Lisa Cooks Minestrone Soup – It’s Cold!

It is 19° F in Chicago and very windy, a great day to bundle up and enjoy a nice hearty soup. How about some Minestrone? It is such a healthy soup and can be easily made vegetarian by replacing the beef stock with vegetable stock. You can use whatever pasta works with your families allergies; I used a potato pasta in this batch. Enjoy!

Minestrone
Serves 10



1 cup kidney beans
2 cups beef broth
6 cups water
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 large carrots, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 cup potatoes, sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup cooked rice, potato or corn pasta
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup cooked tomatoes

Soak kidney beans overnight and strain.
Place beans, beef broth and water in large kettle; cook 4 hours.
In a separate pan, sauté onion, garlic, carrots, celery and potatoes in extra-virgin olive oil on medium-high heat until tender.
Add vegetables to beans; cover kettle and cook slowly for 30 minutes, stirring often.
Cook pasta according to packaging instruction.
Add macaroni, Kosher salt, ground black pepper and tomatoes. Simmer 15 minutes.
Add more beef broth if you like your soup thinner.