Minestrone Soup

I often give my husband (and now son) a hard time because he could eat the same thing for lunch everyday. When we first got married, he took a turkey and cheese sandwich to work everyday for at least a year (no exaggeration either)! I on the other hand require a little more variety in my meals! The one exception to that seems to be soup...I could eat soup everyday for lunch without a problem. Although I'm sure it helps that I mix up the soups every week- so it isn't one type forever. I really love a good soup! In a pinch I will turn to canned soup, but I much prefer a homemade soup with more flavor and less sodium!

Last week, we celebrated my wonderful parents 50th wedding anniversary! That is such an accomplishment- especially in this day and it was certainly worthy of a celebration! So, we had a little Italian food feast! On the menu was Minestrone soup, salad, homemade Lasagna and homemade bread sticks with brownie cheesecake for dessert....yummm! This post is for the soup and the other recipes will be posted soon!

Again, after searching many recipes, I could not find one that I liked everything about so this recipe was created. It can easily be changed to your tastes!


Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 onions, chopped
4-5 stalks celery, chopped
5 carrots, chopped
3 cups chicken broth (I used low sodium)
2 cups water
1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine
1 (15oz) can light kidney beans, drained
1 (15oz) can green beans, drained
2 cups frozen spinach (do not need to thaw)
3 zucchinis, quartered and sliced
1 tbsp chopped oregano
2 tbsp chopped basil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup small seashell pasta
grated Parmesan for garnish

In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Saute garlic and onion for 4-5 minutes. Add celery and carrots and saute another 2-3 minutes. Add chicken broth, water and tomatoes and bring to boil, stirring frequently. Add red wine and reduce heat to low. Add kidney beans, green beans, spinach, zucchini, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer for 1 hour.

Cook the pasta in a separate pot according to package directions. Drain pasta and add to soup to warm. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with Parmesan cheese if desired. Makes 8 servings.



The soup has a really good flavor and lots of chunky vegetables! Enjoy!