Recipe: Minestrone

This flavorful Italian soup is both hearty and healthy… what could be better? Minestrone recipes are all pretty similar… lots of veggies… sometimes with meat added… you can use vegetable stock or a meat (chicken or beef) stock or broth as a base…. a soup for everyone…

This soup cooks up in a jiffy.. so it’s definitely a weeknight meal… we made a meal out of it with some fresh bread.

TIPS

I used beef broth as a base… I found chicken broth to be too bland… but either will work.

I used frozen cut string beans and chopped spinach… you can use fresh… if you use fresh string beans, then add them when you add the beans so they cook well enough by serving time.

I used baby carrots that I sliced… they just look better in the soup.

I used a “quick’ cooking dried pasta from Ronzoni … they have long thin elbows that cook in 3 minutes… it worked perfectly with this soup.

This soup recipe makes about 8 servings.. there really isn’t a good way to cut it back… since you are using full cans of beans… unless you use a half can of each type of beans.. and save the remaining beans for another use.

I used red wine… a Cabernet Sauvignon .. this is an optional ingredient.. but in my opinion adds a lot to the soup.. it gives it a full bodied flavor…

Hearty and Healthy!








Recipe: Minestrone

All you need:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 small zucchini, peeled and chopped
1 cup cut green beans
1 cup baby carrots, sliced
5 cups beef broth
2 cans (14.5 oz)Hunts Petite Cut Diced Tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans (the Hunts Tomato can) water
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup frozen spinach
½ cup red wine (optional)
2 cups dried pasta
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese (to serve with the soup)

All you need to do:

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat.

Add the onions, garlic, carrots and zucchini and cook, stirring frequently until onions are soft and translucent.

Add the beef broth, canned tomatoes, kidney beans, cannellini beans, water and spices. (Also add the green beans if using fresh green beans..if using frozen green beans add them later… see below)

Bring to a boil then reduce the heat.

Add the red wine and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the frozen green beans and spinach and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is cooked (use the cooking time on the pasta box).