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Minestra: Healthy Italian Greens and Beans

Minestra is an Italian dish that’s full of healthy greens and beans; it’s very nutritious and low fat. Despite the way it looks, it’s absolutely delicious! Give it a try to start the new year off in a healthy manner!

Minestra in a blue bowl

Originally published October 19, 2012.

Minestra has to be one of the most awful looking dishes of all the things I regularly cook.

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There’s nothing else quite like minestra*, in both looks and taste. I don’t know of any British or American dish that I can compare and contrast it with, so you’ll have to go out on a limb and trust me that it’s not just healthy, but also very tasty! It’s also vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free.

Beans provide the protein, so it’s quite a well-rounded meal from a nutritional perspective. You can find canned beans without any added ingredients, but I prefer to cook my own. If you don’t know how, you can learn how easy it is to do! Learn how to cook dried beans.

freezing cannellini beans in containers

I remember coming home from work one day when I was pregnant with my first child, and being so happy that my cousin, Denisa (visiting from England) had made minestra for dinner! I suppose it’s a type of Italian “comfort food,” but definitely not one you feel guilty about eating as it’s also a cucina povera dish. The combination of different greens is delicious; the sweetness of the Savoy cabbage softens the flavor of the slightly bitter dandelion.

Here’s another recipe which uses Savoy cabbage.

Cabbage and Rice italian authentic dish healthy summer recipe

You can add a piece of pancetta or cotechino sausage to minestra. I can’t buy it here in the US, so if I don’t have any on hand, just skip the entire sausage or meat addition. Cotechino sausage has fennel seeds in it, so to mimic the flavor of the sausage, I throw in some fennel seeds and it works quite well.

Minestra is one of those meals which is even better the next day.

Minestra in a plate with sweet onion and slice of bread

Freshly made, it’s lovely when eaten with pieces of sweet onion and crusty Italian bread to soak up the juices (see photo above). However, the next day, it tastes completely different when reheated with more extra virgin olive oil and pieces of dried crusty bread – it’s crazy good!

Rapini: another healthy Italian green veg

sauteed rapini in bowl

Just don’t judge this minestra based on looks. I’m going to show you how to make minestra, and reheat the leftovers and all I hope is that you’re brave enough to give it a try. My neighbor tasted it a while ago and was smitten, and now makes it regularly. In fact, she brought a dish of it for a Thanksgiving side dish last November!

Feel free to mix and match greens, if you like chard or kale, add some; my mother doesn’t like spinach in hers so she doesn’t add it. It’s a greens “free for all!” However, as a base, I would say you shouldn’t omit the cabbage and dandelion greens (cicoria), as they really are the foundation of this dish. If you didn’t know, there are many types of dandelion, not just the yellow flowered variety, which are also edible and can be used for cooking, like this dandelion jelly, for example.

savoy cabbage, kale and other greens

Minestra

a cucina povera D’Aguanno family recipe         makes 6 servings

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

Ingredients

  • extra virgin olive oil
  • fresh garlic
  • (optional: cotechino sausage or pancetta)
  • Savoy cabbages
  • dandelion leaves (chicory)
  • kale, or chard
  • spinach
  • dried fennel seeds
  • Kosher or sea salt
  • black pepper, freshly ground
  • cannellini or Borlotti (cranberry) beans, or even navy or pinto beans, cooked (how to cook your own dried beans)

Directions to Make Minestra

Place oil, water and garlic (and cotechio/pancetta if using) in a very large pot; heat over medium high heat.

pot with water, oil and garlic in it

First add the chopped Savoy cabbage and cover with the lid.

After about 5 minutes, stir (add the kale if using) and cover again. Let cook for another 5 minutes, then stir once more. You’ll start to think that everything won’t fit in the pot, but it will.

Now add the dandelion leaves, and continue to cook over medium heat, covered, stirring now and then, for about 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper and the fennel seeds. Check to make sure the liquid has not dried up, if so, add more water.

dandelion greens being added to a pan

The last greens to go in are the spinach, then cook for another 5 minutes or so. Now add the beans and mix well into the minestra. Taste for salt and pepper, and continue to cook for just a few minutes until the beans are heated through, and that’s it. If it looks like this, you’ve done it correctly!

making Minestra

Serve hot with homemade bread and slices of sweet onion! YUMMY!

Leftover Minestra

  • cooked minestra with liquid (if it’s too dry, add a little water)
  • extra virgin olive oil (for about 4 cups of minestra) be sure to use top quality oil
  • stale, crusty Italian bread, torn into bite size pieces

In a nonstick frying pan over medium heat, put about 2 tablespoonfuls of olive oil, add the minestra and the torn pieces of bread, and drizzle about 1 or 2 more tablespoons of olive oil on top.

making Minestra, healthy greens and beans

Cook, stirring frequently, until the bread has absorbed the liquid and softened,  and everything is heated through.

Serve hot, with slices of sweet onion, if desired.

forkful of minestra

Please let me know what you think of this type of Italian “peasant food” recipe: good or bad; I’d love to hear what your opinion is and if you will try it? Will you never look at my site again? 😂

*For clarification purposes, “minestra” is what my family and people in the area where my family is from, in Italy, call this dish. Minestra is usually more of a soupy dish, however, each area of Italy has different names for sometimes similar dishes. Although my minestra has a lot of liquid, it’s definitely not a soup.

