Homemade Minestrone Soup

This weekend has brought Southern Ontario cold weather alerts with temperatures plummeting and wind chills hitting -30 degrees! With the immensely cold weather, there is certainly no better way to keep warm than by enjoying some hearty homemade Minestrone soup.Minestrone soup originates from Italy, so “minestrone” actually translates to “big soup”, which is a fitting name considering this hearty dish filled with veggies. I love to prepare soup at home since it allows you to use up the fresh ingredients you have in your fridge, have lower salt intake (than pre-made soups), and freeze extras for leftovers. Above all, making a soup is also great because you can easily increase your daily vegetable consumption by eating it like this.

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 45 minutes
• Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup green beans, chopped
• 1 cup cabbage, chopped finely
• 4 medium tomatoes, skins removed in hot water
• 5cups broth (chicken, vegetable or beef)
• 2 cups water
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup whole wheat macaroni uncooked
• ¼ tsp basil
• ¼ tsp oregano

Directions for Homemade Minestrone Soup:

1. Firstly, sauté onions in butter on medium-high heat for couple minutes until translucent.
2. Secondly, add in the raw carrots and celery with the butter and stir to heat through for up to 5-8 minutes and stir.
3. Next, add green beans, cabbage and tomatoes and stir to soften.
4. Subsequently, add dried basil and oregano to vegetables.
5. Following that, add broth to vegetables and two cups of water to dilute.
6. Afterwards, add kidney beans
7. Then, simmer on medium-low heat for 30 minutes covered.
8. Finally, cook pasta separately and add in macaroni to soup when cooked.

To finish, garnish with fresh Italian parsley and serve with parmesan cheese.

Homemade Minestrone Soup

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

There's no better meal in the cold winter than a Homemade Minestrone Soup. Filled with fresh veggies, this soup is both hearty and nutritious!

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Ingredients

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup green beans, chopped
• 1 cup cabbage, chopped finely
• 4 medium tomatoes, skins removed in hot water
• 5 cups broth (chicken, vegetable or beef)
• 2 cups water
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup whole wheat macaroni uncooked
• ¼ tsp basil
• ¼ tsp oregano

Instructions

1. Firstly, sauté onions in butter on medium-high heat for couple minutes until translucent.
2. Secondly, add in the raw carrots and celery with the butter and stir to heat through for up to 5-8 minutes and stir.
3. Next, add green beans, cabbage and tomatoes and stir to soften.
4. Subsequently, add dried basil and oregano to vegetables.
5. Following that, add broth to vegetables and two cups of water to dilute.
6. Afterwards, add kidney beans
7. Then, simmer on medium-low heat for 30 minutes covered.
8. Finally, cook pasta separately and add in macaroni to soup when cooked. Garnish with fresh Italian parsley and serve with parmesan cheese.