Get ready to warm up and savor the flavors of the fall season! A hearty vegetable soup is a great way to use seasonal veggies and is my favorite comfort food. This is one of the tastiest fall soups. To make it a complete meal, just add crusty bread. This Autumn Minestrone soup recipe is pretty close to traditional minestrone, with typical ingredients like pancetta, cannellini beans (traditional Italian white beans), onion, celery, tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini/courgette, and fresh rosemary. I’ve added a couple of seasonal additions like butternut squash and sweet potatoes. You can even add diced pumpkin.
Minestrone Secret Flavor Ingredient
Many Italian soups and sauces adopt this trick: adding a Parmesan rind. Whenever you use up a wedge of Parmesan cheese, wrap up the rind and throw it in the freezer for future use.
Pasta and Beans
To make this soup filling, add cannellini beans along with small pasta. I like small macaroni or ditalini pasta, but you can use any small variety. For the beans, you can use any white beans you like.
Minestrone Soup Ingredients
Pancetta – This unsmoked, cured pork belly adds a wonderful savory flavor, a little saltiness and sweetness Yellow onion – Adds a natural sweetness that balances the other flavors in the soup as well as a savory depth that can enhance the overall taste. Carrots – Bring a touch of natural sweetness and color. Celery – Mild and slightly herby, celery adds a subtle vegetal (plant) flavor that can add flavor complexity. Garlic – Adds a sweet, slightly garlic flavor that blends nicely with the vegetables. Rosemary – With subtle notes of lemon, pepper and sage, this hearty herb adds a distinctive, powerful, and complex flavor. Zucchini/courgette – Adds bright color, a slightly sweet and hearty vegetable. Butternut squash – Along with adding vibrance, this popular fall vegetable adds sweetness and a little nutty flavor. Sweet potato – Tender and sweet, this creamy potato also adds great texture. Passata – A puree of fresh tomatoes that is crushed. It adds a rich, tomato flavor. Beef broth – Provides a deep, meaty flavor that complements the tomato. Parmesan rind – Slowly melts into the soup and adds a little, nutty, savory and slightly salty umami. Cannelini beans – Traditionally added to soups for their creamy texture. Pasta – Makes the soup filling with a little chew when prepared al dente and can also thicken.
Vegetarian Minestrone Soup
An important flavor component to this soup is pancetta (unsmoked Italian pork belly). Just like when I make my Milanese Minestrone (pictured below) it is cooked with the vegetables. If you want to make this a vegetarian soup, omit the pancetta and swap the beef stock for vegetable stock. For the Parmesan rind, you can use nutritional yeast instead.
Minestrone Soup Variations
Different regions of Italy use different ingredients for their minestrone. Just as I mentioned earlier in Milanese Minestrone from Lombardy, they add rice and no tomato. Tuscan minestrone uses chard, cabbage, and pumpkin, while Liguria adds basil, green beans, and beans.
Minestrone Soup Vegetables
Because of the versatility of this soup, I like to mix up the ingredients according to the season. In the autumn/fall, I like delicata squash, butternut squash, or pumpkin. In spring, you could add peas and asparagus. To make a winter minestrone, add Brussels sprouts, parsnips, or leeks.
Spicy Minestrone
If you’re feeling under the weather, I sometimes add red chili flakes to make the sauce a little spicy if my nose is stuffy. Chicken soup is also perfect when you’re not feeling well.
Slow Cooker Minestrone
You can prepare the soup according to the recipe, add it all to a slow cooker and then let it cook until you’re ready to eat it. This is a great make-ahead idea. If you’ve tried this Autumn Minestrone Soup or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love to hear from my readers!
