Recipe from Alice Waters
Adapted by Kim Severson
- Total Time
- 2 hours 45 minutes, plus overnight soaking of beans
- Rating
- 4(889)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Alice Waters often recommends that cooks master a good minestrone. It’s communal and seasonal, two pillars on which she has built her cooking career. This summer recipe came from the cookbook that is her top seller: "The Art of Simple Food." It uses the best of the season’s green beans, tomatoes and squash. In the spring, fresh peas, asparagus and spinach would make a good vegetable trio, with some fennel standing in for the carrot in the sofrito. In the fall, cubes of butternut squash, a small can of tomatoes and a bunch of kale would star, with rosemary and a little chopped sage instead of thyme for seasoning. Winter might bring a soup built from turnips, potatoes and cabbage. If the turnips have greens, add them, too. Start with a large pot that has a heavy bottom. Always cook the vegetables through, about 10 minutes. They should look good enough to eat on their own. Add the beans about 10 minutes before serving. A cup or two of cooked pasta can be stirred in at the last minute. Don’t overcook the pasta. The olive oil and cheese garnish should be added once the soup is in the bowls. Ms. Waters likes to pass those at the table, once everyone is served. Pesto makes a lovely garnish, too, and gives a garlicky, herbal punch to the soup. —Kim Severson
Featured in: Alice Waters on Sex, Drugs and Sustainable Agriculture
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Ingredients
Yield:8 servings
- 1cup dried cannellini or other white beans
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1large onion, finely chopped
- 2carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 4garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- 5thyme sprigs
- 1bay leaf
- 2teaspoons kosher salt
- 1small leek, white part only, diced
- ½ pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
- 1medium zucchini, cut into small dice
- 2medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 2cups spinach, coarsely chopped
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
- Pesto, for garnish (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
190 calories; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 394 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Soak the beans overnight in a large pot, covered by several inches of water.
Step
2
The next day, simmer the beans 2 hours or until tender. Drain and set aside, reserving the cooking water.
Step
3
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook for about 10 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaf and salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes longer.
Step
4
Add 3 cups water and bring to a low boil. When boiling, add the leek and green beans. After 5 minutes, add the zucchini and tomatoes. After 15 minutes, add the spinach and beans and cook for 5 more minutes. If the soup is too thick, add water (reserved bean water is good).
Step
5
Remove the bay leaf and bare thyme sticks and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Serve in bowls, each garnished with grated Parmesan cheese or pesto.
Ratings
4
out of 5
889
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Cooking Notes
mary
Even with fresh thyme (and shallot and 1/2 cup of corn kernels added to the ingredients) this simple minestrone seemed bland. Two tablespoons of tomato paste and 2 tablespoons red wine pulled the flavors together.
molly d
this recipe is more of a suggestion than a hard and fast game plan. even the intro discusses changing the recipe for the season, etc. to add some oomph i added about 1 T of tomato paste& a large pinch of red chili flakes. i used canned whole tomatoes w/ juice & went heavy on the veggies.towards the end i also added about 1 T sherry vinegar & 3-5 dashes of worcestershire sauce. miso would’ve worked too)yummy & easy, but definitely needs some tinkering.
Arlene
Adequate seasoning is critical to this recipe (salt and pepper). It needed adjustment in seasoning at the end, and it was delicious. Made it with canned beans and canned diced tomatoes but otherwise as directed. Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil was perfect toppingUsed two cans of drained cannellini beans, saved and used half of its liquid. No green beans but doubled the zucchini and halved The garlic. Also used half chicken stock and half water and a Parmesan rind. At the end punched it up a
Gary
Made exactly as directed with fresh ingredients from local Farmers Market. Exceptional. I used both Parmesan as well as pesto. Needed to thin out eventually as water cooked off. But plan to make this a regular.
Matt
When I want text from the accompanying article (or others' comments), I copy and paste it to my private notes. The note will then print with the recipe. (There's a character limit; you may have to edit.)
Mary
This is a good example where it would be really handy to have the article printed with the recipe. It's a continuing source of annoyance that you can't do this.
Nanoo52
I made this with the Spring sub-ins as suggested (leek, fennel, asparagus, snap peas, spinach) and used chicken stock instead of water, small can diced tomatoes, throwing in the parmigiano rind. Delicious and spring-like, esp with a dollop of mint pesto. Next time, I will blanch the asparagus and snap peas first and dunk in an ice bath - without this step they turned an unappetizing shade of brownish-green. Nonetheless the soup was yummy and will make again with summer veggies come July.
