Beefy Italian Minestrone Soup
Submitted by shortcake99
Beefy Italian minestrone soup builds a full-bodied broth from chuck roast simmered with vegetables, then loads it with kidney beans, macaroni, bacon, zucchini, and a quirky splash of cola for caramel depth. Sunday simmer at its best.
YIELD
18 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
3 hrsREADY
3½ hrsThis is a real-deal minestrone soup, the kind that takes a full afternoon and rewards you with a pot that gets richer over the next three days. The base is a homemade beef broth built from chuck roast, simmered two and a half hours with celery leaves and a bay leaf until the meat falls apart.
The ice-cube trick on the broth is genius. Dropping cubes in solidifies the surface fat almost instantly, letting you skim it off clean instead of waiting for the pot to cool overnight.
The cola is the surprise. A cup of it sounds wrong, but the caramel and acidity round out the tomato paste and give the broth a deeper bottom note. Bacon and its drippings pile on smoke and salt.
Kidney beans, zucchini, green peas, and elbow macaroni go in at the end so each stays distinct. A blizzard of parmesan at the table is the finishing touch.
Pro Tips
- Use bone-in chuck or short ribs. The collagen breaks down into broth gold over the long simmer.
- Cook the macaroni separately if making ahead. Pasta added too early turns to mush by day two.
- Skip the cola if you do not have it. A teaspoon of brown sugar achieves a similar caramel effect.
- Stir in a parmesan rind during the simmer for umami depth.
Variations
- Add a can of crushed tomatoes for a thicker, more red-toned broth.
- Stir in a handful of baby spinach in the last minute for extra greens.
- Use cannellini beans in place of kidney for a more Tuscan profile.
Ingredients
Directions
In a large pot, place the meat, water, salt, small onion, celery leaves and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for about 2½ hours until the meat is tender. Remove the meat.
Strain the broth (should measure 2 quarts). Add ice cubes to the broth to harden the fat and remove the fat. Discard the fat.
Finely dice the meat, discarding any fat and bones (should be about 2 cups).
In a 5 to 6 quart kettle or Dutch oven, combine the beef broth and the meat. Place over low heat while preparing the remaining ingredients. Pan fry the bacon until crisp.
Add the bacon and the drippings and all the remaining ingredients, except the Parmesan cheese, to the broth. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables and macaroni are tender.
Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
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