Best Fall Minestrone Rachael Ray Recipes

RACH'S MINESTRONE IS A CLASSIC

Steps:

• Cover the dry beans with water and soak them overnight
• Or, cover them with boiling water and soak for 1 hour then rinse and drain
• (For even quicker cooking, substitute canned beans and just add them to the soup along with tomatoes and stock
• ) Place soaked beans in a 6- to 8-quart pot and cover them with 3 inches of water
• Add bay and halved onion, and bring to full boil
• Salt water liberally and cook beans to tender, about 45 minutes
• Let cool in their liquid, which will be about 2 cups once cooked
• Heat a large Dutch oven or 8-quart soup pot over medium heat, add olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, and pancetta
• Render 3-5 minutes then add chopped onion, carrots, celery and garlic; season with salt and pepper
• Sweat veggies 15 minutes, stirring occasionally then add potatoes and zucchini or other vegetable of choice, and season with salt
• Partially cover and soften 15-20 minutes more
• Wilt in escarole or kale
• In a small saucepan, add porcini mushrooms and stock just to cover, about 2 cups
• Simmer until the porcinis are softened, about 15 minutes
• Add herbs, tomatoes, remaining stock and cheese rind, and simmer a minimum of 1 hour and ideally 2 hours
• Add porcini and stock, leaving any grit behind, along with the beans and their liquid
• Cool 5 minutes and remove herb bundle, bay leaf and rind
• Serve in shallow bowls topped with a fat drizzle of good EVOO and some grated cheese
• Pass crusty bread at the table for mopping

FALL MINESTRONE - RACHAEL RAY

Steps:

• Heat a soup pot over med-high heat; add olive oil.
• Add in the pancetta; brown for 2 minutes.
• Add in the red pepper flakes, garlic, mushrooms, onions, carrots, and celery; cook 5-6 minutes, until mushrooms are lightly browned.
• Season with salt and pepper; add in rosemary stems and sage; add in zucchini and chopped greens; stir them in to the pot until all the greens wilt down, 2-3 minutes.
• Add in the beans, tomatoes, broths, and cheese rind; cover with lid and bring to a boil.
• Uncover and add ditalini pasta; cook for 7-8 minutes at a rolling simmer, uncovered, until the pasta is al dente.
• Remove pot from heat; remove the rind and now bare rosemary stems; adjust salt/pepper to taste.
• Ladle soup into shallow bowls; top with grated cheese; serve with crusty bread.

GREEN MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Heat a soup pot over medium high heat. Add oil and pancetta or prosciutto. Saute 2 minutes and add onions, celery, garlic, zucchini and bay to the pot. Season vegetables with salt and pepper, to your taste. Saute vegetables 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add white beans, garbanzo beans and chicken broth to the pot. Cover soup and bring to a boil. Add pasta and green beans to the soup and cook 8 minutes, or until pasta is just tender. Stir in spinach to wilt, 1 minute. Stir in grated cheese and ladle soup into bowls. Top soup with torn or shredded basil or chopped parsley.

ROASTED RED PEPPER MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Heat the broiler. Arrange the bell peppers on a baking sheet and broil, turning occasionally, until the skins are blackened. Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover and let cool. Peel and seed the peppers. Puree 4 peppers in a food processor with any juices that collected in the bowl. Reserve the remaining 2 peppers for another recipe, such as Make-Ahead Paella Casserole or Roasted Squash Chili Mac.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut off the top third of each garlic head, drizzle with EVOO and wrap in foil. Roast until tender. Reserve 2 heads for another recipe, such as Middle Eastern Garlic Roasted Chicken.
• Heat the EVOO in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Add the rosemary, thyme, oregano, sliced garlic, carrots, celery, bay leaf, chile pepper, onions and potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Partially cover the pot and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze with the wine, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add the kale and cook until wilted. Add the stock, beans and a few gratings of nutmeg and bring to a boil. Stir in the roasted pepper puree.
• Bring the soup to a low boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. (Or cook the pasta separately in salted boiling water.) Meanwhile, squeeze the roasted garlic from 1 head into a bowl and mash with the butter. Slice the bread, then broil or grill until charred.
• Divide the soup among shallow bowls. Top with pecorino and a drizzle of EVOO. Slather the bread with the garlic butter and serve with the soup.
• Cook's Note: The soup (without the pasta) can be refrigerated for a make-ahead meal. Add the pasta before serving. The garlic can be roasted ahead of time and mashed with the butter, then refrigerated.