Friday, April 10, 2009

Minestrone Soup

Here's a very simple and delicious soup for a cold day. The weather here in Syracuse has been cold and snowy for much of the past week, but seems to be warming up now. I wish I had made this a week ago when we were shivering!

It's a variation on the minestrone soup my mom always made when I was growing up. The only big difference is that I leave out ground beef, but outside of that it's the same. Everyone should have an easy, hearty soup in their repertoire. May I recommend this one?

Minestrone Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 can green beans, drained
1 can wax beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 large can diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon vegetable base
8-10 cups water
1 Tbsp oregano
1 Tbsp basil
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery. Stir and cook until vegetables begin to soften. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.

2 comments:

sara said...

would it be too goofy to use chicken boullion? I've never made a minestrone vegan or otherwise?

I'm glad the slut is back btw ;)

Cheryl said...

Any kind of stock would work. ;) Even water would work if that's all you have. And you can start the recipe with some ground beef (I'd say 1/2 to 1 pound), browned and drained, then continue the rest of the recipe as written That will give it more flavor without having to use stock.

My mom always served this with some fresh grated parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top.