Hearty Minestrone Recipes

HEARTY MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add broth, water, potato, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.
• Add orzo and cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, for 5 minutes. Add beans and zucchini and continue to cook, partially covered, until the vegetables and pasta are tender, about 8 minutes more.
• Stir in spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Season the soup with vinegar. Ladle into bowls and garnish with Parmesan.

HEARTY MINESTRONE SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook the sausage until no longer pink. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towel to drain, reserving 1 tablespoon of drippings. Saute celery and onion in drippings for 5 minutes. Add sausage and remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

HEARTY MINESTRONE

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook the pork, celery and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. , Stir in the tomatoes, beans, tomato juice, tomato sauce, broth, carrots, zucchini, Italian seasoning, salt, sugar if desired and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until carrots are tender. , Transfer 6 cups of soup to a freezer container; cool. Freeze for up to 3 months. Add water and pasta to remaining soup; bring to a boil. Cover and cook until pasta is tender. , To use frozen soup: Thaw in the refrigerator; transfer to a large saucepan. Stir in water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Add pasta; cover and cook until tender.

HEARTY VEGETARIAN MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add carrots and celery; cook and stir until soft, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Stir in green beans, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper; cook for about 5 minutes. Add diced and crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth; bring to a boil. If it looks too thick, add a bit of water.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in kidney beans, cannellini beans, and macaroni; cook until pasta is tender yet firm to the bite, 7 to 10 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper, if needed.
• Ladle into bowls and garnish with Parmesan-style cheese and fresh basil.

HEARTY SLOW COOKER MINESTRONE SOUP

Steps:

• Add first 15 ingredients to 6 quart or larger slow cooker. Stir to combine, cover, and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, or HIGH for 3-4 hours.
• 30 minutes before you want to serve the soup, add zucchini and ditalini pasta, stir, cover and cook on HIGH for 20-25 minutes.
• 5 minutes before serving, add in frozen green beans and baby spinach, stir, cover and cook on HIGH for 5 minutes.
• When serving, if desired, grate parmesan cheese over the soup and enjoy!

MAMA'S HEARTY MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat; cook and stir onion and garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add ground beef; cook and stir until beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Drain excess grease.
• Transfer ground beef mixture to an 8-quart stockpot; add chicken broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, and carrots. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until carrots are partially cooked, 10 minutes. Add zucchini, bell pepper, basil, oregano, salt, and black pepper; simmer until carrots are tender, about 10 more minutes.
• Stir broccoli and macaroni into soup; simmer until macaroni is cooked through but firm to the bite, about 10 minutes. Garnish with Parmesan cheese to serve.