Okay guys. I perfected minestrone soup. Okay maybe that's a lie, but I perfected a recipe for my taste for sure! Honestly I really love minestrone soup. I love hearty it is and rich in flavour. It's perfect for the cold weather here in Edmonton in the winter.
I've been making so many soups lately and this one I'm proud enough to write down the recipe. Ha ha. It's completely vegan, but you can use a beef or chicken stock instead to make it non vegan/vegetarian.
Minestrone is a "big soup", meaning a soup with lots of stuff in it. Usually full of beans, pasta and veggies. I don't really know what a traditional recipe is, so I'm assuming mine isn't traditional, but honest it compares to an Olive Garden one in my totally biased opinion. Ha ha. So here is what I used.
Ingredients:
- olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 red onion
- 3 stalks of celery
- 3 carrots
- 1/4 of a red cabbage
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 small can of tomato paste
- 5 cups of stock (half was homemade I had leftover and half was store bought)
- 1 cup uncooked pasta (I used small shell shaped, I think traditional is elbow)
Preparing:
- Heat oil in a large pot.
- Add chopped garlic, onions, celery and carrots. Saute a bit until onions are translucent and veggies are a bit soft.
- Add the chopped red cabbage, tomatoes, tomato paste and stock.
- Allow to cook for a while at a low simmer. I don't give a time frame because it will depend on the time you have. The longer it cooks I find the better the taste. I personally let it cook for about an hour.
- The last 15-20 minutes add the pasta. Cook until tender and serve.
Of course the best way to eat this is with some cheese on top and some bread sticks, but I've been eating this for lunch and dinner just as it is for two days!
Enjoy!
Love, Jen The Bitchin' Housewife
