Spring minestrone! A spring version of the classic Italian minestrone with peas, new potatoes, artichoke hearts, asparagus and spring vegetables.
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
Minestrone is one of my favorite soups, and it’s infinitely malleable with the seasons. This version celebrates spring when fresh new vegetables hit the market.
Another good thing about this minestrone is that it only takes about an hour to make from start to finish including prep time. Making a classic minestrone takes at least a few hours. There is something to be said for a quick release.
Keep in mind that the ingredients below are a guide. Minestrone is said to be free form with whatever looks good at the fruit and veg market.
Don’t like artichoke hearts? Skip them. Despise chickpeas? Use a different bean. Just make sure to use lots of different veggies and you’ll be fine.
The other key to this recipe is building the soup like a house. Don’t toss everything at once or some vegetables will be overcooked and some undercooked. For this reason, as you read the following recipe, you will see that I add the ingredients little by little.
Feel free to use canned or frozen veggies in some cases. I use canned chickpeas and will often use frozen peas, which are almost as good as fresh. For a special occasion, however, use only fresh ingredients because you can definitely taste the difference.
Check out our other minestrone recipes
- Classic minestrone soup
- Summer minestrone
- Chicken minestrone with basil pesto
Spring minestrone soup
You can either make fresh pesto for this recipe or just buy good quality pesto at the market.
ingredients
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2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
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6 Middle green onions
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2 green garlic sticks, or 2 big carnations garlic
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1 lb baby potatoesor Yukon golden potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
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1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
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4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian or vegan dishes)
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1/4 teaspoon Salt
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1/2 lb artichoke hearts (fresh or frozen), roughly chopped
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1 (fifteen–ounce) can Chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
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1 Cup Peas (fresh or frozen)
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1/2 lb asparaguscut into 1 inch pieces
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2 cups greens (dandelion, chard, spinach, kale, arugula, etc.), cut into thin strips
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Up to 1/4 Cup Pesto
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Grated parmesan or pecorino cheese for garnish (omit if vegan).
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1 teaspoon black pepper
method
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Prepare spring onions, green garlic, potatoes, artichoke hearts:
Chop the spring onions and green garlic, separating the white and light green parts from the green tips. If you’re using regular garlic cloves, add them to the white parts of the spring onions.
Peel potatoes and cut into 1 cm pieces. Either cut fresh artichokes down to the hearts and chop the hearts (see How to Cut Artichokes) or shred thawed frozen artichoke hearts.
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Sauté white parts of spring onions and garlic, add potatoes:
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil for 1 minute. Add the white parts of the spring onions and the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
Add the potatoes and cook 1 minute more.
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Add tomatoes, broth, salt, then let simmer:
Add the diced tomatoes with their liquid and the liter of vegetable or chicken stock.
Bring to a simmer, season with salt, then cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
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Add artichoke hearts (if using fresh):
and cook for another 5 minutes
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Add chickpeas and green peas:
and cook for another 5 minutes.
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Add the asparagus and artichoke hearts (if using frozen), then the veggies:
Add asparagus and artichoke hearts (if using frozen artichoke hearts). Boil 2 minutes.
Add the greens and the green parts of the scallions and green garlic if using. Stir well to combine and cook 1 minute.
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Add pesto, salt, pepper:
Turn off the stove and stir in the pesto. Add black pepper and more salt to taste (you may need to add 1 to 2 teaspoons salt depending on how salty your broth is).
Serve sprinkled with grated cheese.
Links:
Summer Minestrone – here on Simply Recipes
Classic minestrone – here on Simply Recipes
Spring Green Minestrone – by La Tartine Gourmande
Spring ragout – from 101 cookbooks
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 376 | calories |
| 13g | Fat |
| 54g | carbohydrates |
| 16g | protein |
