DISH RESEARCH · Soup
Minestra
A thick Maltese soup of seasonal vegetables and pulses, with optional small pasta and hard cheese.
About Minestra
Yesenia presents minestra as a staple of Maltese home cooking and a familiar winter meal. Her rendition combines cauliflower, cabbage, pumpkin, carrots, kohlrabi and zucchini with a mixture of lentils, pulses and beans.
Tomato concentrate, onion and olive oil give the vegetable base its savoury character. The soup has a substantial texture, with the author favouring a thicker consistency.
Small pasta and cubes of hard cheese are optional. The cubed cheese recalls Yesenia’s mother’s household variation, adding a rich contrast to the vegetables and pulses.
Allergens in this recipe
Optional additions: Milk, Wheat (gluten).
Other allergen details are unconfirmed.
Ingredients vary by restaurant. Confirm your allergens with staff before ordering.
Ingredients in Minestra
Yesenia’s Maltese vegetable minestra, published by Apron & Whisk.
- CauliflowerBase
- CabbageBase
- Olive oilCooking medium
- White onionAromatic
- PumpkinBase
- CarrotsBase
- Kunserva, tomato concentrateSeasoning
- Mixed lentils, pulses and beansBaseIngredient page not linked
- Prepared vegetable stockSeasoningIngredient page not linked
- KohlrabiBase
- ZucchiniBase
- WaterLiquid
- Kefalotyri cheeseTopping · Optional
- Small pastaBase · Optional
Ingredient details & uncertainties
Allergen information is incomplete. Unconfirmed details do not establish that an allergen is absent.
- Cauliflower: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Cabbage: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Olive oil: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- White onion: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Pumpkin: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Carrots: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Kunserva, tomato concentrate: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Actual53 named Maltese tomato concentrate, broader paste candidate; full product formula unresolved.
- Mixed lentils, pulses and beans: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Actual54 combined mixture and62 soaking, exact constituent species/ratios genuinely unprovided. No assumed split into particular bean/lentil cultivars or hidden peanut/soy absence.
- Prepared vegetable stock: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Actual55 one vegstock, exact cube/liquid form and fullformula unprovided; no forced celery or named salt allocation.
- Kohlrabi: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Zucchini: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Water: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Actual58/62/64 cooking and soak water consolidated.
- Kefalotyri cheese (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Milk source-confirmed. Actual59 first Kefaloriti over pecorino, explicitlyoptional;29 candid maternal cubedcheese twist, not claimed all classic minestra contains cubes.
- Small pasta (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Wheat (gluten) source-confirmed. Actual60 explicitlyoptional. Normal small pasta confirms Wheat; full product formula unprovided.
Origins & food traditions
Countries
- Malta
- MaltaCatalogue link pending review
Cuisines & regions
- Maltese Cuisine
- Maltese CuisineCatalogue link pending review