Vegetable Minestrone Soup
Want a meal to be filling and super-healthy? ‘Soup’ is the way to go; the one with lots of veggies, beans of your choice, and some comforting pasta cooked in a tasty, spicy broth which is exactly what this ‘Vegetable Minestrone Soup’ is!
I love all the delicious cheesy food at ‘Olive Garden’ once in a while. But the next day, reality hits in and I cringe about all the unneccessary calories from the previous day’s feast! Then, I comfort myself saying it’s ok to indulge once in a while! :). Anyway, the best options at that restaurant to me are the garden salads and the soups. How good and lip smacking are they? So, last week I really wanted to make this soup and when I did to my delight it was really close to the one at the restaurant.
I used veggies, beans and pasta of my choice and cooked everything in a nice & lightly Indian-spiced tomato broth. I also used some dried basil that gave this soup added flavor and aroma. I served it with a simple rustic ‘Soda Bread’ and it was just yum!
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Serves: 4 or 5
Recipe
– Diced Tomato cans – 14 oz – 2
– Zucchini – 2 medium-sized – unpeeled & chopped into small chunks
– Carrots – 4 medium-sized- peeled and chopped into small chunks
– Cannellini beans can – 14 oz – 1
– Multi-Grain Pasta Elbows – 1n1/2 cup cooked/boiled and drained
– Oil – 2 tsps
– Onions – 1 small-sized
Spices-
– Bay leaf – 1
– Cinnamon stick – 1 small
– Cloves – 1 or 2
– Dried Basil – 1n1/2 tsp
– Ground Pepper – 1 tsp
– Red Chilli powder/Paprika – 1/2 tsp (optional)
– Salt – 1n1/2 tsp or as per taste
– Grated Parmesan Cheese – 1 tsp – only for garnish
In a deep sauce pan or pot, heat about 2 tsps of oil or butter. Add cinnamon stick, bay leaf and cloves. When they begin to splutter, add finely chopped onions and saute for a couple of mins until the onions are translucent.
In the meanwhile, boil water with a pinch of salt in another pot. Add pasta and cook for about 6 to 7 mins. When done, drain all the water and set the pasta aside.
Add the chopped zucchini and carrots to the sauteed onions. Now, add salt and ground pepper and saute for a couple of mins. Empty the diced tomato cans into the sauce pan now. Add the remaining spices – red chilli powder and dried basil to the tomatoes. Cover and let cook for atleast 5 mins.
Empty the cannellini beans into a bowl. Rinse under running water to drain out all the canned liquid and add the beans to the sauce pan. Also, add the cooked pasta now. Add about 2 cups of water, cover and let cook for about 15 mins. Give a taste test and adjust salt if needed.
Serve with a hint of grated Parmesan cheese as garnish and some bread to dip into it!
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Man! I wish there were a way to download that– it looks absolutely superb! And I swear I can almost smell it, too… : P“`
haha….that would be really good….if only we could simply download our fav food right from our computer screens! thanks much for stopping by!
beautiful soup! bright colours and the recipe is so perfect. yum
thanks a lot! 🙂 you must try it out!
Yes please! Oh I’m definitely making this is fall/winter! Thanks!!
you should! :)….it’s perfect for a chilly or a rainy day!
This minestrone looks amazing! Love the bright, red broth. The cinnamon and cloves must give a great flavor, got to try :).
thanks a lot!….yes, the spices sure gave a nice kick to the soup…you must try it out! :). the best thing is – make it in large quantities and you can have it for more than once throughout the week! 🙂