Mike
Is three cups of water enough for eight servings?
Caroline228
We liked it a lot. I used leftover garlic broth instead of water and added tomato paste to taste. Made fresh pesto. A great early fall soup.
Karen L Davis
As someone else noted, in the lead-in it notes it suggests that this recipe is a base to be adjusted for the seasons. For now: “In the spring, fresh peas, asparagus and spinach would make a good vegetable trio, with some fennel standing in for the carrot in the sofrito.“
dani
This was delicious! As others have said, up the spices. In my case: more salt, black pepper, dried Sicilian oregano, chili flakes. Added more tomato than called for and a touch of sherry vinegar at the end. Buonissimo!!
Splash
This is such a simple, boring recipe. I'm sure Alice makes it and it tastes great. However, this recipe is one as a very simple cook makes all the time and I find it boring!!!!
Karen
I used two quarts of organic chicken stock and added some better than bullion (low sodium chicken flavor) to punch up the flavor. I substituted dried thyme, canned cannellini beans (well rinsed) and canned diced tomatoes. I added a little bit of extra zucchini and spinach to compensate for all of the extra liquid. Turned out fantastic. Serve with sourdough bread!
Ann
Substituted 28 oz can of chopped fire roasted tomatoes and added 1 cup of water but otherwise followed recipe exactly and it got raves from my guests. A definite keeper.
Kathleen
Add tomato paste
Chefsaresty
Where is the stock, the most critical ingredient of an excellent minestrone? Without it, soup has no soul. Homemade of course.
meghan
I used significantly more salt, thyme, onion and leek and 1.5 cups of RAO’s marinara sauce. Also added black pepper. It tastes delicious to me now.
A.A.
This was excellent. Followed the recipe nearly exactly except: browned the leeks before adding them, used homemade chicken stock, and followed other suggestions and added 1 T of tomato paste with onions and carrots. This soup was the perfect way to let farmers market veggies and truly exceptional heirloom tomatoes shine. Beware the other warnings about needing to season more - had we listened this would have been oversalted.
ebourgau
I added the juice from the beans as well as 2 cups of water. I also split the first 3 cups between water and chicken broth. I browned up pancetta to use as the oil for the veggies. Adds some complexity to the dish. Removed the chunks of pancetta and used as topping if anyone wanted them :) Made with pistou (pesto without nuts) and it was amazing :)
Anne
To my mind, this recipe doesn’t have enough water to make enough broth. I added 2 more cups of water. To give it a little more flavor, I added a bit of chicken stock and red pepper — and a tiny splash of good, thick balsamic. Turned out great!
Miranda
It's a jumping off point! Mine was delicious
Elisabeth
Delicious with lots of leftover soup. I added tomato paste and red wine, as suggested, but not sure if it was needed. I had only one can of cannellini beans so threw in a half cup of ditalini as substitute only. I don’t like to substitute in a NYT recipe unless I have to, but this recipe is so versatile, it really is about the season and what is on hand.
Harriet Rose
My tweaks for richer flavor were to cook a couple tablespoons of tomato paste with the garlic before adding anything else. I added a few red pepper flakes and a parmesan rind too. I used veg broth instead of water and canned diced tomatoes. I also parboiled the green beans and cooked some small shells both of which I put in at the end.
Summer
Made a variation with butternut squash, and just onions, garlic, tomatoes and carrots - then a sprinkle of saffron and a splash of lemon juice at the end - and it turned out great!
Summer
I made a variation on this with butternut squash, 1 can of pinto beans, and then just spinach, onions, carrots and garlic along with the spices as directed. I used 2 cups of water and about 1 cup of my own veggie broth. I added a splash of lemon juice and saffron at the end. Turned out great!
LeslieJ
Delicious! Sauteed 2 big leeks, added fennel, carrots, celery, dash of thyme and shake of red pepper. Then 1/2 chopped savoy cabbage. 4 c chix broth, 3 c water, 1 Japanese yams and 1 turnip. Cooked 20-30 min w bay leaf and Parm rind. Added 1 can white beans and 1/2 c small pasta. Cooked another 15-20 min. Added sherry vinegar, salt and pepper. Yum!
LeslieJ
Also 1 can drained chopped tomatoes with the broth and a chopped zucchini for some green with the pasta and beans
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