Quick Minestrone Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to brown slightly, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste, rosemary and oregano and cook, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste begins to darken in color, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until the paste is smooth and incorporated into the liquid.
• Add the whole can of diced tomatoes (including the liquid), and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir in the pasta, the white beans and reserved liquid and the soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the pasta is al dente, 7 to 8 minutes, stirring in the green beans during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Serve in individual bowls with a little oil drizzled on top.

Steps:

• In a 3-quart microwave-safe dish, place oil, carrots, bell pepper, green beans, and garlic; stir to coat. Cover and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
• Add couscous, broth, tomato paste, navy beans, 1 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt. Cover; microwave on high until vegetables and couscous are tender, 5 minutes. If desired, stir in parsley, and garnish with cheese.

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the chicken, onion and celery in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the broth, water, beans, tomatoes, rice and vermicelli mix, vegetables, pepperoni, basil and oregano. Bring to a boil. , Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until rice is tender, 18-20 minutes. Sprinkle each serving with cheese and, if desired, pepper flakes.

Steps:

• Make the soup base: In a medium-size heavy soup pot, combine the oil and pancetta over medium-low heat to slowly render the fat and cook the pancetta, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the onion or shallots, celery and carrot. Pulse until finely chopped. Add to pot with cooked pancetta and adjust heat so the vegetables soften and cook without browning, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the other vegetables: Stirring after each addition, add the kale or cabbage, celery, carrots, zucchini, beans and tomatoes. Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Add the stock and 1 cup water (or, if you prefer a soup that's not as thick, add additional stock to taste, up to 2 cups). Add the herb sprigs. Cover, raise the heat and bring to a full boil. Uncover, lower the heat to a bubbly simmer, and cook 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Remove the herb sprigs.
• Serve in bowls, drizzling a little olive oil and sprinkling a big pinch of cheese over each serving.

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Cook and stir garlic in hot oil until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add onion; cook and stir until slightly softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in carrots until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Pour chicken broth and diced tomatoes into onion mixture; bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add red wine, reduce heat to low, and stir green beans, pinto beans, spinach, basil, oregano, salt, and black pepper into broth mixture. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook seashell pasta in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and stir pasta into soup. Ladle soup into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese.

Steps:

• Start the soup: Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil, scallions, carrots, garlic and mushrooms and season with salt and the oregano. Cook over medium high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables become tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock and tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes so the tomatoes lose their raw taste.
• Cook the chicken and pasta: Season the chicken breasts with salt on all sides. Lower the heat and add the chicken breasts and elbow macaroni. Simmer until the pasta cooks and the chicken breasts are cooked through and register 160 degrees F on a meat thermometer, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Finish: Turn off the heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken and transfer to a flat surface. Put a fork in each piece of chicken to hold it in place and avoid touching the hot meat with your hands as you cut. Slice the chicken into small pieces and add it back into the soup. Allow the soup to "stand" on the stove for 5 minutes before serving. Taste for seasoning. Stir in the basil and cheese.

Steps:

• Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add kale and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Add frozen vegetables, tomatoes with juice, pasta, broth, water, salt, and pepper and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, transfer half of beans to a wide shallow bowl and coarsely mash with a fork or a potato masher, then stir mashed and whole beans into soup and simmer, stirring occasionally, until soup is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and prociutto, and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until the onion softens and is light golden. Add the potatoes, carrots, zucchini and celery, and cook stirring for 1 minute.
• Stir in the tomatoes and stock, increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the pasta and simmer, uncovered, for a further 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.
• Stir in the beans, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook, uncovered, for 1-2 minutes or until the beans are heated through. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Ladle the soup into serving bowls, sprinkle with the parmesan and serve with the crusty bread.
• VARIATION:.
• Kidney beans and vegetable soup: Replace the prosciutto with 3 bacon rashers. Add 45 grams finely shredded cabbage to the mixture with the tomatoes and stock. Replace the borlotti beans with 1 x 425 grams can red kidney beans. Omit the parmesan and top each bowl of soup with 1 teaspoon prepared pesto.