I was feeling a little inventive Tuesday afternoon. I took the day to watch old movies on TCM… it’s a hobby I don’t get to do very often. After having a late lunch of Green Salad with Oil&Vinegar Dressing, I decided to make a soup to use up some of the vegetables we had in the refrigerator. We’re going to be going back up to Washington D.C. area again this week.
So I consulted with my cookbook “Recipes for Life” and decided to make a Minestrone Soup with some extra veggies (cauliflower). So I literally threw this soup together and warmed up a loaf of Whole Wheat Bread and we were ready to sit down for dinner.
My Minestrone Soup:
Ingredients:
8Cups Distilled Water
1Cup White Beans
1/2 Spinach Pasta
2Tbls Olive Oil
1Onion, Chopped
2Cloves Garlic, Chopped
2Medium Carrots, Chopped
2Stalks Celery, Chopped
2Potatoes, Peeled & Cubed
4Tomatoes, Cubed
1Small Zucchini, Cubed
1/2Green Beans, Sliced
1Cup Cauliflower
1Tbls Dried Basil
1Clove Garlic, Whole
1Tbls Oregano
1Tbls Thyme
Directions:
Rinse and soak White Beans according to the package instructions. Discard water and add fresh water. Cook according to package instructions, omitting salt and set aside.
Cook pasta according to package instructions, omitting salt, drain and set aside.
Heat Olive Oil in a large, heavy pan over medium-high heat. Add Onion, Garlic, Carrots and Celery. Sauté until Onion is translucent. Add Potatoes, Tomatoes, Zucchini, Green Beans, Cauliflower, and water. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Add White Beans and Pasta. Add more water if soup is too thick.
In a blender process Basil, one whole clove of Garlic and 1Cup of Soup from the pot until smooth. Return this mixture to the soup. Mix well and serve hot.