Vegan Minestrone

"Big Soup" or  "Minestrone",  prepared without meat or dairy.

Minestrone Soup in a Slow Cooker

We made vegetarian stock, and after straining out most of the stock for future use, we added a few fresh items to make meal-in-itself minestrone soup.  Several batches are shown in this photo set, no two the same.

What distinguishes "Vegetable Soup" from "Minestrone"?  Usually minestrone has a few beans and a few pieces of pasta in it, though not always, and vegetable soup can have those too.  Probably the biggest difference is whether you are having it in an Italian restaurant ... or in the kitchen of your Italian grandmother... or whether it is seasoned with oregano...

Here are some typical vegetables for a good potful of stock and minestrone:

Onion
Celery
Garlic
Carrot
Green pepper
Mushrooms

Tomato paste
Green peas
Parsley with stems

Dice and saute vegetables to bring out the flavor before adding tomato paste, peas, parsley,  and water.  Tomato paste (or puree, which is just tomato paste and water) are needed for richness, and mushrooms and peas are needed for the same reason. These foods are high in "umami", the subtle flavor that tells our senses that the food is satisfying. Fresh tomatoes, if wanted, can be added later.

Soup cooked earlier, with cabbage ready to be added.

Bring the soup to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until the vegetables are done.  Remove any portion of the broth that you want to save for use later as stock. Then add any, or all, of the following:

Cooked dry beans
Green beans
Kale
Cabbage
Brussels Sprouts
Parsley
Fresh tomato
Diced potato
Diced turnip
Diced rutabaga
Diced parsnip
Pasta*
Rice*
Seasonings

*Pasta and rice will continue to swell for as long as they are in water, so if you put them in the soup, eat it immediately.  Starches are better stored separately and then added to the soup just before serving.

Vegan Minestrone

At this point you have a hearty vegan soup.  Serve with crusty rolls or croutons.  If dairy is not an issue, the finishing touch is grated parmesan, to be spooned in at the table.  Or cheese toast, made from sharp cheddar and whole-grain bread, is the perfect accompaniment.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

This recipe is #80 in Baker's Dozen Challenge Countdown