Traditional Minestrone Soup

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Traditional Minestrone Soup is a perfect weeknight dinner that’s packed full of colorful vegetables, beans, and pasta simmered in a rich and flavorful tomato broth. Plus, it’s vegetarian-friendly!

I woke up at 5:00 a.m. this morning thinking about my traditional minestrone soup, so I couldn’t wait to get in the kitchen this afternoon to cook up a huge batch of the stuff. Soup is my all time favorite thing to cook, especially when the weather permits it. It’s been rainy and gloomy these last few days — so I’ve had the perfect excuse to satisfy my craving! Let’s get cooking!

How to Make Traditional Minestrone Soup:

Step 1: Begin by chopping up all those veggies — the onion, celery, carrots, and bell pepper. Remember to cut them into similar shapes and sizes, so they all have the same cooking time; except for the garlic which should be minced.

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Step 2: Heat 1-2 tablespoons of EVOO in a large pot over medium heat, and add the vegetables. Cook, or sweat the veg, until their softened and aromatic, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the fresh herbs and season to taste with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.

Step 3: Stir in 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute or so. This allows the tomato paste to caramelize and its flavor to completely develop.

Step 4: Add the kidney beans, diced tomatoes, and vegetable stock. Bring it to a boil and reduce it to simmer, or BTB-RTS as Chef Anne Burrell says.

I used black kidney beans and rinsed them before adding them to the pot, but that is just my personal preference. I used canned diced tomatoes with all of their liquid.

Step 5: In a separate pot, boil the pasta according to the packaged directions and add to the soup.

You should boil the pasta separately because it will absorb all that delicious broth, and replace it with starch and gumminess — which is sooo not tasty. Listen to me and do what I say, because I am always right! 😉

After that pasta is fully cooked, it can be added to the soup and errbody can come together at last.

And that’s all she wrote!

Serve with some nice crusty bread and garnish with grated parmesan, parsley, red pepper flakes, and olive oil for some added richness. Yum!

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Traditional Minestrone Soup

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Traditional Minestrone Soup is a perfect weeknight dinner that's packed full of colorful vegetables, beans, and pasta simmered in a rich and flavorful tomato broth.

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Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 large celery stalk
• 1 large (green, red, or yellow) bell pepper
• 2 medium-large carrots
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 2 sprigs of rosemary
• 2 springs of thyme
• 14.5 ounces of diced tomatoes, canned.
• 14.5 ounces of (red, black, or white) kidney beans
• 4-6 cups of vegetable stock
• 16 ounces of small pasta like ditalini or elbow noodles
• salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes - to taste

Instructions

1. Chop and sweat the onions, celery, bell pepper, carrots, and garlic in a large pot in olive oil over medium heat until tender. Season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, rosemary, and thyme.
2. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the kidney beans, diced tomatoes, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer.
4. In a separate pot, boil the pasta according to the packaged directions and add to the soup.
5. Serve and garnish with grated parmesan, parsley, red pepper flakes, and olive oil.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 249Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2289mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 6gSugar: 11gProtein: 10g

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