Gluten-Free Northern Italian Minestrone for Fall

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried cranberry beans
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 small yellow onion
• 1 stalk celery
• ½ small red bell pepper
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 15 ounces potatoes, peeled and diced
• 12 ounces diced carrots
• 12 ounces zucchini, diced
• 10 ounces fresh pumpkin, diced
• 4 ounces diced yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 cups vegetable broth, divided
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 6 ounces gluten-free elbow pasta
• 1 fresh hot pepper, minced
• 6 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (Optional)

Step 1

Soak the cranberry beans in a large bowl, covering them with a few inches of cool water. Let them soak for at least 8 hours or overnight, then drain. While the beans soak, shred the carrot, yellow onion, celery, and red pepper in a food processor to make a flavorful sofrito.

Step 2

Heat some oil in a large pressure cooker over medium-high heat, then add the sofrito and sauté until everything softens, about 3 to 5 minutes. Toss in the soaked beans, potatoes, diced carrots, zucchini, pumpkin, and diced onion. Stir everything together and cook for a few more minutes to warm it all up. Sprinkle in the oregano, rosemary, and bay leaf, stirring well so the herbs and oil coat the veggies nicely.

Step 3

Pour in enough broth to cover the vegetables by about an inch. Seal the pressure cooker and bring it up to pressure, which should take around 10 minutes. Once it’s at pressure, cook for another 10 minutes. When the time’s up, let the pressure release naturally before opening the lid—it will take about 10 minutes.

Step 4

Give the soup a taste and add salt if it needs it. Add a bit more broth to make room for the pasta, then bring the soup back to a boil. Stir in the pasta and cook until it’s tender but still has a little bite, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. If it looks like it’s drying out, add a splash of hot broth as it cooks.

Step 5

Serve the soup in bowls and finish each one off with a sprinkle of minced hot pepper and plenty of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on top. Enjoy!