My Minestrone

RSCN0185Makes 4 quarts soup or 10 servings

  • ¼ cup Olive Oil (or Canola)
  • 1 Onion – diced (approx. 2 cups)
  • 1 Leek – chopped (approx. 1/2 cup)
  • 2 ribs Celery – diced (approx. 1 cups)
  • 6 baby or 1 full Carrot – diced (approx. 3/4 cup)
  • 1 Red Pepper – diced (approx. 1 cups)
  • 1/3 to 1/2 Butternut Squash – diced (approx. 2 cups)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 3 cloves Garlic – crushed
  • 1 14.5oz. can Diced Tomatoes
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 1 tsp. Pepper
  • 1 tsp. Dried Thyme
  • 1 tsp. Dried Oregano
  • 1/3 lb. Green Beans – trimmed and cut into ¼” pieces
  • 1 Zucchini – diced (approx. 1 cup)
  • 2 quarts homemade Vegetable or Chicken Stock (see recipes)             (can substitute boxed)
  • 2 cups Arugula – finely chopped
  • 2 cups Baby Spinach Leaves – finely chopped
  • 20 Basil Leaves – julienned
  • 1 14.5oz. can Small White Beans – rinsed
  • ½ lb. Small Shell Pasta (Ditali,Tubette or other small shape pasta will work)

Boil the orzo in salted water. Drain and reserve the pasta when done. • Add the olive oil to a soup pot or Dutch oven. Heat pot on stove burner set to medium-low heat. Start dicing and chopping the veggies in order as they appear in the list up to the squash, putting them into the heated pot as each one is ready. (So you start with onions and end with squash.) Stir as you chop and add a shake of salt and pepper to start bringing out the flavors of the veggies. Finally, when all the veggies are in the pot, add the garlic and stir for another minute until you can smell the garlic cooking. Add the can of tomatoes with juice as well as the spices. Stir for a minute to allow the spices to heat. • At this point lightly emulsify (6-10 pulses) with hand blender/emulsifier or put several ladles full in food processor just to thicken the broth. Add the vegetable or chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add the green beans, zucchini, arugula, spinach, half of the basil, and the white beans and simmer on low heat for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, until the green beans are fork tender. • Add the pasta and simmer for another 5 minutes. Check and adjust seasoning. If soup is too thick, add a little more stock or water. Just remember to check seasoning and adjust if needed. Finally, add the rest of the julienned fresh basil before serving.

For more information on this recipe, check out my Blog Post…
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