Day 7 - Vegetarian Minestrone Overflowing with Goodness

This is a vegetarian version of an Italian classic. The traditional minestrone is started off by sautéeing some nice pancetta or smokey bacon before adding your veggies. It is still 98% veggies so feel free to add bacon if you want to splurge. 

There are 7 good reasons to eat this soup:

Garlic

Carrots

Onions

Leeks 

Cabbage

Courgettes (zuchinni)

Tomatoes

 My grandmother used to make me eat garlic sandwiches (whole cloves stuffed into a hunk of Italian bread) when I was coming down with a cold. I'm pretty sure I didn't smell very good the next day but it usually worked. This soup might be a more socially acceptable way to fight a cold. It is so chock full of veggies that you almost can't even call it a soup! It's got a nice peppery sauce that, when topped with grated parmesan, is comfort in a bowl.

Vegetarian Minestrone

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 carrots, diced

1 large onion, diced

1 large leek, diced

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

4 cups of finely shredded green (Savoy) cabbage

2 courgettes (zuchinni), diced

1 large potato, diced 

9 cups (just over 2 liters) of vegetable broth or 9 cups of water and 3-4 organic vegetable bouillons

(the bouillons are usually 1 bouillon per 2 cups of water but I prefer to lesson the ratio and just flavor the soup with sea salt 

4 Tablespoons Tomato Paste (tomato concentrate)

6 Tablespoons Chopped Flat Leaf Parsley

3 Teaspoons Dried Oregano

2 1/2 Teaspoons Dried Basil

1/2 - 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh cracked black pepper 

(if you are making this with the hopes of your children eating it 1/2 teaspoon is enough but it is very nice with a bit of a kick so add more if you don't need to worry about kiddies)

Salt, to taste

1 can of red kidney beans, drained (If you want to be REALLY good you cook about 1/2 cup dried beans and add them)

1/2 - 3/4 cup of small whole wheat pasta

4 small ripe tomatoes, diced - plum (roma) tomatoes are good but the nicest ripe ones I found at the market this week were the little beefsteak tomatoes - yummy!!

Good quality grated Parmesan Cheese 

Heat the oil in a very large stock pot and saute the carrots, onions, leeks and carrots until soft and caramelized, about 10 minutes.

Add the cabbage and zuchinni and saute about 2 minutes. Pour in the stock and add the tomato paste, 4 tablespoons of the chopped parsley, oregano, basil, pepper and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes. 

Add the pasta and beans and simmer until pasta is tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and remaining parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm with a generous spoon of Parmesan sprinkled over the top. 

Kiddie Note - My girls, ages 3 and 1, are pasta monsters. So I just made a bit of extra whole wheat pasta on the side and stirred it into their bowls. They are so excited to see the pasta they don't even ask what the cabbage and beans are.

Voila!

These are the Whole Wheat Cheddar and Flaxseed Crackers I made for the girls. They loved them. I promise to write recipe tomorrow!