MINESTRONE SOUP

Freshly made hearty soup filled with vegetables and flavored with simple herbs and spices. So easy and very tasty. If you have never attempted to make soup from scratch, start with this one. You can make this and enjoy lovely hot soup for several meals. I made a double batch and put some in the freezer.

For a printable version of this recipe (with an itemized ingredient list and without photos) click here.

Use whatever leftover meat and vegetables you have in your kitchen. I used about a cup of chopped ham, some carrots, celery, potato, cabbage, beans, peas and onion.

Start by cutting the onion, carrots, celery, potatoes and garlic.

Heat a little oil in a large pot and saute the onions, celery and carrots over medium heat until soft, but not brown.

Then add the potatoes and garlic and stir together.

Continue to cook over medium for several minutes until everything is heated through.

Now add 4 cups of liquid. You can use water or broth or a combination of both. I used 2 cups water and 2 cups chicken broth.

Add a couple bay leaves and a sprig of fresh thyme. Use 1 teaspoon of dried thyme if you do not have fresh. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.

Cut the ham into cubes and add to the pot. Stir everything together, cover and let simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes.

Open a 15 oz can of kidney beans and a 15 oz can of white or cannellini beans. Drain the liquid off the beans.

Add them to the pot along with a small can of tomato paste.

Stir everything together, cover and let simmer for another 15 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprig and discard.

Now cut half a head of cabbage into thin slices. Measure 1 cup of pasta. Use any shape you have on hand. Break up spaghetti into 3 inch pieces if you have that. Measure 1 cup of frozen peas or green beans. Stir all that into the pot. It should be very full by now!

Add more liquid at this time if the mixture is too thick. Add 1 Tablespoon each of dried oregano and basil. Set a timer for 8 minutes and let the pasta cook over medium heat until almost soft, or al dente. If the pasta is still not done, cook a little longer, but keep checking it every couple minutes. The smaller the pasta, the faster it will cook.

When it is done, you have a lovely pot of soup! Taste it and add more seasoning if needed.

Enjoy with a sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese on top and warm piece of sourdough bread! This will keep for several days in the refrigerator and you can make extra and freeze some for later.

This soup comes together with very little attention from the cook. I put this together and did some laundry and read a magazine while it cooked. Not bad for a weekend morning!
Enjoy hot, hearty homemade soup for lunch or dinner. Try it and let me know how it turns out. I'd love to hear from you, please leave a comment or question below.