Homemade Italian Minestrone Soup with homemade vegetable stock – Gluten-free version

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Fried onion

1. 1
   Ahead of time, cut all the vegetables into small dice.

   KnifeCutting board
2. 2
   Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.

   StoveLarge pot
3. 3
   Add the onion, celery and carrot and fry 7 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   Stove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
4. 4
   Add the garlic and fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   Stove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.

To assemble

1. 5
   Add the oregano and basil and stir for a minute, until fragrant.
2. 6
   Add the tomatoes and cook 5 minutes.

   Stove
3. 7
   Put the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, garlic, bay leaves and thyme in a large pot with the cold water.

   Large pot

   💡Start with cold water: the vegetables release their flavor slowly as the water heats up.
4. 8
   Bring to a boil over high heat and skim off the foam.

   Stove
5. 9
   Turn down to medium-low heat and simmer uncovered 30–45 minutes.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
6. 10
   Strain the stock through a fine sieve.

   Fine sieve
7. 11
   Add the zucchini, beans and stock and bring to a boil.

   Stove
8. 12
   Turn down the heat and simmer 15 minutes.

   Stove
9. 13
   Add the pasta and cook 10–12 more minutes, until the pasta is tender.

   Stove

   💡Hard vegetables (carrots, celery, potatoes) cook from the start; zucchini and pasta go in at the end so they don't fall apart.

   💡Small pasta keeps absorbing liquid even after cooking: if you're not serving right away, cook it separately and add it to each bowl.
10. 14
    Season with salt and black pepper, taste and adjust.
11. 15
    Sprinkle the parsley on top and serve.