Minestrone Soup

Although the weather has been really mild here in the Northeast, Winter is soup season. So I thought I would kick off the Winter with a recipe I found in this months Better Homes and Gardens magazine. The recipe is by Ellie Krieger. She focuses on healthier recipes which I love and am trying to stick with for 2012. This recipe was really easy and came out delicious! I made my own chicken stock from a rotisserie chicken last week so I used that instead of the store bought stuff which is totally fine too. My only modification to this recipe was that I needed to add 1 teaspoon more of salt once all the veggies and broth were added along with 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar. Otherwise, this recipe was delicious as is. I made a fresh loaf of french bread to go along with it for dunking. Enjoy!

Also one tip of advise, chop all of your veggies before you start cooking. You will need to add your veggies quickly so avoid burning what is on the pot and prep before.

Minestrone Soup

Recipe by Ellie Krieger in BHG.com

Serves 8

Ingredients:

large onion, diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 ribs celery, diced (1/2 cup)

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1 medium zucchini (about 8 ounces), diced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon salt (I used 2 teaspoons)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or low-sodium chicken broth (48 ounces)

1- 28 ounce cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes

1- 45 ounce can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes

1- 15 ounce can low-sodium cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup whole grain elbow pasta

1/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 teaspoon sugar (I used this once soup had simmer for 10 minutes)

Directions:

Prep your veggies before you turn the oven on.

In a large soup pot over medium-high heat cook and stir onion in hot oil for 4 minutes or until translucent.

Add garlic; cook for 30 seconds.

Add celery and carrot. Cook and stir for 5 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften. Add zucchini, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

I made my own chicken broth the week before so I used this. However if you don't have any onhand, store bought works too.

Add the broth and the diced and crushed tomatoes. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat to medium low. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Taste your soup now. I added 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar.

Add the beans and pasta. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until pasta and vegetables are tender. Top servings with cheese and parsley.

Make it vegetarian by using vegetable broth instead of chicken stock.

Enjoy!