Winter Food

It was 60 degrees on my drive to work today! January 5th and 60 degrees. Crazy But it's still winter which means soups and stews to me. My 12 year old son has turned into quite a little sous chef and took care of all the peeling, chopping and can-opening for me and together, we made the most delicious soup a few days ago. The recipe is from allrecipes.com. The only change I made was to leave out the carrots (because I forgot to buy them) and when I served it, I put some croutons and parmesan cheese on top. I also needed to add approx. 2 more cups of broth. I tried to take a picture but it didn't turn out. I served it with a rosemary olive oil crusty bread and some italian red wine.

Jamie's Minestrone

Submitted by: Jamie Rated: 5 out of 5 by 488 members

Prep Time: 35 Minutes Cook Time: 50 Minutes

Ready In: 1 Hour 25 Minutes Yields: 8 servings

"I created this soup after becoming tired of the excess salt and lack of veggies in canned minestrone. I recalled a great bowl of minestrone that was overflowing with rich vegetables at the 'Sheepherder's Inn' in Sacramento, California. Great with a hearty bread, romaine salad and a nice Merlot!"

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons olive oil 3 cloves garlic, chopped 2 onions, chopped 2 cups chopped celery 5 carrots, sliced 2 cups chicken broth 2 cups water 4 cups tomato sauce 1/2 cup red wine (optional) 1 cup canned kidney beans, drained 1 (15 ounce) can green beans

2 cups baby spinach, rinsed 3 zucchinis, quartered and sliced 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup seashell pasta 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese for topping 1 tablespoon olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large stock pot, over medium-low heat, heat olive oil and saute garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Add onion and saute for 4 to 5 minutes. Add celery and carrots, saute for 1 to 2 minutes.
2.	Add chicken broth, water and tomato sauce, bring to boil, stirring frequently. If desired add red wine at this point. Reduce heat to low and add kidney beans, green beans, spinach leaves, zucchini, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, the longer the better.
3.	Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until tender. Drain water and set aside.
4.	Once pasta is cooked and soup is heated through place 2 tablespoons cooked pasta into individual serving bowls. Ladle soup on top of pasta and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Spray with olive oil and serve.