Italian · soup

Minestrone

Name: Minestrone
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 cup cannellini beans, cooked; 1 cup borlotti beans, cooked; 1 cup ditalini; 1 onion, diced; 2 stalks celery, diced; 2 carrots, diced; 1 zucchini, diced; 2 tomatoes, diced; 2 cups cabbage, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 3 oz pancetta, diced (optional); 1 Parmesan rind; 3 tbsp olive oil; salt to taste; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 2 tbsp fresh basil pesto (to finish)

Minestrone reads umami 7.1, richness 5.8 and salinity 4.7 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Italian soup, about 1 hr 5 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 7.8 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 3.9 / 10
Sour & Bright — 2.3 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 3.0 / 10
Rich & Fat — 6.5 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.2 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.1 · Richness 5.8 · Salinity 4.7 · Allium 3.7 · Sweetness 3.4 · Herbaceous 2.9 · Nutty 2.6 · Earthy 2.6 · Funk & Ferment 2.3 · Sourness 2.1 · Fruity 1.8 · Smoke 1.5 · Warm Spice 1.3 · Bitterness 1.3 · Floral 0.9 · Citrus 0.9 · Heat 0.8

What's in it (16)

1 cup cannellini beans, cooked
1 cup borlotti beans, cooked
1 cup ditalini
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 zucchini, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
2 cups cabbage, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 oz pancetta, diced (optional)
1 Parmesan rind
3 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp fresh basil pesto (to finish)

Time & effort: about 1 hr 5 min (25 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 141.9 kcal, 6.1 g protein, 3.9 g fat, 20.1 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (3 steps)

Sauté pancetta with onion, celery, and carrot in olive oil, add tomatoes and all the vegetables with a Parmesan rind and enough water or broth to cover generously.
Simmer 30 minutes, add pasta and beans, and cook until pasta is tender.
Swirl a spoonful of pesto through each bowl and serve with grated Parmesan.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Veggie-Packed Skillet Lasagna — Italian-American
Ribollita — Italian
Chicken Parmesan Meatball Subs — Italian-American
Chicken Sorrentino — Italian-American
Pasta Fagioli with Italian Sausage — Italian-American

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.