Minestrone Soup 🍲

Not sure what this emoji actually is but it’ll do! I’ve been making different versions of this delicious, filling soup since I was a newlywed. This is a complete meal in a bowl, especially if you’re a vegan or vegetarian. It’s hearty so it’s perfect for colder seasons, but I enjoy it all year. It’s very, very easy but appears so impressive due to all the components. I love when SF calls me and leads with, “you know what I could really go for right now?”  I always finish her sentence. Bff telepathy, especially when it comes to food😋.

Double this and freeze it. A light green salad 🥗 and a crusty loaf of fresh bread, and you are a culinary ninja. Delicious and perfect has nothing to do with effort.

Ingredients:

A cup each diced onion, carrots, and celery.

Two cloves minced garlic, or a tsp of garlic powder (powder to be used later in the process).

A box/ 4 cups vegetable stock or broth.

A large can of crushed tomatoes.

A can each of red beans and black beans, rinsed and drained.

A half a head of green cabbage, shredded.

Two cups large diced zucchini, green or yellow.

A tsp and a half of salt, half a tsp pepper.

A bay leaf.

Two tsp dried Italian seasoning.

Directions:

All seasonings can be adjusted to taste eventually if need be. Heat three tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot. Add the onions and sauté 3 min. Add minced garlic and diced carrots and celery. If the pot is drying and the garlic gets too well done, add a quarter cup of the broth to deglaze.

Cover the pot for two minutes to sweat the vegetables. This quickens the cooking process via steam. Veggies should be somewhat cooked but not mushy. Add broth, crushed tomatoes, and seasonings. Mix well, add bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil.

Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add cabbage and simmer another 20 minutes until it’s softened. Add zucchini and beans and simmer another 15 minutes or until the zucchini is fully cooked. If you like a minestrone with a ton going on, you can add extra vegetables like cubed sweet potatoes or parsnips, or cool whole wheat orzo separately and place in bowls before serving. A can of white beans or chickpeas can also be added. Or simply add additional veggies of the ones you already used in the basis of the recipe. Any root vegetable added requires time to soften, so add that to the part where you first combine the broth and tomatoes to make the base. This fragrant, healthy soup is made of clean ingredients that want to come together for a party in your belly 🤤. Invite them in! Have a souper day. Ugh, sorry. Couldn’t resist that one.