Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 1 onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 2 large carrots peeled and sliced
- 1 large zucchini diced in medium chunks
- 1 cup medium-diced potato
- 2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
- 2 cups frozen spinach
- 2 15-ounce cans fire-roasted chopped tomatoes
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 can of your favorite beans rinsed and drained, or a mixture of your favorite beans
- 4 1/4 cups vegetable stock or vegetable bouillon
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons dried or 2 Tablespoons fresh minced parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano &/or basil or an Italian herb mix
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup dry macaroni - preferably whole wheat - Acini di Pepe or small elbow macaroni
Instructions
- In a large casserole pan or soup kettle, saute onion, celery, and carrots in 1/2 cup vegetable stock with 1 teaspoonful of olive oil, until carrot is just starting to become tender.
- Add garlic and cook 1 - 2 minutes, do not let it burn.
- Add zucchini, beans cabbage, tomatoes, tomato paste, potato, spinach, remaining 4 cups of stock/bouillon, and the herbs and bay leaf.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover.
- Simmer for 1 hour, add salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook the pasta separately and add some to each bowl before serving, that way the soup doesn’t get too thick and the pasta doesn’t become overcooked and soggy.
- If you have left-over vegetables in the refrigerator that need to be used up, they can be added to the soup.
Notes
Serve with a nice crunchy sour dough bread for a hearty meal.
