Minestrone Soup

 

 Minestrone Soup

I don't know what has sparked my recent love of soup, but it's in full effect. Soup has been sounding good to me at all moments of the day recently, and this day was no exception. Mornings and nights have remained cold in San Francisco, despite it being April. I still am in denial about it, so I continue to wear flip flops to work and then wonder why I'm feeling under the weather. This soup is such a comfort for me, and a staple from my childhood, and was one of the only soups I would ever get near as a kid. I was the most picky eater in the world, up until...well, I'm not gonna lie, until college.

It's a filling soup, but doesn't make an uncomfortable full. I will definitely make this recipe over and over again, perfecting it to my tastes over time. But as a standard Minestrone, it certainly does the trick. I found this recipe in the most recent Food Network Magazine, courtesy of Ellie Krieger. The only thing I disagree with Ellie on is the amount of broth to add. We added 6 cups of chicken broth, and in the end there was a lot more ingredients than broth. The soup could have had a bit more liquid to balance it out. You can find the recipe online, as well, here.

 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1/3 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
6 fresh Roma tomatoes, cored and quartered
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 15-ounce can low-sodium kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup pasta (we used fusilli, but the original recipe calls for elbow)
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the celery and carrot and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green beans, dried oregano and basil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; cook 3 more minutes.

 

 

 

 

2. Add the tomatoes and the chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer 10 minutes. 

 

 

3. Stir in the kidney beans and pasta and cook until the pasta and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt. Ladle into bowls and top with the Parmesan and chopped basil.