Recipe for Homemade Minestrone Soup

On a cold day, there's nothing like a nice hot bowl of soup. Contrary to popular belief, making a healthy, hearty homemade soup is not particularly difficult. And if you make a large pot of soup, say, on a Sunday afternoon, you can package it up into Tupperware containers and have some quick, healthy lunches and dinners for the week. One of the fastest (and easiest) soups to make is Minestrone. As an added bonus, it's healthy and delicious!

Tools

Large Soup Pot or Dutch oven with Cover

Chopping Board

Knife

Wooden Spoon

Vegetable Peeler

Measuring Cups and Spoons

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. Olive Oil

2 Cups Chopped Onion

5 Medium Garlic Cloves, minced

1 Stalk Celery, minced

1 Medium Carrot, diced

1 Small Zucchini, diced

1 Medium Pepper, diced

2 Cups Water

2 Cups Chicken Broth

1 14 oz Can Tomato Puree

1 Can Kidney Beans, rinsed

1 Can Cannelloni Beans, rinsed

1 Can Black Beans, rinsed

1 Cup Dry Pasta, Rice, or Barley

1 Tsp. Oregano

Fresh Black Pepper, to taste

1 Tsp. Basil

1 1/2 - 2 Tsp. Salt
Preparation Instructions:

Get a large soup pot or Dutch oven, and heat the olive oil up. Add in the onions, garlic, and salt. Sauté over medium heat for about five minutes.

Add the celery, carrot, basil, black pepper, and oregano. Cover the soup and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes.

Add the zucchini, bell pepper, chicken brother, water, and tomato puree. Cover the pot and simmer for about fifteen minutes. Add the beans and simmer for about five more minutes.

Add your pasta, rice, or barley (I like to use barley), and bring the soup to a soft boil. Boil until the pasta is tender.

Serve right away, or let it sit in the fridge overnight for the flavors to further mix.

This recipe makes about 6 to 8 servings of soup. If I'm making it ahead for a week's worth of meals, I'll often double the recipe. To make a vegetarian soup, replace chicken broth with 2 cups of water or vegetable broth.

The beauty of soup is that it's not an exact science…don't like something in the above recipe? Swap it out for something you do like. Play around with the quantities until you come up with a combination that suits your own personal tastes. The big thing to remember is that while few things offer comfort, warmth, and smiles like homemade soup, it is actually quite easy to make. Enjoy!