Halal-conscious recipe
Classic minestrone without pancetta
Esther Clark's classic minestrone with onion, celery, carrot, courgette, cannellini beans, tomatoes, small pasta and greens, using Halal beef bacon or nothing instead of smoked pancetta.
Each method follows published technique for the dish, and every Halal substitution is checked against the ingredient pages we cite. Photographs come from our ingredient library rather than the finished dish.
Photo: bob (waldopics) · CC BY 2.0
Why Halal checks matter here
The soup base is fried with 70 g of diced smoked pancetta, which is cured pork, and it is finished with parmesan, which is made with animal rennet.
This minestrone is a vegetable, bean and pasta soup, and the only pork in it is 70 g of smoked pancetta fried with the vegetables at the start. Pancetta is cured pork, so here it is the same weight of Halal-certified beef bacon, or nothing at all for a meat-free soup; that swap is ours.
It follows Esther Clark's classic minestrone for BBC Good Food. The parmesan scattered over at the end is made with calf rennet, which scholars differ on, so choose a cheese whose rennet suits your school, and read the pasta label for egg.
The soup simmers for 30 minutes before the pasta and greens go in for a final 10.
Halal-critical ingredients
- Smoked pancetta The published recipe fries 70 g of diced smoked pancetta, which is cured pork, with the vegetables. Beef bacon contains no pork but is Halal only from Halal-slaughtered animals with certification. Use Halal-certified beef bacon, or leave it out, as here. See Bacon.
- Parmesan Parmigiano Reggiano must be made with calf rennet, and other hard cheeses may use animal rennet. Scholars differ on rennet from animals not slaughtered the Halal way. Use a hard cheese that names microbial, vegetable or Halal-certified rennet, or one your school accepts. See Parmesan.
- Small pasta Dried wheat pasta is fine; egg pasta needs its label read. Read the pasta label. See Pasta.
Safe substitutes
- 70 g diced smoked pancetta → 70 g Halal-certified beef bacon, or none (our swap)
- Parmesan made with animal rennet → A hard cheese with microbial, vegetable or Halal-certified rennet
Allergens
celery, gluten (pasta), milk (parmesan)
Ingredients
Soup
- 3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 celery stick, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 courgette, finely chopped
- 70 g Halal-certified beef bacon, diced, or leave out (our swap for smoked pancetta)
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 400 g can of cannellini beans
- 400 g can of chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1.2 litres vegetable stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 70 g small pasta
- 100 g greens: kale, chard or cavolo nero
To serve
- a handful basil
- to serve parmesan or another hard cheese, finely grated (see the rennet check below)
Method
- Soften the vegetables. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or casserole over a low-medium heat and gently fry the onion, celery, carrot, courgette and Halal beef bacon, if using, for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and oregano and cook for 1 minute.
- Simmer. Tip in the beans, chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, stock and bay leaf, and season. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
- Add the pasta and greens. Add the pasta and greens and cook for 10 minutes more.
- Serve. Ladle into bowls and scatter with the basil, some grated cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.
How this recipe was researched
Method adapted from BBC Good Food's 'Classic minestrone soup' by Esther Clark (serves 6: 1 onion, 1 celery stick, 1 carrot and 1 courgette finely chopped and fried gently with 70 g diced smoked pancetta in 3 tbsp olive oil for 10 minutes; 1 crushed garlic clove and ½ tsp dried oregano for 1 minute; a 400 g can of cannellini beans, a 400 g can of chopped tomatoes, 2 tbsp tomato purée, 1.2 litres vegetable stock and a bay leaf simmered 30 minutes; 70 g small pasta and 100 g kale, chard or cavolo nero for 10 minutes more; basil and grated parmesan to serve). We replaced the pancetta with the same weight of Halal-certified beef bacon, or none for a meat-free soup; that swap is ours. Timings follow the published technique rather than a kitchen test.
Technique and ingredient sources
-
Classic minestrone soup — BBC Good Food
Retrieved:
By Esther Clark. Serves 6, prep 15 minutes, cook 50 minutes: onion, celery, carrot, courgette and 70 g smoked pancetta fried 10 minutes, garlic and oregano, cannellini beans, tomatoes, purée, 1.2 litres vegetable stock and bay simmered 30 minutes, 70 g small pasta and 100 g greens for 10 minutes, basil and parmesan. We replaced the pancetta with Halal beef bacon or none.
-
Bacon analysis — isithalal.food
Retrieved:
Why pork bacon is Haram, and when beef and turkey bacon are Halal.