In typical Italian fashion, different regions of Italy have their own take on this popular soup. Minestrone simply translates to ‘big soup’. Seasonal vegetables are always used with a few variances, again, depending on what region of Italy you might be in.
Rice in Minestrone
My Autumn Minestrone Soup recipe (picture below) is more of the Roman-style using lots of vegetables, beef stock and pasta. This Milanese version uses herbs, cabbage, pancetta, chicken stock and rice that is lighter in color. Italian Arborio or carneroli rice is added towards the end of the cooking and this is what gives the soup it’s thick consistency. Another version of minestrone soup from the coastal Liguria region near Turin, adds pesto.
Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
This Milanese minestrone soup is the perfect candidate to be made in the slow cooker because traditionally, the soup simmers for 1 ½ hours so why not take some help from the slow cooker?
Pork in Minestrone Soup
The soup is started with cooking pork, traditionally Guanciale (gwan-chall-eh) which is pork jowls or cheek. Since this is not always available to most of us, pancetta can also be used.
Parmesan Cheese for Flavor
Remember the secret and Italian ingredient I mentioned earlier? Here it is: the major flavor booster for this recipe is the rind from a Parmesan cheese wedge. Sounds simple, right? There are a couple of reasons for this, so make sure you don’t skip this step.
The rind of the wedge is used in the soup for amazing flavor. It’s the Italian soup secret to amazing flavor. Pre-grated cheese has no taste and who knows what cheese you’re buying.
Freezing Minestrone Soup
Another nice thing is that this soup freezes so well. Just store it in a good, sealable Tupperware type tub in the freezer. When ready to reheat and enjoy again just microwave for a couple of minutes to loosen the soup from the container, then add to a saucepan to thoroughly heat through. If you’ve tried this Milanese Minestrone Soup or any other recipe on the blog, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know it turned out in the comments below. You can leave a question there too. I love to hear from my readers! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see daily recipe updates.
