Gluten-Free Northern Italian Autumn Minestrone

Typical autumn flavors from Northern Italy mixed with gluten-free pasta will warm you on a cool evening. Use any shape pasta you desire, even broken spaghetti works. If desired, the soup without the pasta will freeze wonderfully. Just cook the pasta in the soup once thawed.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 356 Calories

Ingredients

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

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place cranberry beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let soak, 8 hours to overnight. Drain.

Step 2

Shred carrot, yellow onion, celery, and red pepper in a food processor to create a sofrito mixture.

Step 3

Heat oil in a 7-quart pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Add sofrito mixture and saute until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add soaked beans, potatoes, diced carrots, zucchini, pumpkin, and diced onion. Cook and stir until warmed through, 3 to 5 minutes more. Add oregano, rosemary, and bay leaf. Stir well to coat vegetables with oil and seasonings.

Step 4

Add enough broth to cover vegetables by 1 inch. Close the pressure cooker lid and bring up to pressure, about 10 minutes. Cook an additional 10 minutes from the first whistle.

Step 5

Allow pressure to release naturally and remove lid, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust salt if necessary. Add additional broth to allow for cooking the pasta. Bring to a boil and add pasta. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Add more boiling broth if needed during cooking.

Step 6

Ladle soup into bowls and top with minced hot pepper and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.