Winter Minestrone
When it’s cold and snowy, there’s nothing better than a big bowl of soup. This veggie-packed winter minestrone with potatoes, spinach, cauliflower, and beans will warm you up!
Minestrone is a tricky thing – is there a singular authentic recipe? I couldn’t answer that question, so I turned to research and learned that minestrone recipes are sort of like snowflakes – no two are alike. However, the common thread is that minestrone is a smart (and delicious!) way to use leftover veggies.
I started playing around with recipes and am happy to share this winter minestrone. I call it “winter” because it’s super hearty with two kinds of beans, potatoes, cauliflower, and other veggies. The broth is extra rich, too, thanks to pancetta.
I followed advice from two different places – Rao’s Cookbook by Frank Pellegrino ( a compilation of recipes from the famed New York City Italian restaurant) and Hunter Gatherer Angler Cook, the James Beard award-winning food blog created by Hank Shaw. From Rao’s, I got the basic proportions. I borrowed Hank’s technique to puree the pancetta, which results in a subtle pork flavor and a thicker, velvetier soup texture that you wouldn’t otherwise get using stock alone.
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Diced pancetta
- Diced onion
- Diced celery
- Diced carrots
- Fresh thyme
- Yukon Gold potatoes
- Cauliflower florets
- Vegetable broth
- Canned plum tomatoes
- Canned cannellini beans
- Canned kidney beans
- Fresh spinach
- Parsley
- Grated pecorino Romano cheese
How to Make It
☑️ Prepare the Pancetta
Cook the pancetta in a pot with olive oil until it renders its fat. Transfer the pancetta to a food processor (leaving the fat in the pot) and blend it until it forms a paste.
☑️ Saute the Vegetables
Cook the onions, celery, carrots, and thyme in the same pot for five minutes or until they soften. Add the blended pancetta to the pot and stir it all together.
☑️ Simmer
Add the potatoes, cauliflower, broth, tomatoes, water, and salt. Bring the soup to a boil and adjust the heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer the soup for 45 minutes.
Add the beans, spinach, and parsley. Stir and simmer the soup for 15 minutes. Taste it and add more salt if needed.
☑️ Garnish
Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over the top. I love to serve this soup with some crusty bread or garlic toast on the side.
More Homemade Soup Recipes
Winter Minestrone
A warm and cozy minestrone soup loaded with delicious veggies, beans, and pancetta. Make a big batch to freeze for easy dinners when it’s cold!
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Soups
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 ounces diced pancetta
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cups diced celery
- 2 cups diced carrots
- 5–6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 Yukon gold potatoes, diced
- 1 cup finely chopped cauliflower florets
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15.5-oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15.5-oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 bunch fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- grated pecorino romano for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the diced pancetta and cook it until most of its fat has rendered. The bottom of the pan should be coated.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta (leaving the fat in the pan) and transfer it to a food processor. Give it a few good pulses until it looks like a paste. Set it aside.
- In the same pot that you cooked the pancetta, add the onions, celery, carrots, and sprigs of thyme. Cook it all together over medium-high heat for about five minutes. Add the pancetta back to the pot, give it all a good stir, and let it cook for another few minutes.
- Next, add the potatoes, cauliflower, vegetable broth, tomatoes, and 2 cups of water. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and stir everything together. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer the soup for about 45 minutes.
- Remove the thyme stems and discard them. Add the beans, chopped spinach, and parsley. Simmer the soup for 15 minutes. Check the soup for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with grated pecorino romano cheese if using.
Notes
Storage: The soup will keep for several days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it for two to three months. I like to portion the soup into individual servings for storage.
The nutrition estimate does not include the cheese.
Recipe adapted from Rao’s Cookbook by Frank Pellegrino
Nutrition
- Calories: 340
- Sugar: 9.6g
- Sodium: 1161.3mg
- Fat: 6.6g
- Saturated Fat: 1.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 51.2g
- Fiber: 13.1g
- Protein: 21.5g
- Cholesterol: 30.2mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
More Cozy Winter Recipes
- Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
- French Onion Chicken Meatballs
- Kielbasa Mustard Pasta
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Roll-Ups
If you’re craving a cozy soup, this homemade minestrone is a delicious one to try. Enjoy!
Happy cooking,
Post and photos updated from the archives. First published in January 2016.
Soup is one of my favorite things ever. I love a hearty minestrone in the colder months….so cozy!
Luckily we’ve still have electricity! It’s a icy wonderland outside our door, but we’re safe and cozy warm 🙂
I’m glad to have the leftovers – it’s freezing here right now! 🙂
Sounds like it’s time to make some minestrone! It had been a long time for me, too — won’t wait so long next time 🙂