Minestra con pasta e fagioli
Pasta e fagioli is a very traditional, Italian stew (pasta and beans), and I want to talk a little bit about the terminology here. I have labelled this post in particular as minestra. Any students of Italian will naturally question this, because the word that most commonly refers to “soup” is zuppa. The history of these terms is fascinating, and really important in terms of how we should view dishes like these.
In Italian, zuppa refers to a soup with broth and chunks of bread, no pasta. Apparently, the term actually comes from a Gothic word meaning “soaked bread.” On the contrary, my new favorite, minestra, is a soup that does usually involve pasta. Nowadays, this soup is typically considered a first course (not fancy enough to be an entree). However, minestra was originally the main (and only) course given to slaves in ancient times, and the term comes from the Latin ministrāre, ‘to supply.’ (Thanks to this Italian Life for the crash course!)
Obviously, I geeked out a bit at that! On a more serious note- I don’t believe we need to look at this simple minestra as just a first course. This soup was originally meant to sustain men and women throughout an entire day. It might be vegetarian, but it’s jam-packed with protein and carbs. I “beef” it up a bit by adding in a fabulous herb mixture, but this soup can truly be anything you want it to be. The base is a vegetable broth with pasta and beans. You decide the rest.
Minestra con pasta e fagioli
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3/4 large onion
- 5 small carrots, with stems
- 2 ribs celery
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 14 ounces cannellini beans, canned
- 14 ounces diced tomatoes, canned
- 4-5 cups vegetable broth
- 1/3 cup frozen peas
- 1 medium zucchini
- 2 bay leaves if you can find fresh bay leaves, I highly recommend them
- 1 cup macaroni
- salt and pepper to taste
- parmesan cheese to top
- fresh dill and Italian parsley to top
Instructions
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Dice the onion and mince the garlic.
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Wash the carrots, including the stems. Chop off the stems, mince them, and place in a bowl for later use. Peel the carrots and dice the carrots.
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Trim and chop the celery.
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Heat the olive oil in a large pot and add in the garlic and onion.
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After a minute or so, when the garlic becomes fragrant, add in the carrots and celery to create a mirepoix. Stir and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
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Rinse the beans and measure out the vegetable broth.
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When the carrots are tender, but still bright orange, add the beans, diced tomatoes, and broth into the pot. Simmer for 20 minutes.
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Wash and finely chop a zucchini and set it aside.
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Wash and mince 1/4 cup of fresh dill and 1/2 cup of Italian parsley. Combine with the minced carrot tops.
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After 20 minutes, add the peas, zucchini, bay leaves, and pasta into the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir and simmer for another 10 minutes.
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Serve topped with cheese and herb mixture.
Recipe Notes
Mise en place is key here. Prep everything prior to cooking.