how2heroes » Vegetable Minestrone

Print Recipe

Yields 10-12 servings

Ingredients

For Soup

3 tbsp olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large Spanish onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
4 large carrots, sliced
3 cups diced white cabbage
2 cans garbanzo beans (15 or 16 oz each), divided
15 or 16 oz can cannellini beans
15 or 16 oz can kidney beans
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
28 oz can stewed or peeled tomatoes (San Marzano suggested)
10 cups chicken stock (vegetable stock can be substituted)
2 cups tomato juice
2-3 bay leaves
2 tsp dried oregano
salt & pepper
2 tsp dried basil
2 zucchini, diced
2 summer squash, diced
1 lb fresh green beans, snipped
3 cups fresh spinach
¼ cup chopped parsley leaves
¼ cup chopped basil leaves
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar or reduction

For Pasta

1 cup ditalini or small ridged pasta, cooked according to package directions
ice water
olive oil
chopped parsley leaves

Serving Suggestions

Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
crusty bread or breadsticks

How-to

Heat a heavy-bottomed stockpot to medium-high heat and add the olive oil
Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic and cabbage and sauté for 10-12 minutes
Add the tomatoes, juices, stock, kidney beans, garbanzo beans and one can of the cannellini beans
Take the other can of cannellini beans and puree in a food processor until smooth and add to the soup along with the dried herbs and bay leaves
Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer, cover and cook for 35 minutes
Remove the cover and add the remaining vegetables, parsley, basil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and cook an additional 15 minutes
While the remaining vegetables are simmering, cook pasta according to package directions. Toss with 2 tbsp olive oil, and about a tbsp of the parsley. Set aside
To serve, spoon some of the cooked pasta into individual bowls. Top with the soup and stir to combine
Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and crusty bread or breadsticks

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Marjorie Druker

Marjorie Druker is the chef and owner of New England Soup Factory and co-author of New England Soup Factory Cookbook: More Than 100 Recipes from the Nation's Best Purveyor of Fine Soup. With her husband Paul Brophy, both Johnson & Wales University grads, they are the last word in soup in the Boston area. "Feed Your Body Well" is their motto and they live up to that mission statement. Delicious, healthy & aromatic soups have earned New England Soup Factory mention in "Restaurant and Institutions" magazine, "Nation’s Restaurant News," "Restaurant and Business" magazine and "Newsweek." In addition, they have received a Best of Boston nod four years running from Boston Magazine. Marjorie uses only the best ingredients and a devotion to her business to produce amazing gourmet soups, sandwiches and sides. If you're not lucky enough to live near a New England Soup Factory location, check out Marjorie's cookbook. Beautifully illustrated and painstakingly written, it's a must-have if you love soup.