Friday Favorites...

Though I am not excited about the snow fall we received last night, it is perfect timing for this post. I've wanted to share this delicious soup recipe ever since I made it 2 weeks ago, but it seemed like a silly time to post a soup recipe because the weather was turning warmer. However, it's a perfect day to make a big batch of soup, so if you don't have a supper plan - consider making this!

Hearty Minestrone Soup

I found this recipe in a "Taste of Home" magazine and thought it looked super easy and very healthy. It also happens to be very tasty! I made a large batch, and I honestly assumed that my family wouldn't care for it because it doesn't have any meat in it and it calls for a lot of different spices. My plan was to freeze the soup and then take it out of the freezer for a quick meal, should I need one. So I was very surprised to find half of the pot of soup GONE, as I returned home one evening after making it. Turns out, my family loved it! My dad said it was so good that he hardly noticed the lack of meat. (And that is saying a lot from him, a self proclaimed "carnivore". LOL)

1 large onion
3 Tbsp E.V.O.O. (olive oil)
2 celery ribs
2 large carrots
1 C. chopped cabbage
1 medium green pepper
1 medium zucchini
6 garlic cloves
3 1/2 C. water
2 cans (14 1/2 oz. each) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 can tomato puree (15 oz)
1 can tomato sauce (8 oz)
3 tbsp parsley flakes
2 tsp. basil
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 C. small pasta shells

Saute onion in oil for 2 minutes. Add the other veggies and garlic and saute for 3 minutes longer. Stir in the water, tomatoes, beans, tomato puree, tomato sauce, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir in pasta and cook for 12 to 15 minutes.

That's the recipe. And I stuck to it for the most part, but made a few changes. For example, we didn't have any garbanzo beans and I didn't think one can would be enough for me (I like beans!) so I dumped in 2 cans of kidney beans. Also, we didn't have any fresh cabbage or zucchini on hand, so I used 1/2 bag of coleslaw salad we had frozen (for the purpose of putting it in a soup some day!) and some frozen zucchini. That worked great! I'm pretty sure that I put in more carrots and celery that it called for, too. I wanted that soup to be full of veggies!
And, I added more salt than the recipe called for, and I think I dumped in more cayenne pepper, too. Basically, I would suggest that you use the recipe as a guideline and personalize the soup how your family would like it!

Enjoy!