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Genoese Vegetable Soup, a Traditional yet Bountiful Meal

Delicious Genoese Vegetable Soup: Cook all the vegetables in boiling water, when tender; add the pasta. Cook it al dente and then top it with pesto and grated Parmigiano cheese. Here are all the details to make it perfect. Are you drooling yet? 
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword genovese soup, italian vegetable soup, minestrone genovese
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup of pasta (macaroni or any small tubular pasta) (100-120g)
  • 2 potatoes, diced uniformly
  • 1 cup of frozen peas (150g)
  • 1 cup of fresh or frozen navy or lima beans (150g)
  • 2/3 cup of dried beans (1/3 cup navy beans and 1/3 cup of lima beans)
  • 1 slice of diced pumpkin or about two cups frozen 
  • 2/3 cup of string beans
  • 2 diced tomatoes
  • 2 diced carrots 
  • 2 peeled and diced zucchini 
  • Some cabbage leaves or spinach, chard, or escarole to your taste
  • 1 stalk of diced celery
  • Parsley to taste
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 medium onion
  • Extra virgin olive oil 
  • 1 spoonful of pesto (without pine nuts)
  • 1 piece of rind from a hunk of Parmigiano cheese and some grated to sprinkle on the soup
  • Coarse salt
  • Freshly ground pepper 
Servings 6 servings

Instructions

  • Clean and dice all the vegetables as I explained above; 
  • Finely chop the onion, garlic, parsley, and celery; 
  • Heat a little extra virgin olive oil in a big stockpot over high heat and brown the chopped vegetables; 
  • Add all the cleaned vegetables to 2 ½ liters of water and bring it to a boil; 
  • Cook it over high heat for a few minutes; 
  • Then reduce the heat to low; cover the pot and simmer; 
  • Stir the soup frequently to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pot; 
  • Add a little water if necessary; 
  • Halfway through cooking, add the Parmigiano rind cut into small pieces, and a handful of coarse salt; 
  • Coarsely mash the potatoes and the beans with a spoon to gradually thicken the soup; you may also use a fork. Mash some but not all of the potatoes and beans against the side of the pot; 
  • When all the veggies are tender and the soup is thick and creamy, add the pasta;
  • If it gets too thick, add some water; 
  • Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the package, remove from the heat, and add the pesto. Stir it with a wooden spoon until evenly combined; 
  • Pour your soup into single serving bowls, drizzle each with a little extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle each bowl with Pecorino or Parmigiano cheese to your taste. Top each with a few fresh basil leaves.