Making a slow cooker full of Minestrone alla Milanese is the kind of dinner that makes home cooks (and their families) pleased with themselves. This soup is hearty, nutritious, and layered in a way that you just can’t get out of a can. This is the kind of recipe that rewards patience, and using a crock pot is the perfect way to take advantage of that!
In Italy, there are a few regional variations of minestrone, with this one hailing from the region of Milan. Rather than the carbohydrate of choice being pasta, this version sets itself apart by using rice as a source of carbs. It also relies upon the substitution of rice to shape the final dish, with rice acting as a thickening agent.
The technique here is very simple to master – cook denser vegetables longer than less dense ones! Once you’ve separated your vegetables into “cooks longer” and “cooks quickly,” the recipe comes together really quickly.
This soup is a great entry point into the world of Italian soups, as the technique is simple and the ingredients are flexible. This version of minestrone is just one of many, and all are worth exploring!
Before we dive into the steps, let’s talk about some things to love about this recipe:
Things to love about this recipe
- Flexible ingredients – veggie ingredients typically change seasonally
- Makes a lot of soup, which means plenty of leftovers
- Affordable – most ingredients are veggies or pantry staples
- Teaches how timing shapes ingredient texture
- Full of nutrients from all the different veggies
- Freezes well for future soup enjoyment
Ingredient notes and substitutions
This soup is designed to be a flexible, seasonal soup. Work with what is available to you!
- Pancetta is a typical ingredient in Minestrone alla Milanese, but that is not easily sourced from many supermarkets. The simplest substitution is bacon, as it is a similar product but with a smoky flavor!
- Another umami-producing ingredient is parmesan rind. If you have one laying around, throw it in. If not, don’t fret! The bacon will add umami.
- Onions, carrots, and celery make up a classic Italian soffritto, usually in a 2:1:1 ratio. These ingredients are important for the final product to have the right flavor!
- Garlic, pepper, sage, and rosemary are traditional flavor-builders in minestrone.
- Crushed tomatoes and broth make up the bulk of the broth.
- Potatoes and green beans are seasonally available in my area of the world right now. If that isn’t true for you, feel free to switch them out for veggies that are more available for you!
- Traditionally, savoy cabbage is used in minestrone alla Milanese, but that is not available in my supermarket! In its place, I have used Napa cabbage, as both have soft leaves and a mild flavor.
- Cannellini beans and kidney beans are used in this recipe in place of a traditional Italian bean – borlotti beans. If those are available in your area, please use them! If not, kidney beans are a great swap, as they have a similar texture and flavor profile to borlotti beans.
- Balsamic vinegar is used in this recipe to add some acidity and balance the flavor of the vegetables. If you prefer another acidic ingredient (like lemon juice or Worcestershire sauce), you can substitute that in this step!
- Rice is the ingredient that really sets this soup apart from other minestrone soups. Try to use it if you can!
- Finishing your soup with a good quality olive oil is a must in Italian culture. If you’re wondering how to choose a quality bottle, see our olive oil guide.
Technique insight
The characteristic technique that puts this soup over the top is simple: timing! In this recipe, we recommend putting your aromatics, broth, and dense ingredients (beans, green beans, and potatoes) in a slow cooker and cook them low and slow overnight. None of these ingredients will become mushy in that time frame. The softer ingredients (cabbage and rice) will! To solve that issue, you simply turn the slow cooker up to high and add the rice and cabbage about 45 minutes before you are ready to serve.
As mentioned in the introduction, there are a few regional versions of minestrone. This version, Minestrone alla Milanese, is probably the most familiar, as most canned soup companies produce a variety of it. If you are curious to learn more about Italian minestrone, stay tuned! We will be testing and posting recipes for Minestrone alla Genoa and Minestrone alla Toscana soon!
Minestrone alla Milanese
Equipment
- 1 Kitchen knife
- 2 cutting boards one for bacon, one for veggies
- 1 pan to fry bacon
- 1 slow cooker 8 quart
Ingredients
- 3 slices thick-cut bacon
- 1 onion diced
- 3 small carrots sliced
- 3 stalks celery sliced
- 2 potatoes peeled and diced
- 2 cups green beans bite-sized
- 1 can cannellini beans drained
- 1 can kidney beans drained
- 1 can crushed tomatoes San Marzano style preferred
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp pepper fresh cracked
- 1 tsp rosemary dry
- 1 tsp rubbed sage dry
- 48 oz chicken broth
- 1 parmesan rind
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ napa cabbage sliced thin
- 1 cup rice
Instructions
- Cut 3 slices of thick-cut bacon into strips and gently cook until the meat releases some oil. Pour all meat and oil into the slow cooker.3 slices thick-cut bacon
- Add dense veggies and beans to the slow cooker and mix.1 onion, 3 small carrots, 3 stalks celery, 2 potatoes, 2 cups green beans, 1 can cannellini beans, 1 can kidney beans
- Add the crushed tomatoes, garlic, pepper, rosemary, and sage. Mix to coat the veggies evenly, then allow to rest for 10-15 minutes.1 can crushed tomatoes, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp rosemary, 1 tsp rubbed sage
- Add chicken broth and parmesan rind, then set the slow cooker to "low" and allow to cook for ~7 hours or overnight.48 oz chicken broth, 1 parmesan rind
- About 45 minutes before ready to serve, turn the slow cooker to "high." Add balsamic vinegar, napa cabbage, and rice, and then serve!¼ cup balsamic vinegar, ½ napa cabbage, 1 cup rice
Serving suggestions
Minestrone is a rustic soup, meant for being served with bread. You can pair our minestrone alla Milanese with our focaccia to up the coziness factor, or you can serve it with our Gruyere-stuffed toast to elevate it a bit. Either way, bread serves as a great texture contrast to the texture of the vegetables.
Store-bought alternatives include: a crusty Italian loaf, a soft Italian loaf, or a baguette!
Minestrone alla Milanese is typically served with fresh grated parmesan over top, as well!
FAQ
- To keep the rice from taking up all the broth and making your soup heartier than intended, we recommend following the recipe amounts for tomatoes, broth, and rice closely. Our recipe makes an soup that is not too hearty, but not too brothy. If you decide to add more rice/broth, make sure to adjust the other accordingly!
- Frozen vegetables can be used in place of any of the above vegetables in a 1:1 substitution.
Make-ahead and storage notes
This recipe is the epitome of make-ahead, in that you literally must make it ahead of time. If you’re short on time the day you must serve it, you can prepare the cabbage ahead of time, so that it can just be thrown in the slow cooker.
To store this soup, we recommend using airtight containers, and storing it in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. If you plan on eating it later than that, feel free to freeze the soup in portion-sized containers! Just make sure to use freezer-safe containers to prevent early freezer burn, and to use the frozen soup within 6 months.
What to cook next!
If you enjoyed this recipe, look through our lineup of soups and savor brothy flavor from around the globe!
And make sure to keep an eye out for parts 2 and 3 of our minestrone series – Minestrone alla Genoa and Minestrone alla Toscana!
In conclusion…
Having successfully made Minestrone alla Milanese, you’ll have mastered the art of timing in soup-making! This dish is not only hearty and nutritious, but sharing this dish with your loved ones is sure to improve your cooking confidence. Hopefully, this is the kind of recipe that you come back to again and again when you want to share a comforting meal at home.
Soups like minestrone are a reminder that small choices like when you add an ingredient can make all the difference to the product you put in your bowl. This theme comes back time and time again in cooking, when timing and restraint often shape the bowl more than we realize!
If you enjoyed making this soup, try some others of our Italian or Mediterranean recipes! Each one builds on these same skills and produces delicious results!
