Welcome back to another soup day. Today, we’re featuring one of my favorites: minestrone. It’s hard to beat a good minestrone with homemade bread. As much as I love a pureed soup like a tomato, or a carrot-ginger, etc. there’s something so much easier about serving a chunky soup to a 16-month old. The pasta in here is also a crowd pleaser with our three, five, and seven year olds as well. And it was also a hit with our sixty-five year grandfather. A three generation crowd-pleaser!
SOUP DAY: WEEK 4 | MINESTRONE SOUP
You can do a lot of variations on minestrone, and that’s what’s fun about it. As long as you have the onions-carrots-celery base, broth, tomatoes (diced or paste), beans, pasta, a green (zucchini or green beans), and some delicious herbs, you’re good to go. Don’t forget the fresh parsley, the Parmesan cheese, and the red pepper flakes. I personally like to add in a potato, but that’s just personal preference.
Minestrone Soup
Equipment
- Soup pot
Ingredients
- drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 4 celery ribs, diced
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 15-ounce can white beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup chopped green beans
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 russet potato, diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup small pasta of choice elbows, shells, orecchiette, etc.
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Red pepper flakes
- Grated Parmesan cheese optional, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the garlic, tomatoes, beans, green beans, broth, potatoes, bay leaves, oregano, and thyme. Bring to a boil and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Stir in the pasta and cook, for 10 more minutes, until the pasta is cooked through. Adjust seasonings as needed.
- Serve with parsley, red pepper flakes, and grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.