This Minestrone or an Italian Soup is perfect for a rainy day and can be served as a main-meal. Meanwhile, I got inspired to make this hearty soup from one of our favorite Italian restaurants “Bertucci’s.” Their food and service were very good. I really like this soup because I can use whatever I have in the refrigerator such as tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, carrot, onion, celery, and snap peas. I also made homemade chicken stock that created more flavorful soup. So let me show you how I made it.
Ingredients
4 cups cranberry beans, cooked, or two 15 oz cans cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup small pasta shapes, cooked to al dente and drained
1 zucchini, halved, cut into thick strips and cubed
1 carrot, peeled, chopped
3 celery stakes, sliced, leaves included
2 tomatoes, diced
2 cups spinach, chopped
10 oz snow peas, chopped or green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
10 oz white mushrooms, quartered, I used king oyster mushrooms, cut and cubed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground curry powder
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
7-8 cups chicken broth
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 bay leaves
minced fresh parsley
Parmesan cheese to serve
Directions
Sock the cranberry beans over night and boil the beans until tender. Drain well.
In a large pot, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and minced garlic and cook until translucent. Stir in carrot, celery, and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add mushrooms and snow peas. Then add the chicken broth and bay leaves. Season with ground cumin, curry powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer. Add diced tomatoes and beans. Simmer on low and add chopped spinach. Finally, add cooked pasta and chopped parsley. Stir and simmer until the soup is piping hot. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
Serve the delicious Minestrone soup in a bowl with grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy ka!
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| Delicious ka! |
Lada's Kitchen 