Minestrone Soup
Author: 
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Dinner
 
This flavorful soup is filled with fresh veggies and is perfect for family dinner, and leftover lunches.
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 minced garlic clove
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 1 leek, washed and sliced thin
  • 1 tbsp. chopped parsley
  • 1 tbsp. dried thyme
  • 6 oz tomato paste
  • 1 can chopped tomatoes, undrained
  • 3 celery stalks, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 zucchini, diced
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • salt pepper to taste
  • 1¼ cup white beans
  • Fresh, hot cooked pasta
  • Pecorino Romano cheese for sprinkling
Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil oil in large pot.
  2. Add garlic, onion, leek, parsley and thyme and cook until soft.
  3. Add tomato paste with two cans of water and cook for 5 minutes.
  4. Add all remaining ingredients except beans.
  5. Simmer, covered for 1 hour.
  6. Add beans and heat.
  7. Serve over hot cooked pasta and sprinkle with freshly grated pecorino romano cheese.
  8. Note : Cutting a leek can be challenging if you have never done it before. First, cut of the rough green stem. then slice the white part in half. Rinse WELL. Place flat part down on cutting board. Slice the long way twice and then slice across all the way down the leek. Repeat with other half.
  9. Note: Do not mix soup with pasta when storing. The pasta will soak up all of the liquid in the soup which will leave with more of a pasta dish when you come back to it the next day. This is also very tasty, but if you were hoping for soup, it can be a bit unexpected. Store soup and pasta separately.
Recipe by Girl and Her Kitchen at http://www.girlandherkitchen.com/2012/03/minestrone-soup.html