Marvelous Minestrone Soup

BecR's Note:

Quick Italian vegetable soup with orzo pasta and plenty of vegetables, it's a whole meal in a bowl that's fancy enough for company! All you need are crusty rolls and Italian gelato for dessert. Cool days, changing leaves, satisfying soup...mmmm, I love fall. From the newspaper.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion (for about 1 cup chopped)
• 2 celery ribs (for about 1/2 cup chopped)
• 10 peeled baby carrots (for about 1/2 cup thinly sliced)
• 1/2 lb fresh green beans (for about 1 cup cut)
• 2 (14 ounce) cans fat-free chicken broth
• 1 (14 ounce) can nonfat beef broth
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (15 -19 ounce) can cannellini beans
• 1/2 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 6 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Heat the oil on medium-high in a 4 1/2-quart Dutch oven or soup pot. Peel and coarsely chop the onion, adding it to the pot as you chop. Stir. Coarsely chop the celery and add it to the pot. Stir. Thinly slice the carrots and add them to the pot. Stir. Remove the tough ends of the green beans and cut them in 1/2-inch pieces, adding them to the pot as you cut. Stir.
2. Pour the chicken and beef broth into the pot. Add the tomatoes with their juice, tomato sauce, cannellini beans with their juice and the orzo. Cover the pot, raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. This will take about 5 to 6 minutes.
3. When soup comes to a boil, uncover and stir well. (The orzo sinks to the bottom.) Add the Italian seasoning and garlic. Boil until green beans and pasta are tender, about 9 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove soup from heat and ladle into bowls. Serve at once, garnishing each bowl with 1 tablespoon grated parmesan.

Reviews

[Blond one]

This is so good and super easy. I only had one can of chicken stock on hand so I added one cup of red wine and about 2/3 a cup of water as a substitution. It was delicious for last night with really good bread and even better with a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch today.

[carolinajewel]

I made it exactly as directed and it was awesome!!!! So easy and quick and SO delicious!!!! Minimum effort for maximum flavor!!!! Thanks for posting!

[Robbin in Texas]

Oh my gosh, I can't believe no one has tried this yet. This is the BEST Minestrone I have ever had! It has so much flavor. I added some turkey smoked sausage that I chopped in tiny pieces, and cook a little longer than suggested. Thanks so much for sharing!!!!