Delia Smith Minestrone Soup Recipe

This slow-simmered minestrone soup recipe is made with smoked pancetta, fresh leeks, green cabbage, and tender macaroni in a rich chicken stock. The long, gentle cooking draws out a deep savoury sweetness you will not get from a quick boil. Ready in about 2 hours, it serves 4–6 generous bowls.

I make this minestrone all through autumn and winter when I want something warming but packed with vegetables. It was one of the first Delia recipes I cooked, and the sweating technique changed how I approach every soup since.

Minestrone Soup Recipe Ingredients

• 50g smoked, streaky bacon or pancetta, derinded and finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, washed and finely chopped
• 175g carrots, washed and finely chopped
• 2 medium ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 225g leeks, washed and finely chopped
• 175g green cabbage, washed and finely shredded
• 75g shortcut macaroni
• 25g butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1.5 litres good chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 level dessertspoon tomato purée
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1½ tablespoons fresh torn basil
• Salt and freshly milled black pepper
• To serve: Lots of grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano)

How to Make Minestrone Soup Recipe

1. Sauté the base: Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan. Add the chopped bacon or pancetta and cook for a minute or two until the fat renders. Add the onion, then the celery, carrots, and tomatoes.
2. Sweat the vegetables: Stir in the crushed garlic with some salt and pepper. Cover the pan and cook very gently for 20 minutes. This lets the vegetables release their sweet flavours without browning. Give it a stir now and then to stop it sticking.
3. Simmer the stock: Pour in the chicken or vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, covered, for about 1 hour.
4. Prepare the leeks: While the soup simmers, trim the tough green ends off the leeks and discard. Split each one halfway down the centre. Fan out the layers under cold running water to rinse away any hidden grit, then chop finely.
5. Add pasta and greens: After the hour, stir in the chopped leeks, shredded cabbage, macaroni, and tomato purée. Cook uncovered for a further 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
6. Finish and serve: Stir in the chopped parsley and torn basil. Serve in warmed soup bowls with a generous grating of Parmesan cheese.

What Makes This Minestrone Soup Recipe So Good?

• Sweating is the secret: Do not rush step 2. Cooking the vegetables gently for 20 minutes before adding liquid builds a deep, sweet base. This is what separates a proper minestrone from a watery one.
• Clean your leeks properly: Leeks trap dirt between their layers as they grow. Splitting them and washing under running water is the only way to avoid gritty soup.
• Choose the right pasta: Shortcut macaroni works best because it cooks quickly and fits neatly on a spoon. Ditalini or small shells are good alternatives if you cannot find it.
• Pancetta or bacon, both work: Pancetta gives a more traditional Italian curing flavour, while smoked streaky bacon adds a lovely smoky depth. Whichever you use, chop it finely so it melts into the base.
• Peeling tomatoes made easy: Score a small cross on the bottom, drop into boiling water for 10 seconds, then straight into iced water. The skins will slip right off.
• Try a slow cooker version: Sauté the pancetta and sweat the base vegetables on the hob first. Transfer to a slow cooker with the stock and cook on low for 6–8 hours. Add the leeks, cabbage, and macaroni in the final 30 minutes.
• Swap pasta for rice: Delia’s original recipe suggests replacing the macaroni with Italian risotto rice for a different texture. Add the same quantity and cook until tender, and note that rice freezes much better than pasta. If you enjoy rice-based soups, try the leek and potato soup.
• Use a food processor for speed: If chopping all these vegetables feels like too much work, pulse the onion, celery, and carrots in a food processor. It saves time without changing the result. The same vegetable base appears in Delia’s carrot and coriander soup, so this trick works across many of her recipes.

What Are Common Mistakes When Making Minestrone?

• Skipping the sweat: Adding stock too early means the vegetables never develop their natural sweetness. The full 20 minutes of gentle covered cooking is not optional.
• Overcooking the pasta: Macaroni added too early turns mushy and breaks apart. Add it only in the final 10 minutes, and if you plan to eat leftovers the next day, cook the pasta separately.
• Using water instead of stock: Minestrone needs a flavourful liquid base. Water produces a thin, bland soup no matter how many vegetables you add.
• Adding all vegetables at once: The root vegetables need the full hour of simmering. The cabbage, leeks, and pasta only need 10 minutes. Adding everything together means some things are mush and others are still raw.
• Being stingy with Parmesan: A generous handful of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano on each bowl adds a salty, savoury richness that finishes the soup properly. Pre-grated Parmesan will not give the same result.

What to Serve with Minestrone Soup

This soup is a full meal on its own, but good bread is essential for mopping up the broth. Crusty ciabatta, warm focaccia, or a thick slice of sourdough all work well. A simple green salad dressed with olive oil and lemon juice balances the richness of the pancetta and Parmesan nicely.

If you want a bigger spread, pair it with another Delia classic like French onion soup as a starter. Extra shavings of Parmesan on the side never go wrong either.

How Should You Store Leftover Minestrone?

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3–4 days. The pasta will absorb liquid as it sits, so expect a thicker soup the next day. Reheat gently on the hob and add a splash of stock or water to loosen it.

You can freeze minestrone, but pasta and cabbage go soft when thawed. For best results, freeze the soup base before adding the pasta and cabbage, then cook those fresh when reheating.

Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 280
• Total Fat: 14g
• Saturated Fat: 6g
• Cholesterol: 25mg
• Sodium: 850mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 28g
• Dietary Fibre: 6g
• Sugar: 6g
• Protein: 12g

Nutrition information is estimated per serving (based on 6 servings).

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this minestrone soup vegetarian? Yes, leave out the bacon or pancetta, use vegetable stock, and add a pinch of smoked paprika to replace the smokiness. Everything else stays the same.

What pasta is best for minestrone soup? Small shapes that fit on a spoon, like shortcut macaroni, ditalini, or small shells. Avoid long pasta like spaghetti, which tangles and makes the soup hard to eat.

Is minestrone soup healthy? It is packed with vegetables, relatively low in fat, and a single bowl comes in at around 280 calories. Using vegetable stock and leaving out the pancetta makes it even lighter.

Can you freeze minestrone soup? Yes, but freeze the base before adding the pasta and cabbage, since both go mushy once thawed. Cook them fresh when you reheat from frozen.

How does Delia Smith’s minestrone compare to Jamie Oliver’s? Delia’s version is slower and simpler, relying on a 20-minute vegetable sweat and just macaroni for the pasta. Jamie’s versions tend to use more vegetables, beans, and a quicker cooking method, which gives a chunkier result.

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• Delia Smith French Onion Soup Recipe
• Delia Smith Celery Soup Recipe
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