VEGGIE MINESTRONE

A friend of mine recently posted a link to a recipe for Minestrone that uses no meat, not even meat stock.  I was immediately curious about it for two reasons:  1) it uses no meat; and 2) it is chock full of vegetables!  

PHOTO:  Almost done!  I've just added the spinach, zucchini, beans and pasta here. 

I am not a vegetarian -- I don't think we were meant to limit our diet in this way -- but I do try to find ways to get more veggies into our diet, so this sounded like something I wanted to try.  So, using the linked recipe as a "template", I went to work customizing it to make it my own!  Honestly, I had my doubts about how much flavor it would have without a good stock for a base, but I was pleasantly surprised.  

Anyway, here is my version of this classic soup:

VEGGIE MINESTRONE

Makes 8 servings

3 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 large cloves of garlic, minced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 large celery ribs, diced

2 cups frozen cut green beans (thaw under cool running water; drain)

1/4 of a green cabbage, coarsely chopped

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes in juice, undrained

1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce

3 tsp. dried basil

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

8 cups boiling water

1 can (14 oz) cannellini beans (aka white kidney beans), rinsed and drained

2 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves

2 medium red or gold potatoes, peeled and diced

1 medium zucchini, diced

4 oz uncooked macaroni (any small shape you like; I used mini seashells)

2 tbsp beef-flavored soup base or 2 bouillon cubes (optional; I like the flavor boost this gives, but it isn't essential if you want this to be totally vegan)

Heat the oil over medium-high in a 5- or 6-quart Dutch oven or other large deep pot.

Add the onion and garlic, and saute until they just begin to brown.  Immediately add the carrots, celery, thawed green beans, cabbage, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce; stir to distribute.  Next, add the basil, oregano, sugar, sea salt and black pepper.

Now add the boiling water.  [NOTE: You can use cold water if you like, but you will need to bump up the heat and wait for it to come back to boiling -- it's just so much faster if you preheat the water.]  Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until the veggies are tender.  Stir occasionally.

It's time to add the cannellini beans, fresh spinach, diced potato and zucchini, and the pasta.  Continue simmering, adjusting heat as needed, until the potatoes are tender and the pasta is cooked.  Add more water, 1 cup at a time, if the pasta absorbs it too quickly.  

During this final stage, be sure to taste the broth and adjust the seasonings to your taste.  This is where I added the soup base;  I consider it a good move as it gave the broth an added depth of flavor, but you can skip it if you prefer.

Garnish each bowl with a generous sprinkle of grated Parmesan.  Serve with slabs of crusty French bread. 

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NOTE:  This is a very hearty soup, almost a veggie 'stew'.  If you prefer it soupier, simply cut back on the veggie ingredients by about 25%.

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My husband is very particular about his food, so when he went out of his way to poke his head into my 'office' just to tell me "that's some GOOD minestrone", it was high praise indeed :-)