Hearty Fall Minestrone Soup (Printable)

Comforting autumn soup with butternut squash, kale, white beans, pasta, and pancetta in savory Italian broth.

# Required Ingredients:

→ Meats

01 - 4 oz pancetta, diced

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 tbsp olive oil
03 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
04 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
05 - 2 celery stalks, diced
06 - 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
07 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
08 - 2 cups kale, stems removed and chopped
09 - 14 oz canned diced tomatoes with juice

→ Beans and Pasta

10 - 14 oz canned white beans, drained and rinsed
11 - 1 cup ditalini pasta

→ Broth and Seasonings

12 - 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
13 - 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
14 - 1 bay leaf
15 - ½ tsp ground black pepper
16 - Salt to taste
17 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
18 - Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

# Directions:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook until crisp, approximately 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, preserving the rendered fat in the pot.
02 - Add diced onion, carrots, and celery to the pot. Sauté until softened, approximately 5 minutes.
03 - Stir in butternut squash and minced garlic. Cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.
04 - Add diced tomatoes with juice, white beans, broth, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer.
05 - Cover and cook for 20 minutes until the butternut squash reaches tender consistency.
06 - Stir in kale and pasta. Simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes until pasta reaches al dente texture and kale is completely wilted.
07 - Remove bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed.
08 - Ladle into serving bowls. Top with reserved pancetta, fresh parsley, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The pancetta fat is your secret weapon here—it makes everything else taste impossibly rich without any actual cream.
  • You can have this on the table in under an hour, which feels impossible until you're actually eating it.
  • It tastes even better the next day, so you're really making dinner twice without trying.
02 -
  • Don't rinse the pancetta fat away—it's the entire reason this soup tastes restaurant-quality and worth making from scratch.
  • If your butternut squash isn't falling apart after 20 minutes, your heat might be too low or your squash pieces might be too large; either way, give it another 5 minutes and don't rush it.
  • Add the pasta at the very end so it doesn't absorb too much liquid and turn mushy; you want it to finish cooking right in the bowl with just enough broth to cradle it.
03 -
  • Taste the broth before you add anything else—if it's not flavorful on its own, the whole soup will suffer, so start with good broth and you're already halfway there.
  • Cut your butternut squash into uniform cubes so they cook at the same rate; uneven pieces mean some will be mush while others are still firm.
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