Tag: minestrone recipe

Hearty Minestrone

minestrone

This delicious and hearty soup comes from the Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook, and it is definitely a keeper. I like that it has a lot of vegetables in it, but it gets a boost of flavour from the pancetta (use bacon as a substitute if you don’t have pancetta) and the Parmesan rind. I throw the rinds into the freezer when I have them so I can put them in soups and sauces. If you don’t have one, just add a little extra Parmesan in at the end.

What you need:

  •  3 oz pancetta, cut into small pieces
  • olive oil
  • 2 celery ribs
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 small zucchini
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 small head green cabbage (I used Napa)
  • 1/8-1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 1 small hot pepper
  • 6 cups water
  • 2 cups chicken broth (homemade is best)
  • 1 Parmesan cheese rind
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 & 1/2 cups V8 juice
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
  • grated Parmesan cheese

What you do:

  1. Chop the celery, carrot, onions and zucchini into 2cm pieces.
  2. Heat a little olive oil in a very large pot oven medium heat, then add the pancetta. Cook until it is lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes. Add the chopped vegetables and cook, stirring often, for 5-9 minutes.
  3. Add the garlic, cabbage, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and pepper flakes and cook for a minute or two, or until the cabbage begins to wilt. Place the vegetables on a baking tray and set aside.
  4. Add the beans, water, broth, Parmesan rind and bay leaf to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes.
  5. Add the vegetables and V8 juice to the pot and cook about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
  6. Discard the bay leaf and Parmesan rind. Stir in the basil and add salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Serve with olive oil and Grated Parmesan cheese.

Whitewater Minestrone

trust in kim - whitewater minestrone

I’ve been working my way through the Whitewater Cooks cookbook, and I’m loving everything I make.  I love a soup that is a meal in a bowl, with lots of veggies and some protein, and of course lots of flavour.  This one is perfect, and I enjoyed the leftovers in my lunch all week.  You know it’s good when you can eat it for many days in a row!

This is a large recipe, enough to feed eight, or two for several days.

What you need:

4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces

1 tablespoon butter (olive oil to make it dairy-free)

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 carrots, diced

1 large onion, diced

1 leek, cut in half, then sliced thinly

3 cups shredded green cabbage (I used savoy)

1 small potato, peeled and diced

4 cups chicken stock

2 cups beef stock

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup red wine

5 tablespoons parsley

2 teaspoons dried oregano

3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

1 teaspoon black pepper

salt to taste

1-14 oz tin kidney beans, rinsed

1 small can cherry tomatoes (or a few fresh tomatoes)

1/2 cup small pasta (I used Christmas tree shaped pasta because that’s all I had, but you can used macaroni or orzo, or whatever you have)-optional, or substitute    with gluten-free of you need to

parmesan rind (if you have it – I had one, so I threw it in while the soup cooked, and pulled it out before serving.  I didn’t even put parmesan on top)

parmesan to garnish

(the recipe also called for twice as much potato, butter, and a zucchini)

What you do:

1. Fry the bacon in a large pot.  When it is cooked but not crisp, remove and drain it on paper towels.  Remove the bacon fat from the pan.

2. Add the butter, garlic, carrots, onion and leeks to the pot.  Sauté until the onions are translucent.

3. Add the cabbage, potato, stocks, wine beans, canned tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring this to a boil, then reduce the heat and add the oregano, 2 tablespoons of parsley, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.

4.  Add the pasta and cook until it is al dente.

5. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.  Add the rest of the parsley and the basil.

Serve with parmesan, if you wish.

I didn’t freeze any of this soup because I don’t like potato in soups when it has thawed; I find that it just falls apart, and I don’t like the texture after freezing.