Early autumn minestrone (Minestrone d'inizio autunno)

Name: Early autumn minestrone (Minestrone d'inizio autunno)
Cook time: 1 h 5 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 200g cannellini or borlotti beans, fresh, or dried and soaked overnight; 1 bay leaf; 1 tomato, squashed; 1 small potato, peeled; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; olive oil; 4 rashers smoked pancetta or bacon, preferably free-range or organic; 2 small red onions, peeled and finely chopped; 2 carrots, peeled and chopped; 2 sticks of celery, trimmed and chopped; ½ a head of fennel, chopped; 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped; a small bunch of fresh basil, leaves and stalks separated; 2 x 400g tins of good-quality plum tomatoes; a glass of red wine; 2 small courgettes, quartered and sliced; 200g chard or spinach, washed and roughly sliced (including stalks); 565ml chicken, ham or vegetable stock, preferably organic; 55g dried pasta; a block of Parmesan cheese, to serve

Instructions

Cook:1h 5min

This minestrone soup recipe with smoky bacon, beans and seasonal veggies is comforting and filling and great for an autumnal or winter day to warm up.

Updated at: Fri, 12 Dec 2025 00:11:23 GMT