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Winter Minestrone Recipe

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★★★★★

4.6 from 125 reviews

A hearty and nourishing Winter Minestrone soup packed with seasonal vegetables, white beans, and fresh herbs, simmered in rich chicken bone broth and finished with lemon juice and parmesan. Perfect for warming up chilly days.

Ingredients

Scale

Vegetables

  • 1 large vidalia onion (diced to 1/2″)
  • 2 medium carrots (peeled and diced to 1/2″)
  • 2 stalks celery (trimmed and diced to 1/2″)
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 small butternut squash (about 2 lb) (peeled, seeded, and diced to 1/2″)
  • 2 medium leeks (diced)
  • 1 bunch swiss chard (stemmed and chopped to 1″ pieces)

Pantry and Herbs

  • 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1 parmesan cheese rind
  • 2 c cooked white beans (or one 14-oz can)
  • 1/2 bunch parsley (chopped)

Liquids & Oils

  • 6 c chicken bone broth (substitute vegetable broth for vegetarian)
  • 1 lemon (juiced)
  • 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

Dairy

  • 1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
  • Butter (amount not specified, estimated 2 tbsp for sautéing)

Instructions

  1. Sauté the base vegetables: Heat a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the butter and heat until it foams. Add diced onions, carrots, and celery, sautéing occasionally until soft, about 7-8 minutes.
  2. Add garlic: Stir in minced garlic and sauté continuously until fragrant, about 1 minute, being careful not to burn it.
  3. Add main ingredients to pot: Add diced butternut squash, leeks, crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, sprig of fresh thyme, sea salt, cracked black pepper, parmesan cheese rind, and broth to the pot. Stir all ingredients well to combine.
  4. Simmer the soup: Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the squash is tender, about 35-40 minutes.
  5. Prepare greens and herbs: While the soup simmers, stem and chop the swiss chard and chop the parsley.
  6. Add chard and white beans: Stir the swiss chard and cooked white beans into the pot. Continue simmering until the chard is tender, 5-7 minutes.
  7. Season and adjust: Taste the soup and add additional salt and pepper as needed for seasoning.
  8. Finish the soup: Remove the bay leaf and the fresh herb stems. Remove the pot from heat and stir in fresh lemon juice and chopped parsley.
  9. Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle each with about a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

  • Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth to make this recipe vegetarian.
  • Adjust salt and pepper to taste towards the end to achieve desired seasoning.
  • Leftover soup freezes well and can be kept for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
  • Ensure to remove the parmesan rind and herb stems before serving to avoid tough textures.
  • Butter amount for sautéing is estimated at about 2 tablespoons as it wasn’t specified.

Keywords: winter minestrone, minestrone soup, vegetable soup, italian soup, butternut squash soup, healthy soup, hearty soup, vegetarian minestrone

Find it online: https://kitchenbyclara.com/winter-minestrone-recipe/