Stanley Tucci’s One-Pot Soup Recipe Is the ‘Greatest Culinary Invention'

It may be starting to feel like soup season to you, but for actor and home cook Stanley Tucci, any day is a good day for a bowl of the comfort food. Tucci has shared quite a few soup recipes over the years—like his pasta fagioli, the pea soup he pairs with grilled cheese, and even an Italian string bean soup he eats in the summer.

And, after reading his new book “What I Ate in One Year (and related thoughts)”, which is available starting Oct. 15, it’s clear that Tucci likes soup just as much as pasta—which he once told Allrecipes he eats practically daily. He mentioned “soup” 42 times throughout the food diary—and in all four seasons.

“I am a soup lover. To me soup may be the greatest culinary invention. It can be made with two ingredients or two hundred twenty-two ingredients. It can be served hot or cold. It can be cooked fast or slow. It can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It can be simple or complex. It comforts, it soothes, it refreshes, and it restores. Soup is life in a pot,” Tucci writes.

However, despite his love for Italian egg drop soup and potato-leek soup, there’s one recipe that he actually shares in the book. And, if you know Tucci, you know getting a full recipe out of him with measurements and everything is a rare occurrence. So, which dish gets the honor? It's none other than the minestrone soup he mentions eating multiple times throughout the year.

Stanley Tucci's Go-To One-Pot Soup

Tucci first mentions the veggie-packed soup in January, when he says he makes a big pot of it to bring to his dressing room on set. That must happen pretty frequently because the actor recently shared a video of himself eating a steaming bowl of the minestrone in his trailer in between takes. 

Tucci then made the soup again in May—which is where he shares the “hearty” and “healthy” recipe in the book. Then again in October—when he eats a bowl of leftovers at 10:30 a.m.—and, finally, again in November—when he adds strained marinara and an extra Parmesan rind.

The Tucci Minestrone, as it's called in the book, seems to be a Tucci family favorite, as every time it’s mentioned, it’s always in “a big pot” or being made at the request of Felicity, Tucci's wife (and Emily Blunt's sister).

So, if you’re looking for an easy, one-pot soup that comes together quickly and is packed with veggies and beans, here is Tucci’s minestrone soup recipe.

How To Make Tucci Minestrone

Ingredients:

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 3 small leeks, chopped
• 3 small spring onions, chopped
• 3 carrots, diced
• 2 medium zucchini, diced
• 2 quarts chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 6 pomodorini (small tomatoes), quartered
• 2 large potatoes, cut into small cubes
• 2 bunches spring greens (chard or cavolo nero can be substituted)
• 4 basil leaves
• 1 Parmigiano-Reggiano rind (about the size of your palm)
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 (14-ounce) cans or jars pre-cooked cannellini beans (optional)
• 2 cups fresh or frozen peas (defrosted)
• 2 to 3 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino
• 1 cup chopped parsley

Instructions:

1. Pour some olive oil in a large pot. Add the onions, garlic, celery, leeks, and spring onions and sauté over medium-low heat until they have softened. Add the carrots and zucchini and cook for another 5 minutes.
2. Add the stock and bring it to a boil.
3. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, greens, basil, Parmigiano rind, and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to a low boil and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. (The beans can be added at this time if you’re using them.)
4. After 15 minutes, add the peas and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Serve in large bowls with croutons, the grated Parmigiano or Pecorino, a drizzle of EVOO, and a sprinkle of the chopped parsley.

This recipe was developed by Stanley Tucci for "What I Ate In One Year (and other related thoughts)" and shared courtesy of Simon & Schuster.