Minestrone Soup
This is an all time favorite soup and it is so filling. When I had come to US of A, this was the only soup I use to love at Olive Garden and wondered if I could ever make it. Finally I succeeded in making this a few weeks back and hubby says " this is better and doubtlessly much fresher in taste than Olive Garden" . What else do I want to hear! The good part about this soup is that it is loaded with so many vegetables and pasta that your kids will love it too! We usually have this along with home-made garlic bread (Recipe I will be posting soon) or if we are in a mood to indulge ,we have it before raviolis or lasagna. But this is a very good meal by itself too. On a busy day, I love making this as it gets ready in barely 30 minutes.If you are looking for weight loss, having this soup will definitely help you in achieving your goal.
Ingredients
- Vegetable broth : 5 cups,
- White onion: 1 small,finely chopped,
- Tomato: 1 medium,finely chopped ( I prefer sweet campari tomatoes or vine ripe tomatoes,but you can use any variety you like)
- Red kidney beans : 1 cup,boiled and drained,
- White beans: 1 cup, boiled and drained,
- Baby Spinach: 2 cups,
- Zuchhini : 1/2 cup,chopped,
- Green Beans: 1/2 cup,chopped,
- Carrots: julienned or shredded,
- Pasta: Your choice,boiled and drained, I prefer the small shell and the bow-tie ones,because they are loved by all at home. :)
- Celery: 1/2 cup minced,
- Garlic: 2 Tsp,finely chopped,
- Parsley: 1 Tbsp ( fresh),
- Oregano: 1 1/2 Tsp,
- Thyme: 1/2 Tsp,
- Basil: 1/2 Tsp,
- Olive Oil : 1 Tsp,
- Water: 2 cups
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a stock pot and add onions and garlic till the onions become translucent.
- Add the zucchini,celery and green beans and saute for 3-4 minutes.
- Now add the vegetable broth, carrots,tomatoes,beans ( both) and spices along with water and let it boil for around 15 minutes.
- Once the soup reaches a slightly thick consistency, add baby spinach and pasta and boil for 10 minutes more.
- The soup is ready to be served. You can add some grated fresh mozzarella cheese as well!
Substitutes
Many of my friends complain that they do not have some ingredients and are worried if they can get the same taste with some other substitute ingredient. Following are the substitutes you can use:
Original Substitute
Parsley Cilantro (use in half proportion)
Basil Tulsi (In India)
Thyme Ajwain (carom seeds)
Oregano Ajwain Leaves,Rosemary
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