SUMMER MINESTRONE WITH FRESH BASIL

Summer Minestrone with Fresh Basil image

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 16

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olive oil
medium onion, chopped
medium carrots, peeled and chopped
celery stalk, chopped
Salt
large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped, or 1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, with liquid
medium turnip, peeled and diced
zucchini, diced
A bouquet garni consisting of 1 Parmesan rind, 1 bay leaf, 3 sprigs parsley and 3 sprigs thyme, tied together with kitchen string or tied into a piece of cheesecloth
(15-ounce) can cannellini or borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths
soup pasta, such as elbow macaroni, or broken spaghetti, or 3/4 cup penne
Freshly ground pepper to taste
slivered fresh basil leaves, or 1/2 cup pistou (recipe follows)
Freshly grated Parmesan for garnish

Steps:

Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven and add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes, and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Continue to cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 more minutes. Add the garlic, stir together for about a minute, and stir in the tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes have cooked down and smell fragrant, about 10 minutes. Stir in 2 quarts water, the turnip, zucchini, and the bouquet garni, and bring to a simmer. Add 2 teaspoons salt, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the canned beans. Taste and adjust salt. Remove the bouquet garni.
While the soup is simmering, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the green beans. Boil 5 minutes, until just tender but still bright green. Transfer to a bowl of ice water, allow to cool, and drain. Retain the cooking water in case you want to thin out the soup later.
Add the pasta to the soup and simmer another 10 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked al dente. Stir the cooked green beans into the soup. Grind in some pepper and taste and adjust seasonings. It should be savory and rich-tasting.
Stir in the basil or pistou, or place a spoonful of pistou in each bowl and stir in. Serve in wide soup bowls, with a sprinkling of Parmesan over the top.