TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Minestrone alla GenoveseGenoese Minestrone
In the Ligurian style, plenty of seasonal vegetables and beans are finished with a spoonful of Genoese pesto. Its aroma spreads throughout the soup, creating a deeply savory, authentic minestrone with a richness surprising in a vegetable dish.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
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Ingredients (6 servings)
- Cooked borlotti beans200 g
- PotatoesCut into 2 cm cubes.2
- ZucchiniCut into rounds.2
- CarrotsCut into rounds.2
- Celery2 stalks
- Onion1
- Canned whole tomatoes200 g
- Short pasta or rice80 g
- Extra virgin olive oilFor sautéing the soffritto (3 tbsp)45 ml
- Genoese pestoAdd to finish.60 g
Method
Cut the vegetables
- 1 Finely chop 1 onion.
- 2 Finely chop 2 carrots.
- 3 Finely chop 2 celery stalks.
- 4 Cut 2 potatoes into 2 cm cubes.
- 5 Cut 2 zucchini into rounds.
Ready when
The soffritto vegetables, which form a slowly sautéed aromatic base, are finely chopped, and the potatoes and zucchini are cut to the specified sizes.
Cook the soffritto
- 1 Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- 2 Add the onion, carrots and celery and sauté over low heat for 8 minutes.
Ready when
The vegetables have softened and become translucent.
Caution
Cook carefully over low heat to avoid burning.
Add the remaining vegetables and simmer
- 1 Add the potatoes, zucchini and 200 g whole tomatoes.
- 2 Pour in 1.5 L water and simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes.
Ready when
After 30 minutes, the potatoes are tender.
Add the beans and pasta
- 1 Add 200 g borlotti beans and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- 2 Add 80 g short pasta and cook for the time indicated on the package.
Ready when
The pasta is cooked.
Finish with pesto
- 1 Turn off the heat and stir in 60 g pesto until dissolved.
- 2 Season with salt.
Ready when
The pesto has dissolved and the basil aroma has spread throughout the soup.
Caution
Adding pesto while the soup boils drives off its aroma. Always turn off the heat before adding it.
About this dish
Minestrone al pesto is a summer soup that has been made in Liguria for generations. Zucchini, beans, potatoes, onions and tomatoes: whatever grows in the garden goes into a single pot. This idea of using everything at hand is common to Ligurian cucina povera, the cooking of the poor.
What decisively distinguishes this minestrone from those of other regions is the pesto added at the end. As it dissolves into the piping-hot soup, basil fragrance rises and the whole soup comes together as a complete dish. This extra step is the ritual that transforms minestrone into a Ligurian dish.
Made in every season, the soup uses fresh vegetables in summer and dried beans and root vegetables in winter. Bearing the same name yet taking a completely different form with the seasons, minestrone is also a calendar of Ligurian life.
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