Minestra, healthy greens and beans

Minestra: Healthy Greens and Beans

Servings: 6 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
A super nutritious greens and beans dish that is made in Italy.
4.9 from 31 votes

Ingredients

  • 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 ½ cups water or more if needed
  • 4 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 large Savoy cabbage preferably organic, cut into chunks
  • 1 bunch dandelion leaves organic, trim off bottom inch, then cut in half
  • 1 bunch kale or chard, organic, cut (this is optional)
  • 1 bunch spinach organic, trim off bottom part of stems, cut in half
  • tsp dried fennel seeds
  • ½ tsp sea salt to taste
  • tsp black pepper freshly ground, to taste
  • 12 oz Cannellini beans or Borlotti (cranberry) beans, or even navy or pinto beans, cooked (how to cook your own dried beans)

Instructions

  • Place oil, water and garlic in a very large pot; heat over medium high heat. First add the chopped Savoy cabbage and cover with the lid.
  • After about 5 minutes, stir (add the kale if using) and cover again. Let cook for another 5 minutes, then stir once more. You'll start to think that everything won't fit in the pot, but it will.
  • Now add the dandelion greens, and continue to cook over medium heat, covered, stirring now and then, for about 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper and the fennel seeds. Check to make sure the liquid has not dried up, if so, add more water.
  • The last greens to go in are the spinach, then cook for another 5 minutes or so. Now add the beans and mix well into the minestra. Taste for salt and pepper, and continue to cook for just a few minutes until the beans are heated through, and that's it.
  • Serve hot with homemade bread and slices of sweet onion! YUMMY!

Leftover Minestra:

  • You will need: Cooked minestra with liquid (if it's too dry, add a little water), 3 to 4 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (for about 4 cups/ 300 g of minestra), and stale, crusty Italian bread, torn into bite size pieces.
  • In a nonstick frying pan over medium heat, put about 2 tablespoonfuls of olive oil, add the minestra and the torn pieces of bread, and drizzle about 1 or 2 more tablespoons of olive oil on top.
  • Cook, stirring frequently, until the bread has absorbed the liquid and softened, and everything is heated through. Serve hot, with slices of sweet onion, if desired.

Notes

  • All greens should be washed before cutting.
  • Nutrition facts are for the freshly made minestra.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 415mg | Potassium: 755mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 7.699IU | Vitamin C: 113mg | Calcium: 236mg | Iron: 4mg

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4.88 from 31 votes (31 ratings without comment)

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85 Comments

  1. I have to add to my review earlier this week. Tonight I used the leftover minestra as suggested, fried with a stale bread roll torn into chunks. This made one VERY tasty meal, and the chunks full of the delicious veg juices were a dream.

      1. My family is also from Italy where they made this,minestra, almost weekly. I learned how to make this dish from my mom and dad, their recipe is very similar to yours except we add meat. We also finish it off at the end by adding little rice and cooking for additional 15 minutes or until rice is cooked.

        1. Oh yes, this normally has some cured meat in it, but I know most people won’t have access to this in the US. I’ve not heard of adding rice, but I think I’d like that! Won’t be making it again until the weather cools off , but would love to try it! Thanks, Penny!

  2. Christina,

    loved reading your adventures in Sperlonga and surroundings..so amazing to read about such well known places..well I say well known but not really..I think the whole area is a delicious well kept secret that many do not know about..I empathized with you though about your problems getting to the right airport..the nerves must have been sky high..isn’t Frascati lovely?

    1. Yes! At least there are still places we can go that aren’t overrun by tourists and the tourism industry! Yes, to the airport question, also, but good thing no one had a flight to catch! I love Frascati!

  3. Hi Christina….Would it be sacrilegious to add sauted leeks? I LOVE onions..but..not raw.Thanks for all your yummy writings. Nancy

    1. Hi Nancy, I don’t think it’d be sacrilegious to add leeks, but I’m just trying to imagine how it would taste? I love leeks, but I love minestra so much as it is usually made, I think I’d skip them. You don’t need to eat the raw onion with the dish (have you ever had sweet ones? Completely different than normal onions.) Anyway, let me know what you do and what you think of the result! :) Glad you like my posts!CC

  4. I plan on making this tomorrow and was wondering if you think using chicken stock instead of water is a good idea? Or would it change the flavor of the dish too much? Also I was only able to get ground fennel. About how much would I use to get a mild fennel taste? The recipe and photos make this a must try soon dish! I’d also like say Thank you Christina!, for taking the time to answer our questions.

    1. I would definitely not use chicken stock and with the ground fennel, I’d add a pinch to begin with. Taste it and add more as you like. I’m so happy you’re going to try this, Mary Louise! Let me know what you think! CC

      1. I made the recipe as written and it was delicious! My husband loved it, too! He was a little apprehensive about trying it, he thought it might be bitter and taste like grass from the backyard. It was neither of the two. We both agree Minestra will be a regular dish served in our household. Feel free to add more peasant food recipes to your site! 🍲

        1. Mary Louise, you’ve made my day! I’m honestly so happy that you not only tried the “not so pretty” minestra, but that you and your husband like it so much that you’ll be adding it to your menu rotation!! That is awesome! I do have more peasant food dishes, so stay tuned. :) Thanks again! CC