Tuscan Minestrone with Orzo Pasta

5 from 32 votes

Tuscan Minestrone with Orzo Pasta

This delicious and nutritious Italian minestrone recipe from Tuscany is filled with healthy seasonal vegetables, beans and pasta. Perfect autumn/fall and cold weather comfort food that's easy to make.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 10

Total Time1 30

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Central Italy, Italian, Mediterranean, Tuscany

Keyword: authentic Italian pasta recipe, Italian recipe, Minestrone, pasta soup, soup, traditional italian dish

Servings:

Calories: 565kcal

Author: Jacqui

Ingredients

7 ounces orzo (risoni) pasta you can use other pasta of your choice
9 ounces borlotti beans (cranberry beans) precooked or canned. Rinse canned beans before using.
7 ounces Savoy cabbage washed and chopped
7 ounces fresh Swiss chard washed and chopped. Lower part of white stems removed.
7 ounces kale (cavolo nero) washed and chopped
5 ounces squash or pumpkin peeled and cut into cubes
2 potatoes peeled and cut into cubes
2 leeks washed and cut into slices
2 tomatoes peeled and chopped or 300 g (10oz) passata
1 onion peeled and sliced
2 carrots washed and cut into small pieces
2 celery stalks washed and cut into small pieces
3-4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. plus more for serving
salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper. to taste
Parmigiano Reggiano grated for serving. Vegetarians/vegans will need to substitute or omit the parmigiano as it contains animal rennet.
2 pints warm water or vegetable stock or water from cooked beans

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

If using dried beans

If using dried beans, soak overnight then rinse and cover in water in a deep pan. Add salt. Bring water to a boil and simmer for about 45 minutes until still a bit firm but not too soft. Drain but save the bean cooking water.

Prepare the veggies

Peel the onion and cut into small pieces. Wash and chop the carrots and celery into pieces. Peel the potatoes and cut into cubes. Clean and slice the leeks. Wash and chop the Savoy cabbage and kale. Remove the bottom part of the white stems of the Swiss chard and wash and chop the leaves. Peel and cube the squash. If using fresh tomatoes blanch them in boiling water then peel and chop.

Cook your Tuscan minestrone

Fry the carrots, onions and celery in extra virgin olive oil until the onions start to brown slightly. (don’t let them burn). Add the tomato paste and tomato passata/or chopped fresh tomatoes. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.
Add all the other veggies and sauté together for a couple of minutes. Add the bean cooking water or stock. If the bean cooking water isn’t enough add more water or some vegetable stock. You need about 1 litre of liquid in total. Cover and cook for about 50 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add more stock or water as required.
Finally add the beans and the pasta. If using orzo (risoni) it doesn’t take very long to cook. Larger pasta types like ditalini will need more time! And maybe more liquid!
Serve with a dash of extra virgin olive oil and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or vegetarian/vegan cheese.

Notes

I didn't use kale as I couldn't find any but it is a traditional ingredient so I have included it in the ingredients.

To make this recipe vegetarian/vegan, omit the cheese or use a vegetarian/vegan cheese.

To make this recipe gluten free, omit the pasta or use a gluten free pasta.

Nutrition