Hearty Vegetarian Minestrone
A hearty vegetarian version of my favorite soup. It's easy to make it vegetarian by using roasted vegetable stock instead of beef stock. By adding a leftover parmesan rind (I save them in the freezer for this soup) it adds extra flavor. (optional)
Ingredients
| 2 | tablespoons |
olive oil, extra-virgin
|
|
| 6 |
carrots
sliced on the bias |
* | |
| 4 | stalks |
celery
diced |
* |
| 2 | medium |
yellow onion
diced |
|
| 15 | ounces |
chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
drained |
|
| 30 | ounces |
kidney beans, canned
drained |
|
| 56 | ounces |
tomatoes, canned with juice
diced |
|
| 4 |
garlic cloves
minced |
* | |
| 8 | cups |
vegetable stock
|
|
| 4 | cups |
water
|
|
| 4 | tablespoons |
italian parsley
chopped |
|
| 3 | tablespoons |
basil
dried |
|
| 1 | tablespoon |
oregano
dried |
|
| ½ | teaspoon |
sage
dried |
* |
| 4 | whole |
bay leaves
|
* |
| 1 | pound |
pasta shells
brown rice or whole wheat |
|
| 15 | ounces |
green peas
frozen |
|
|
parmesan rind
to add to stock, optional |
* | ||
|
salt
to taste |
* | ||
|
black pepper
to taste |
* |
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat.
Add the garlic, onion, celery and carrots. Cook stirring frequently until the vegetables are beginning to soften for about 10 minutes. Do not brown.
Add tomatoes, beans, chick peas vegetable stock and water. Add the parmesan rind if using. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil.
Turn heat to low to maintain a steady simmer.
Add the bay leaves, basil, oregano, sage and Italian parsley.
Cover and let simmer slowly for 1 to 2 hours.
Meanwhile prepare the brown rice pasta shells according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
Just before the soup is finished add the frozen green peas and pasta.
Taste and adjust seasoning adding salt and pepper as desired. Check how much salt your canned tomatoes have you may not need to add much salt at all, if any.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 426g (15.0 oz)
