White Winter Minestrone Soup

Name: White Winter Minestrone Soup
Prep time: 30

4.1

4.1 out of 5 stars (based on 20 reviews)

30 min prep

6 servings

Carrot Icon for Number of Ingredients Size

15 ingredients

Once you’ve prepped the vegetables, this White Winter Minestrone Soup goes fast yet tastes as though it has been cooked for hours. It tastes even better the next day. I tend to like my soups...

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 carrots, cut into a large, ½ inch dice
1 stick celery, cut into ½ inch slices (optional)
½ teaspoon dried sage
1 sprig thyme or winter savory, chopped
1 bay leaf, broken
⅓ cups hulled pearl barley
½ small head of Savoy cabbage, cored and cubed (about 1 pound)
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Parmesan rind, plus more for grating (optional)
6 to 8 cups of stock or water, or to taste
1 (14 ounce) can of water-cooked Cannellini, Borlotti or Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed or 2 cups home-cooked Cranberry, Northern or Cannellini beans in their broth
Salt and pepper, to taste

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Nutrition Facts

Calories

319 cals

Fat

11 g

Saturated Fat

2 g

Polyunsaturated Fat

2 g

Monounsaturated Fat

7 g

Carbohydrates

42 g

Sugar

10 g

Fiber

9 g

Protein

16 g

Sodium

1158 mg

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or soup pot on medium-high heat. Add garlic. Fry until it turns to a light gold.
Add the onions, carrots, celery, sage, thyme, and bay leaf. Sauté for a minute. Cover and turn the heat to medium-low. Sweat the vegetables for about 10 minutes, until they soften. Stir from time to time. Do not let them stick and burn!
Add the pearl barley and cabbage. Mix well with the other vegetables. Cover again and sweat for another 3-5 minutes or until the cabbage begins to soften. Add the parsley and cook for another minute or so. Add the stock and Parmesan rind and bring the soup to a boil over a high heat. Cover, turn the temperature to low and simmer gently for 25 minutes, or until the barley is nearly cooked.
Add the beans. If home cooked, add their liquid, too. Bring back to a simmer. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Dice the Parmesan rind and return it to the pot. Adjust seasoning and grind a little black pepper on top. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of good olive oil.

Chef Tips

This soup is traditionally made with pancetta. If you’d like to use it, cut out the sage in step 1 and replace it with a thick slice of pancetta cut in a medium dice. The pancetta should end up golden and chewy, and not crisp.
When using canned beans always rinse them before use, even for soups. The liquid they sit in tends to be loaded with sodium, even the low sodium brands. When you do use drained canned beans in this soup, add an extra 2 cups of liquid.
If you are having oral problems such as cankers or post radiation dryness, this delicious soup can be pureed for easier swallowing by whizzing a couple of cupfuls in a blender with a little extra water or stock. Let the soup cool somewhat before eating.

Registered Dietitian Approved

Our recipes, articles, and videos are reviewed by our oncology-trained dietitians to ensure that each is backed with scientific evidence and follows the guidelines set by the Oncology Nutrition for Clinical Practice, 2nd Ed., published by the Oncology Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group, a professional interest group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the American Institute for Cancer Research and the American Cancer Society