Vegetable Minestrone
photo by januarybride
- Ready In:
- 1hr 5mins
- Ingredients:
- 16
- Serves:
-
10
ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 small leeks, quartered
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 small zucchini, quartered, then sliced
- 1 medium potato, peeled, then diced
- 8 cups water
- 1 cup elbow macaroni
- 8 cups swiss chard leaves, chopped
- 1 (16 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen green pea, thawed
- fresh ground black pepper
- 1⁄2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 1⁄4 cup fresh parsley or 1/4 cup basil, chopped
directions
- In a soup pot or large Dutch oven, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks, celery, and onions, and season with a bit of salt (about a half-teaspoon). Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, zucchini, and potato. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
- Add the water and remaining teaspoon of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until all the vegetables are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add the dry pasta and Swiss chard to the soup and cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes. Add chickpeas and green peas, and continue to simmer until the pasta is cooked to the "al dente" stage. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Ladle soup into bowls and drizzle with remaining two tablespoons of olive oil, if desired. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley or basil. Serve immediately.
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Reviews
-
Definitely an easy and fresh veggie soup. This is my first time making a minestrone without a tomato base. This soup was very "green" LOL. I used mini cheese ravioli as my noodle and then subbed a yellow squash for one of the zucchini. I threw it all in the crockpot on high for 1 hour then on low for 2 hours and it was great. I added some sea salt, Spike seasoning and 2 bouillion cubes to give the flavor a bit of a boost, but all in all it was a fun and healthy soup. Served it with some quinoa bread. Made for Veg*n tag Aug 2009. I took a photo which I will upload when my laptop comes back from the shop. UPDATE: Leftovers today were even better than day 1. I also added some Greek Seasoning which did the trick. So good. Bumping you up to 5 stars :)
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This is a solid recipe, though I have to say I made several changes to make this to our liking. First I added about 2 extra cups of water, as when I added the chard and chickpeas it started to more resemble a stew. I was also very generous with the garlic and threw in a bit of bouillion; I wanted to follow the recipe to a T the first time but after a taste mid-cooking I felt it needed something. I didn't peel my potato, and used about 2/3 c pasta instead of a full cup. Make sure to follow the directions and simmer the pasta; I got antsy and turned the heat up and my pasta became mush. Thanks for posting; I love a good recipe that utilizes chard! Will definitely make this again. Made for Healthy Choices 2008.
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Followed the ingredients this 1st time around just to get a feel of what the finished recipe was meant to be like, & it does make for a VERY NICE TASTING VEGGIE SOUP! I was very pleased with the results & will be keeping this around for vegetarian friends of mine! Served it with a crusty rosemary & olive oil bread, which was great for cleaning up the bowl! Thanks for sharing! [Tagged, made & reviewed for a teammate in our vegetarian group in the Vegetarian/Vegan Recipe Swap]
Tweaks
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Definitely an easy and fresh veggie soup. This is my first time making a minestrone without a tomato base. This soup was very "green" LOL. I used mini cheese ravioli as my noodle and then subbed a yellow squash for one of the zucchini. I threw it all in the crockpot on high for 1 hour then on low for 2 hours and it was great. I added some sea salt, Spike seasoning and 2 bouillion cubes to give the flavor a bit of a boost, but all in all it was a fun and healthy soup. Served it with some quinoa bread. Made for Veg*n tag Aug 2009. I took a photo which I will upload when my laptop comes back from the shop. UPDATE: Leftovers today were even better than day 1. I also added some Greek Seasoning which did the trick. So good. Bumping you up to 5 stars :)
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Ravenseyes
Belcamp, Maryland
I am a wife, a mother, grandmother and foremost a believer. I love to cook and bake for if man does not live by bread alone let the bread we eat be the best that there is!
I love to read recipes and than experiment...make them mine...with my flare.
For if its wworth doing do it right!