Tom Hunt's fridge-raid minestrone is a hearty, zero-waste soup designed to use up leftover vegetables, grains, and greens, inspired by the Sardinian classic and adapted for the British larder. The recipe encourages flexibility, allowing cooks to substitute ingredients based on what they have on hand and what is in season.
Inspired by Blue Zone Diets
The dish draws inspiration from the diets of the Blue Zones, regions where people live the longest, including Sardinia, where minestrone is a staple. Dan Buettner, who studied these communities, found that their diets are generally rich in beans, whole grains, and seasonal vegetables. Hunt has generalised ingredients into groups such as alliums to inspire home cooks to use up whatever they have in the house.
Instead of the fennel in Buettner's recipe, Hunt uses leafy greens, mainly to make the most of greens in his fridge, which in this instance featured beetroot leaves, chard, and cauliflower leaves. He suggests batch-cooking the soup and keeping the excess in the fridge for another meal.
Recipe: Fridge-Raid Minestrone
Serves 4
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 150g diced alliums – onions, leeks, spring onions
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (about 100g net)
- 2 medium celery stalks, chopped (optional)
- 1 tsp fennel seeds, or coriander seeds
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 200g dried grain and pulse soup mix (pearl barley, yellow split peas, green split peas, spelt, and red lentils) or pearl barley or another grain
- 400g root vegetables – celeriac, turnip, potatoes
- 150g chopped greens – spinach, or beetroot or cauliflower leaves
- 20g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped from stalk to leaf
- 20g bunch fresh basil
- 100g small mixed pasta shapes – broken spaghetti, ditalini, orzo
- 50g grated pecorino, or parmesan, to serve
Method
Warm three tablespoons of the oil in a large soup pot on a medium heat. Add the diced alliums, carrot, and celery, if using, then stir in the fennel seeds and sauté for five minutes, until soft but not coloured. Stir in the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds more, until fragrant.
Add the chopped tinned tomatoes, followed by the grain and pulse soup mix (or pearl barley), root vegetables, chopped greens, chopped flat-leaf parsley, and the finely chopped stalks from the bunch of basil (save the leaves to finish). Pour in enough water to submerge everything by 2½cm (you'll need about one and a half litres), then bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and leave to simmer uncovered for an hour, adding more water as needed.
Finely stir in the mixed pasta shapes, add up to 500ml more water, if need be, then simmer for 10 minutes until tender. Season to taste, then divide between four bowls and serve topped with the reserved basil leaves, grated pecorino, and a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
