pasta with a hint of tomato sauce, but it’s really the other way around. Soup with pasta ;) My perfect soup. You could use less pasta if you like, but I think it is really perfect the way it is. But feel free to adapt the recipe, of course :P
To save some time and make this dish even easier, you can use pre-cooked white beans from a can or glass jar from the supermarket. If you skip the soaking and cooking part with the beans, you actually got a nice one-pot dish here. Everything is thrown into one large pot, including the pasta, and then cooked until done. Could not get any easier than that.
If you’re in a hurry or don’t feel like standing in your kitchen for a long time you should make this dish. If you prepare more you can easily save some minestrone for the next day or freeze leftovers. Works well here. Whenever you’re in the mood again, just use your microwave and you have a nice meal ready in a few minutes.
If you’re into soups or stews like this one here, you could also check out my Lentil Stew with Sausages or my Vegan White Bean Stew – both really delicious and not too complicated to prepare:
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(4 servings)
7 oz. (200g) large white beans, dried
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 piece of knob celery, finely diced
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
1 zucchini, diced
1/2 leek, in rings
25 fl. oz. (750ml) vegetable stock
1 can (14 oz./400g) tomato passata
1 can (14 oz./400g) tomatoes in pieces
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. smoked paprika powder
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
1/2 tsp. flaky sea salt
some chili flakes (optional)
250g orecchiette pasta
4 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
(4 Portionen)
200g weiße Bohnen, getrocknet
2-3 EL Olivenöl
1 rote Zwiebel, gehackt
4-5 Knoblauchzehen, fein gehackt
1 Stück Knollensellerie, fein gewürfelt
2 Karotten, in Scheiben
2 Selleriestangen, fein gewürfelt
1 Zucchini, gewürfelt
1/2 Stange Lauch, in Ringen
750ml Gemüsebrühe
1 Dose (400g) passierte Tomaten
1 Dose (400g) gestückelte Tomaten
2 Lorbeerblätter
1 TL Oregano
1 TL Smoked Paprika Pulver
1/2 TL Zitronenpfeffer
1/2 TL Meersalzflocken
ein paar Chiliflocken (optional)
250g Orecchiette Nudeln
4 EL geriebener Parmesan (plus etwas mehr)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Let the dried beans soak overnight according to the instructions on the package.
2. The next day, boil the beans in a pot with water for about 1 hour, then drain. Finely dice and chop the vegetables. Set aside.
3. Heat up the oil in a large pot and sauté the chopped onion and garlic until soft and glossy. Add the diced knob celery, sliced carrots, and diced celery stalks, and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Add the diced zucchini and leeks and cook briefly with the other veggies. Add the cooked beans as well and then deglaze with the vegetable stock. Add the tomato passata and tomatoes to the pot and mix everything well. Add the bay leaves, oregano, paprika, lemon pepper, flaky sea salt, and stir to combine – if you are in the mood add some chili flakes as well. Bring everything to a boil and then add the orecchiette. Reduce the heat and let simmer for about 12 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Add the grated cheese and stir in, remove the bay leaves, and season a bit more if necessary. Serve with some additional grated cheese if you like.
1. Die getrockneten Bohnen über Nacht nach Packungsanleitung einweichen.
2. Am nächsten Tag für etwa 1 Stunde in einem Topf mit genügend Wasser kochen lassen, dann abschütten und abtropfen lassen. Das Gemüse fein würfeln bzw. hacken.
3. Das Olivenöl in einem großen Topf erhitzen und darin dann die gehackte Zwiebel und den Knoblauch glasig andünsten. Die gewürfelte Knollensellerie, Karotten und Selleriestangen dazugeben und für etwa 4-5 Minuten anbraten. Die gewürfelte Zucchini und den Lauch dazugeben und kurz mit anbraten. Die gekochten Bohnen ebenfalls dazugeben und dann mit der Gemüsebrühe ablöschen. Die passierten und gestückelten Tomaten mit in den Topf geben und alles gut verrühren. Lorbeerblätter, Oregano, Paprikapulver, Zitronenpfeffer und Meersalzflocken dazugeben und verrühren – wer mag, kann auch noch ein paar Chiliflocken dazugeben. Alles zum Kochen bringen und dann die Orecchiette dazugeben. Die Hitze reduzieren und alles für etwa 12 Minuten köcheln lassen bzw. bis die Nudeln al dente sind. Den geriebenen Parmesan dazugeben und unterrühren, die Lorbeerblätter entfernen und ggf. noch etwas nachwürzen. Nach belieben mit etwas zusätzlichem Parmesan servieren.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
Minestrone with Orecchiette Pasta
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 01:30
- Total Time: 10:00
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Italy
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Delicious and easy to prepare: Minestrone with Orecchiette Pasta.
Ingredients
7 oz. (200g) large white beans, dried
2–3 tbsp. olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
4–5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 piece of knob celery, finely diced
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
1 zucchini, diced
1/2 leek, in rings
25 fl. oz. (750ml) vegetable stock
1 can (14 oz./400g) tomato passata
1 can (14 oz./400g) tomatoes in pieces
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. smoked paprika powder
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
1/2 tsp. flaky sea salt
some chili flakes (optional)
250g orecchiette pasta
4 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
Instructions
1. Let the dried beans soak overnight according to the instructions on the package.
2. The next day, boil the beans in a pot with water for about 1 hour, then drain. Finely dice and chop the vegetables. Set aside.
3. Heat up the oil in a large pot and sauté the chopped onion and garlic until soft and glossy. Add the diced knob celery, sliced carrots, and diced celery stalks, and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Add the diced zucchini and leeks and cook briefly with the other veggies. Add the cooked beans as well and then deglaze with the vegetable stock. Add the tomato passata and tomatoes to the pot and mix everything well. Add the bay leaves, oregano, paprika, lemon pepper, flaky sea salt, and stir to combine – if you are in the mood add some chili flakes as well. Bring everything to a boil and then add the orecchiette. Reduce the heat and let simmer for about 12 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Add the grated cheese and stir in, remove the bay leaves, and season a bit more if necessary. Serve with some additional grated cheese if you like.
Notes
Enjoy cooking!
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
