Minestra di Fabioli Recipe: This 6-Ingredient Italian Bean Soup Recipe Will Warm You Up Soups Lunch

You are staring at a restaurant menu featuring two soups. Which are you more inclined to order, bean soup or minestra di fagioli? One sounds like a prison porridge and the other? Well, who wouldn’t order the taste of Tuscany over a slurp from the slammer? The truth is minestra di fagioli is bean soup, but it is so much more. One spoonful of this velvety thick, hearty soup incorporates so much of what we love about Italy. Fresh peppery herbs, bitter greens, cannellini beans and tomatoes bursting with the flavor of the Italian countryside.

Minestra di fabioli is just one of the recipes participants at Tuscan Women Cook learn to make from the local “nonnas” (or grandmas) in the Tuscan village of Montefollonico. And just like Sophia Loren and pretty much every one of our nonnas, minestra di fagioli improves with age.

Tuscan Women Cook is the premier culinary immersion vacation. During the week-long stay in Montefollonico participants Indulge themselves in the Tuscan lifestyle and discover the region’s passion for food and wine in a small group of 18 people or less. The best cooks in all of Tuscany, the local women, teach the classes.

Many versions of this recipe implore you to make the soup at least one day before you’re going to serve it, letting every ingredient meld together into the ultimate Italian zuppa.

Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: overnight to soak the beans and barley
Cook Time: 2 hours (approximately) 
Total Time: 24 hours
Servings: 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 10 ounces dry white beans, preferably cannellini beans
• 4 ounces pearl barley (optional)
• 2 carrots, larger
• 3 celery stalks
• 2 onions, small
• 2 cans tomatoes
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Here's how to make it: 

1. Soak the white beans overnight in plenty of cold water. The next morning, drain the beans and place in a saucepan with cold water and cook until tender.
2. If using barley, soak overnight in plenty of cold water. The next morning, drain the barley and place in a saucepan of water and cook for 30 minutes and drain again.
3. Slice, dice and sauté the carrots, celery and onions in the olive oil for 10 to 15 minutes. 
4. Add the beans and season with salt and pepper. Cook gently for another 20 to 30 minutes. 
5. Add the tomatoes and cook on low heat for another 15 minutes. Add water, if necessary. Add the barley, if using, and heat the soup for another 10 minutes. Serve in warm soup bowls with a drizzle of olive oil.

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