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Food for Thought Friday: a recipe for comfort food that won’t leave you stuffed
 


It’s that time of year when I want something cozy and comforting but not too heavy, ya know what I mean?!?! Let me tell you about my favorite soup that hits all these marks: MINESTRONE!

I have loved this soup ever since I made it for a former cooking client at her passionate request, and it immediately became a regular in my winter rotation for a variety of reasons:
  1. In addition to being super delicious and satisfying, it’s great for using up whatever’s in your fridge,
  2. It's so cheap and easy to make a big batch and freeze / give away / serve a small crowd, and
  3. It has just 10 ingredients and comes together super fast!
This soup is so simple, you really don’t need a recipe. But I will tell you how I make mine and you can feel free to adapt it!

Minestrone Soup, a la Garlic Press Jess
Takes about 30-40 minutes, makes a big pot of soup

Recipe Keys:
  • General Soup Strategy: Your main task when making a soup is to make sure all ingredients are cooked through and that the flavors have enough time to come together WHILE ALSO not overcooking any ingredients, which in this case will cause them to turn mushy and waterlogged. Since different ingredients cook in different time frames, this will be a balancing act. Notice I add carrots/celery at two different times so that some are softer and some are more firm. I do this because I like slight variety of textures.
  • A bit more on the ingredients:
    • cannellini beans - creamy and tender, I consider these beans key to Minestrone, although you can certainly use other kinds of mild-flavored, neutral beans as you prefer. If you make your own beans from dried, use the bean-cooking-liquid as part of the broth for the soup!
    • tomatoes - one thing I love about this soup is that it has tomatoes in it, but it’s not tomato-based. That said, you could certainly add more tomatoes if you're feeling tomato-ey!
    • pork (optional but AWESOME) - this is a perfect example of a little bit of meat going a LONG way in terms of flavor - I start the soup by browning bacon or pancetta pieces, and this really sets the stage for a rich, flavorful pot. You can also easily skip this step and simply saute celery/onion/carrots in olive oil.
    • veggies galore - you can use up just about any veggies you’d like in this soup. I generally stick to the basics of celery, carrots, onions or leeks, but throw in whatever needs to get used up!
    • broth - great broth makes great soup. Store bought is fine, but if you're not yet making your own *free scrap broth* - check out my IG story highlight for a how-to (still gotta write that one up sometime soon) because homemade broth is the best!
    • extras - you can add a grain or pasta if you’d like, but you don’t need to. When I made it last week, we had some pre-cooked farro in the fridge, so I did add that in at the end just to use it up! You can also cook a grain or pasta right in the soup, just remember that will take slightly longer and it will absorb some of the broth/water so you may need more.
    • Parmesan rind - if you save your parm rinds (which I recommend) - add that to the soup to help build flavor as well. Simply remove it before eating.
  • toppings: I love to pour the hot soup over some escarole (my favorite Italian green) or another hearty green like swiss chard or kale to just-wilt it, and then top with lots of parmesan cheese!

Ingredients:
  • about 1 cup (or more if you prefer) diced bacon, pancetta, or pork belly
  • 1-2 cans cannellini beans (or 1.5 cups dry beans, cooked beforehand + save the liquid!)
  • 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
  • 3-5 stalks celery
  • 3-5 carrots
  • 1 leek and/or 1 yellow onion
  • 2-3 quarts broth - chicken, turkey, veggie, or a mix, and/or water
  • 1 head of escarole and/or other greens (swiss chard or kale) to add at the end
  • parmesan or romano cheese to add on top before serving
  • salt and pepper
  • optional: a parmesan rind for extra flavor
  • optional: any other veggies you want to use up; any pre-cooked grains to throw in at the end

Instructions:
  1. Dice veggies.
  2. Cut bacon/pancetta or pork belly into small pieces.
  3. Heat up a large soup pot on medium high. When hot, add the pork pieces. Sprinkle with salt. Cook on medium, allowing fat to render, and toss them occasionally to brown on most sides.
  4. When pork is medium browned, add the onion/leek and about half the chopped celery and carrots. Sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat and allow veggies to cook in the fat for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure they don’t burn. You can add some olive oil if needed. (If NOT using pork, simply saute the veggies in olive oil.) While veggies are cooking, open all your cans and cartons as needed.
  5. Once veggies have softened a bit, add tomatoes and stir to coat. Then add cannellini beans + the liquid in the cans. Then add broth(s). Now add the remaining veggies. Give it a stir and check your ratio of liquid to veggies. If you need more liquid, feel free to add some water or more broth, depending on your preferences and whatever you have. If you have it, add a parmesan rind.
  6. Bring soup to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for about 10-15 minutes, or as long as you’d like to let the flavors come together. Remove some soup into a small tasting bowl. Let cool, then taste it. Make sure veggies are cooked to your liking, and adjust salt and pepper. (You’ll likely need more salt.)
  7. Chop some escarole or greens into thin ribbons. Put a small handful of greens in each bowl. Ladle hot soup over the greens to just wilt them. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese before serving if desired. (Store extra chopped greens separately and add just before you eat the soup later on.)

I hope you make this, and if you do, let me know what you think! Happy cooking!

Love,
Jess

PS. I wrote up a Thoughtful Gift Guide last year that I'm still pretty proud of. It's probably too late to order online in time for Christmas delivery, but just in case you want to check it out for any last minute gifting ideas!

PPS. I am taking a break from writing new content for the next two weeks, but I'll be sending two quick Friday notes with brief cooking inspiration!

If you like this email, it would mean so much to me if you'd forward it along to your favorite food-loving friends. Wannabe subscribers can sign up here. Thanks for reading!

In case you missed out, here are a few past issues to check out:
Hi, I'm Jess! I help health-conscious, busy people transform their cooking from chore to lifestyle through intuitive cooking, which I teach through online classes, free content, coaching and more. This is my newsletter, Food for Thought Fridays, where I share highly actionable tips and inspiration to help you cook more intuitively (which makes cooking feel easier and SO much more fun!). Once a month, I share a recipe that's really worth making, and I only share those with my email subscribers.

    I currently work + live on land that is the unceded territory of the Ramaytush Ohlone. And I can't wait to eat at Cafe Ohlone when they reopen someday! Check out this article about them.


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