Chef John's Minestrone Soup Recipe

Recipe by: Chef John

"This is the type of dish I never make the same way twice, but I hope you give this amazing minestrone recipe a try soon, but only once."

Directions

1Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add pancetta; cook and stir until it begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in onions and celery; cook and stir until onions start to turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and cook for another minute.
2Pour chicken broth, water, and plum tomatoes into the pancetta and onion mixture. Bring to a simmer.
3Stir cranberry beans, cabbage, garbanzo beans, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and 2 teaspoons salt into broth mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook until cranberry beans are tender, adding more water as needed if the soup becomes too thick, about 45 minutes.
4Stir in Swiss chard and simmer until softened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
5Stir in pasta and increase heat to medium-high and simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with extra virgin olive oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and Italian parsley.

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