I went through my garden to harvest what was ready or needed to be thinned. After a quick run through, I took a look at my pickings.
Swiss chard, baby gray zucchini, and green beans. Hmmmmm. Since it was overcast, soup pops into mind. And minestrone fits the bill. Now, I’m not a huge fan of tomato based soups, but I can make an exception if the veggies are from my garden, or if it is this particular minestrone soup. And since I can have both, well there you go!
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 carrots, sliced in 1/8 to 1/4 inch rounds
- 3-4 stalk of celery, sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced or pushed through a garlic press
- 4 large swiss chard or bok choy stalks, separate the stalks from the leaves,and then chop all of it (you can substitute 3 cups of fresh spinach as well!)
- 1-1/2 cups of fresh or frozen green beans
- 1 14oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1 8oz can of tomato sauce
- 4 cups of beef broth
- 1/2 cup of red wine (optional, but yummy!)
- 1 14oz can of cannellini or kidney beans (I used light red in this recipe)
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil (I’ve even used a tablespoon of basil pesto as a substitution!)
- 2 zucchini, halved and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1-1/2 cups of slightly undercooked pasta (I would recommend a mini penne, mini elbow, or something unique. No flat noodles! I used a campanelle for this batch)
- Shredded parmesan or Italian cheese blend for topping
- Salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot on medium high, heat the olive oil until it’s shimmering. Stir in the carrots, onion, and celery and sautee until they just start to brown. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about another minute.
Pour in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes (juice included), green beans and chard stems, and give a good stir.
Next add in the kidney beans, beef broth, and wine if you’re using it.
Bring the soup to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer. Stir in the chard leaves (or spinach), oregano and basil
then cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Next, stir in your semi-cooked pasta and zucchini.
Again cover with a lid and simmer for another 15-25 minutes until the pasta is cooked to “al dente” or still has a little tooth to it.
Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve sprinkled with shredded parmesan. Yet another recipe that gets even better the next day!!!!!
The Suburbanatrix 