Minestra - Traditional Maltese Vegetable Soup
Minestra is a beloved Maltese vegetable soup that has warmed family tables for generations. It's made with seasonal vegetables and slow-simmered to perfection, it’s the kind of nourishing dish that feels just right for a winter’s day dinner.
Ingredients
- 1/2 small cauliflower
- 1/2 small cabbage
- olive oil
- white onion
- 200 g pumpkin
- 100 g carrots
- 1 tbsp kunserva
- 200 g mixed lentils, pulses and beans
- 1 veg stock
- 1 small kohlrabi
- 1 zucchini
- 750 ml water
- 100 g cubed Kefaloriti or pecorino cheese optional
- 50 g small pasta optional
Instructions
- Wash the mixed lentils, pulses and beans, and let them soak in water for about 1 hour.
- In the meantime, prepare all the vegetables and chop them into small pieces. Drain the lentils and beans, add to a large pot.
- To the pot add all the other ingredients except the pasta and cheese. Add the water, it's ok if the water doesn't cover all the vegetables completely.
- Bring the minestra to a gentle boil. Once it's boiling, lower the temperature and let it simmer while covering the pot with a lid for at least 1 hour (I like to simmer it for 2 hours). Half way through the cooking, I like to gently mash some of the vegetables. However, this depends on how you like your minestra soup.
- In the last ten minutes of the cooking, add the pasta and the cubed cheese, cover the pot and let them cook.
Nutrition
Calories: 274kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 278mg | Potassium: 990mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 5894IU | Vitamin C: 78mg | Calcium: 267mg | Iron: 4mg