Basic Minestrone Soup
serves 4
Minestrone started as the classic “garbage soup." The idea is that you do not go grocery shopping to make minestrone, but use whatever you have on hand -- extra vegetables, canned goods, frozen vegetables or leftovers.
Read more about this recipe at VeganYumYum.
Olive oil
1 sweet yellow onion, diced
1-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15-ounce) can stewed or fire-roasted tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1 large carrot, diced
6 cups of hot water (or vegetable stock)
2/3 cup elbow macaroni
2 cups chopped kale, packed
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram and rosemary
Lemon zest to taste
prep: 10 minutes
total: 40 minutes
soup pot (with lid)
grater (or zester)
1. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in the soup pot and add onions. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. In the last minute of cooking, add the garlic.
2. Add tomatoes to the pot and simmer for another 4-5 minutes. Add the carrot and the water and bring to a boil. Add the tomato paste, bay leaf, and celery salt and cook until the carrots begin to soften. Then add macaroni and stir often, making sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan as it cooks. Once the macaroni is al dente, add in kale, peas and salt to taste. Cook for another minute or two until the kale and peas are heated through.
3. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with herbs, lemon zest and pepper to taste.
