Hearty Minestrone

Submitted by DuChick

"This is a great vegetarian meal in itself. Add a panini or grilled cheese to the side for those two-handed eaters in your house. Small shaped pasta such as orzo or ditalini work best, but you can experiment with others. I find the flavors meld overnight and even tastes better as left-overs."

 

• Ready In: 26mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth or 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 (15 1/2 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped fine
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1⁄2 1/2 cup orzo pasta or 1/2 cup ditalini, is suggested
• 1 (16 ounce) bag frozen vegetables, Italian Blend is suggested
• 1⁄4 cup minced fresh basil leaf
• salt and pepper, as needed

directions

1. Bring broth, beans, and tomatoes to boil in large saucepan.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering.
3. Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
4. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
5. Stir in broth mixture and pasta and simmer until pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.
6. Stir in vegetables and basil and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
7. Season with salt and pepper.

Reviews

[Starrynews]

Wonderful soup! So flavorful and delicious, and very quick to make. I used chicken broth, shell pasta, and fresh carrots, zucchini, red pepper, and green beans. Thanks for sharing! PAC Spring '12

 

[Gerry]

Wow - we are soup lovers and this is another awesome soup for my soup collection. Other then using a selection of fresh vegetables I made as posted with chicken broth and ditalini ... and yes it looked as wonderful as in Peter J's photo which enticed me into the making! The best part - it tasted as good as it looked. Served with crusty rolls made for a lovely weekend lunch. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Peter J]

Really loved this! The fresh basil I had was in a sad state so instead used a combination of a little dried basil along with a combination of some fairly mild fresh & dried herbs. I also didn't have a can of cannellini beans so used a can of chick peas instead, that's probably worth a try because being a bit firmer they suited the soup perfectly.

 

[Sydney Mike]

Am not particularly a fan of mixed frozen veggies, so steamed a variety to use here ~ peas, carrots, a little corn, green beans (no limas), a little cauliflower & zucchini ~ & used vegetable broth instead of the chicken kind! Seasoned with lemon pepper instead of the usual S&P, & the result was a VERY TASTY soup, worthy of any table! Thanks for sharing! [Made & reviewed as a kidnapped recipe in the Aus/NZ Recipe Swap #16]