minestrone
Minestrone is a thick, vegetable-based Italian soup that sometimes includes beans and small pasta or rice. The name derives from minestre, the Italian word for soup. Traditionally, it is a rustic dish with seasonal vegetables; there is no single canonical recipe, and regional practices vary widely. Common ingredients include onions, celery, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, beans (such as cannellini), zucchini, spinach or cabbage, and sometimes herbs like thyme or bay leaf. The soup is typically prepared by sautéing the soffritto (onion, celery, carrot) in olive oil, adding harder vegetables first, then softer ones, and simmering with stock or water. Beans are often pre-cooked or canned, and pasta or rice is added toward the end to create a thicker, heartier texture.
Serving and variations: Minestrone is usually finished with olive oil and sometimes grated cheese, and may