chef john's minestrone soup

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 ounces chopped pancetta
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 cup diced celery
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water, plus more as needed
• 1 (28 ounce) can plum tomatoes, crushed fine
• 1 cup cranberry beans, shelled
• 2 cups chopped cabbage, or more to taste
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 bunch swiss chard, chopped
• 2/3 cup ditalini pasta
• salt and ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 1/4 cup finely grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh italian flat-leaf parsley

Recipe

Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 25 mins

Ready Time: 1 hr 45 mins


• heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large stock pot over medium-high heat. add pancetta; cook and stir until it begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. stir in onions and celery; cook and stir until onions start to turn translucent, about 3 minutes. stir in minced garlic and cook for another minute.
• pour chicken broth, water, and plum tomatoes into the pancetta and onion mixture. bring to a simmer.
• stir cranberry beans, cabbage, garbanzo beans, red pepper flakes, italian seasoning, and 2 teaspoons salt into broth mixture. bring to a simmer and cook until cranberry beans are tender, adding more water as needed if the soup becomes too thick, about 45 minutes.
• stir in swiss chard and simmer until softened, about 15 minutes. season with salt and black pepper to taste.
• stir in pasta and increase heat to medium-high and simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes. ladle into bowls and top with extra virgin olive oil, parmigiano-reggiano cheese, and italian parsley.