Minestrone soup is based on an Italian name, with minestrone coming
from the word minestra which means soup. These soups are traditionally
fairly thick and can include a wide variety of vegetables and beans.
Some recipes even call for rice or some type of noodles. There is no one
particular recipe that is the right one because it is designed to be
open for interpretation to accommodate the vegetables that are in
season.
Originally it was consider a poor persons meal because of the collage of
leftover ingredients, but it is now endeared as a delicious hearty soup
that makes a great meal at any time, and especially in the winter.
This homemade minestrone soup is very much open to interpretation, so
feel free to add or change things to your liking.
Quick and Easy Homemade Minestrone Soup
2 cups zucchini, diced
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon powdered garlic
2 x 450g cans of chicken broth
1 x 400g can Italian style stewed tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 x 450g can of red kidney beans, drained
1 x 300g package of frozen peas and carrots, thawed
½ cup of uncooked small shaped macaroni
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese.
In a large pan combine the zucchini, pepper, garlic, chicken broth,
tomatoes, beans, peas and carrots. Bring them to a boil then reduce to a
simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the macaroni and simmer for another 10 minutes while stirring
occasionally. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and serve.
This makes about 8 cups and the recipe is easy to double. You can also
add other vegetables that you like such as mushrooms, corn, celery,
potatoes, cabbage, green pepper or whatever suits your taste buds. Some
cooks would add a pound of ground beef or maybe some bacon or ham to
this recipe.
You can also substitute the kidney beans with navy beans or white beans
if you like, even pinto beans, but most minestrone soups are based on
kidney beans. If you decide to use dry beans, you should probably cook
them first before adding to the minestone, or be sure to add plenty of
extra water and allow for extra cooking time. To keep it simple and
quick, just go with canned beans. They taste just as good.
Like most hearty soups, this homemade minestrone calls for fresh warm
bread to go with it, or at least some good tasty crackers.
