Minestrone with Bacon, Tortellini and Spring Vegetables
I’ve never been a minestrone person.
I remember when Olive Garden first opened – I think I was in high school – and everyone was crazy about the unlimited soup and salad. People just loved that minestrone soup. But not me. I just never thought the flavors were very exciting. The Zuppe Toscana was better – creamy and spicy. The minestrone just couldn’t compare. It was boring.
I’ve changed my mind about minestrone, though, thanks to Food52.
About six weeks ago now, I checked The Food52 Cookbook out of the library, and I just keep on renewing it, because it’s too full of good recipes to return. One of these is the Smoky Minestrone with Tortellini and Parsley or Basil Pesto. The word that got my attention was smoky. Smoky? Tortellini? And there’s pesto? Count me in.
I confess I didn’t make my pesto from scratch, because I had an open jar in the fridge already. This made things easier, which was fine with me. I also modified the vegetables, adding more leeks and some asparagus, and using shallots instead of onion. I had a few Dutch baby potatoes in the fridge, too, so I used those instead of one larger potato. And I had some leftover balsamic vinegar reduction on hand, which I used for the drizzle.
I was absolutely wowed by this soup, people.
Of course, it’s in large part because there’s bacon in it. Nothing made with bacon is ever a disappointment. I have even had bacon and caramel ice cream, and let me tell you – well, there just aren’t adequate words.
So – soup. I made a loaf of my Jim Lahey’s no-knead bread to go with it, and that was perfect. Nothing more is required to make this minestrone a happy, happy meal.
This is how I made it.
Minestrone with Bacon, Tortellini and Spring Vegetables
Adapted from The Food52 Cookbook by Amanda Hesser & Merrill Stubbs
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 slices all-natural bacon (I used uncured bacon), chopped
3 scallions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 leeks, cleaned well and thinly sliced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into thin coins
2 celery stalks, diced
6 stalks of asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into small pieces
1 small zucchini, diced
3 small Dutch baby or Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and diced
4 cups chicken stock
28 ounces canned diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, plus more to taste
15 ounces canned chick peas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1-2 cups finely chopped Tuscan kale, stems removed
9 ounces fresh cheese tortellini
Garnishes:
Prepared pesto (I used Costco’s Kirkland brand)
Balsamic vinegar reduction (see note below)
Freshly shaved Parmesan cheese
Be sure to prep all the vegetables first.
If you are going to make a balsamic reduction, start it now.
Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in the bottom of a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook until it begins to crisp and turn brown.
Add the additional two tablespoons of oil, along with the shallots, garlic, and leeks. Cook until softened, 4-5 minutes or so.
Add the carrots, celery, asparagus, zucchini, and potatoes. Cook another minute or two, stirring gently.
Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, and salt. Taste, and add more salt if needed.
Bring to a low boil, then add the chick peas and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook 20-30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
Add the chopped kale and tortellini. Simmer until the kale is tender and the pasta is fully cooked, about 8 minutes. Taste again for seasoning, adding more salt if needed, a pinch at a time.
Serve topped with the shaved Parmesan, a drizzle of balsamic reduction, and a dollop of pesto.
Serves 8.
*Note about balsamic vinegar reduction: a reduction is very easy to make, and will keep indefinitely in the fridge in an airtight container. Simply boil 1-2 cups balsamic vinegar in a small pan on the stove until it reaches a syrupy consistency, then cool. The flavor will be super intense. Alternatively, you can now get balsamic glazes in the grocery store; these aren’t usually just a reduction but contain other ingredients, and the flavor won’t be quite as intense, but the consistency will be close. Or, you can simply use aged balsamic vinegar itself. I think the reduction is easy to make, and you can do it while you are making the soup.
Enjoy this soup, friends! It’s among the best.
Here’s the handy printable recipe.
Cheers,
