Mary Berry Minestrone Soup​ Recipe

This hearty Mary Berry Minestrone Soup is made with crispy bacon, onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, chopped tomatoes, and small dried pasta. The result is a savory, warming, and thick vegetable soup that serves as a perfect main course. It is an ideal choice for a cozy winter lunch or a light dinner, making enough for a generous family meal.

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Mary Berry Minestrone Soup Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 6 slices smoked streaky bacon (chopped) or pancetta
• 1 large onion (finely chopped)
• 2 large carrots (peeled and diced)
• 2 stalks celery (finely chopped)
• 1 large potato (peeled and diced into small cubes)
• 1 clove garlic (crushed)
• 1 can (14 oz/400g) chopped tomatoes
• 4 cups (1 liter) chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp tomato paste (purée)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 oz (55g) small dried pasta (like small shells or macaroni)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Fresh basil pesto (for serving)

How To Make Mary Berry Minestrone Soup

1. Fry the bacon: Heat the oil in a large, deep pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook for a few minutes until it is starting to turn crisp and golden.
2. Soften the vegetables: Add the chopped onion, carrots, celery, and potato to the pot. Lower the heat slightly and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir often so the vegetables soften but do not brown too much. Add the garlic in the last minute of cooking.
3. Simmer the soup: Pour in the stock, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, and sugar. Stir everything well. Bring the soup to a boil, then cover the pot with a lid. Reduce the heat and let it simmer gently for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
4. Cook the pasta: Add the small dried pasta to the pot. Stir well to prevent sticking. Simmer for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked through (al dente).
5. Season and serve: Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper if needed. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with a spoonful of fresh basil pesto on top.

Recipe Tips

• Cut Vegetables Evenly: Try to dice your carrots and potatoes into similar sizes. This ensures they all cook at the same rate so you don’t have some mushy pieces and some hard pieces.
• Watch the Salt: Bacon and stock can be quite salty. Taste the soup at the very end before adding extra salt to avoid over-seasoning.
• Don’t Overcook the Pasta: Pasta will continue to absorb liquid even after you take it off the heat. Cook it until it is just tender so it doesn’t become mushy.
• Add Greens: For extra nutrition, you can stir in a handful of spinach or chopped kale during the last 2 minutes of cooking.

What To Serve Minestrone Soup

This soup is a complete meal in a bowl, but it pairs beautifully with bread for dipping. Serve it with warm crusty bread, garlic bread, or soft focaccia to soak up the broth. For a lighter pairing, a simple green salad with a vinaigrette dressing helps balance the richness of the bacon and pasta. A grilled cheese sandwich also makes this a very filling dinner.

How To Store Minestrone Soup Leftovers

• Refrigerate: Allow the soup to cool completely. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The pasta will absorb more liquid as it sits, so you may need to add a splash of water or stock when reheating.
• Freeze: You can freeze this soup for up to 3 months. However, pasta can become soft when thawed. For the best results, freeze the soup base without the pasta, and add fresh pasta when you reheat it.

Mary Berry Minestrone Soup Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 bowl

• Calories: 245 kcal
• Total Fat: 10g
• Saturated Fat: 3g
• Cholesterol: 15mg
• Sodium: 650mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 28g
• Dietary Fiber: 4g
• Sugars: 6g
• Protein: 9g

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I make this soup vegetarian? Yes. You can leave out the bacon and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. You might want to add a pinch of smoked paprika to mimic the smoky flavor of the bacon.
• What kind of pasta should I use? You should use small pasta shapes like small shells (conchiglie), macaroni, or ditalini. Large pasta shapes are difficult to eat in a soup and take longer to cook.
• Can I use leftover roasted vegetables? Yes. If you have leftover roasted carrots or potatoes, you can add them at step 3 along with the liquids. Since they are already cooked, you only need to heat them through.

Try More Recipes:

• Mary Berry​ Watercress Soup Recipe
• Mary Berry Pea And Mint Soup​ Recipe
• Mary Berry Cauliflower Soup Recipe