Zuppa di Verdure all’Ortolana
Chunky Winter Vegetable and Cannellini Bean Soup

About This Recipe

Are you looking for a delicious vegetables recipe with a difference? If you are, you’ve found it! Here’s my chunky winter vegetable and cannellini bean soup for you to enjoy.

I created this soup when I was cooking for friends who are vegetarian and they all watched me and wrote down the recipe so I figured if they were impressed, hopefully you will be too. I have used six different kinds of vegetables to make the wholesome soup you’d expect but the bread, cheese and beans give it an even more rustic feel. It’s the perfect evening family meal or a great starter for friends (do ensure you serve small portions as a starter as it’s extremely filling).

TwitterFacebook

6

Serves

15

Ingredients

Vegetables

Main Ingredient

Soup Recipes, Meat-Free Recipes

Type

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 red onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 turnips, roughly chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, washed and roughly chopped
  • 150g curly Savoy cabbage, trimmed and roughly chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1.5 litres warm vegetable stock
  • 1 x 400g can cannellini beans, drained
  • 150g (prepared weight) pumpkin, cut into 2cm cubes
  • 4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 6 slices rustic country-style bread
  • 1 garlic clove, halved
  • 100g freshly grated Pecorino cheese
  • to taste Salt and white pepper

Weight Converter

Found in This Book

More Recipes Buy Now

Feast your eyes on the finest chunky winter vegetable and cannellini bean soup! It’s straightforward and fun to make this great dish. Simply follow the instructions below and get the perfect result.

Step By Step

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion, carrots, turnips, celery, cabbage and bay leaf for 5 minutes until golden, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Pour in the vegetable stock and gently simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are soft.

Add the beans and the pumpkin, season and continue to cook for a further 15 minutes. Stir in the parsley and allow to rest for 3 minutes. Preheat a griddle pan.

Toast the bread on the griddle pan for about 2 minutes on each side until golden and crispy. Immediately lightly rub with the garlic on one side only.

To serve, place a slice of bread in 6 warm serving bowls and pour over the soup. Sprinkle with Pecorino and serve immediately.

Once you’re done, simply sit back and enjoy your chunky winter vegetable and cannellini bean soup and don’t forget to check out other great authentic Italian recipes including great antipasti recipes, Italian pasta recipes, Italian soup recipes, Italian beef dishes and authentic pizza recipes.

Previous Recipe

Grilled tuna steak with garlic breadcrumbs

View Recipe

Next Recipe

Pasta with Aubergines, Tomatoes and Garlic Sauce

View Recipe

Discuss This Recipe

Gino's Books View All

More RecipesGet Inspired

Tranci di pesce spada con patate saltate e gremolataSwordfish Steaks & Sautéed Potatoes with Gremolata

I cooked this dish overlooking the beach at Pescoluse, on the Puglian coast. It’s known as the Maldives of Salento and is a hidden paradise. I used swordfish, but tuna would work well too. Gremolata is a dressing of raw chopped garlic, parsley and lemon zest. It is usually sprinkled over meats, such as osso bucco or carpaccio, but it also makes a great garnish for grilled fish. Always make sure you...

4

Serves

11

Ingredients

Seafood

Main Ingredient
View Recipe

Mozzarella SfiziosaMarinated Mozzarella Balls

When you think of Italian cheese, two come to mind immediately – mozzarella and Parmesan. This recipe puts mozzarella front and centre with two different marinades that are guaranteed to impress!

2

Serves

16

Ingredients

Cheese

Main Ingredient
View Recipe

Pollo Al Limone, Miele E RosmarinoLemon Chicken With Honey & Rosemary

Rosemary and lemon give this simple chicken dish a real taste of the Mediterranean; it is zingy and flavoursome but really child-friendly, so it makes a great midweek family meal. Perfect in summer with a big salad, or try it in winter for a serious vitamin C kick to beat the bugs.

4

Serves

9

Ingredients

Chicken

Main Ingredient
View Recipe

Dolce di panettone e miele con frutta grigliata e ricottaPanettone & Honey Pudding with Chargrilled Fruits & Ricotta

This is my Italian version of bread and butter pudding, served with char-grilled fruits and sweetened ricotta cheese. In Italy the ricotta is very creamy and rich, and I just added honey to sweeten it, but in Britain you might like to add a few drops of vanilla extract to give depth of flavour.

6

Serves

16

Ingredients

Fruit

Main Ingredient
View Recipe

ZABAIONE AL LIMONCELLO CON FRAGOLEZabaione with Limoncello & Strawberries

Zabaione is an old Venetian dessert traditionally made with Marsala wine (or sometimes vin santo), but here I’ve given it a southern Italian twist by using limoncello – a lemon-flavoured liqueur that is produced mainly in Campania. It’s made from Amalfi lemons, which are famous for their wonderful sweet flavour and fragrance and exceptionally large size. Raspberries are equally delicious with...

6

Serves

6

Ingredients

Strawberries

Main Ingredient
View Recipe

Bruschette con crema d’avocadoAvocado & Smoked Paprika Bruchette

Believe it or not, I tasted my first avocado when I came to England and, contrary to the popularity of ‘tricolore salad’ in Britain, in Italy, this dish just doesn’t exist. On its own, avocado can often be bland but it’s fantastic in salads or with a spicy dish. I wanted to create a recipe with this fruit, as it has an extremely high nutritional value and helps provide many general health benefits....

4

Serves

6

Ingredients
View Recipe