I’m not sure what the qualifications are for a soup being called minestrone but I started with this minestrone recipe from MrsWheelBarrow. I halved it roughly, although it was so good I’m questioning that decision! I used a can of lima beans, drained, rather than dried, left out the sundried tomatoes because I had none, a bit more regular tomato paste rather than double strength, which I’ve never even seen, used a yellow zucchini rather than green because I had one and used regular green cabbage rather than Savoy because I had one. (Mainly, I’ve been treating the chickens to a few leaves of it now and then.) I also used homemade chicken broth rather than vegetable broth. And I left out the garnish of grated Parmesan because it tasted so darn good already. Served it with some homemade crusty bread and it was perfect.
This was ready much faster due to using canned beans. Pre-cooked beans from your freezer would work as well. Minestrone is nothing if not flexible!
Peel and slice the onions and then prep the rest of the vegetables while the onions cook.
Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 1 large onion peeled and sliced
- 2 carrots peeled and cut in 1/2" dice
- 1 stalk of celery cut in 1/2" dice
- 1 yellow zucchini cut in 1/2" dice
- 2 cups green cabbage sliced thinly
- 1 15- oz can lima beans drained
- 2 Tbs tomato paste
- 1 quart homemade chicken broth
- a bit of Parmesan rind
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat and cook the onions about 15 minutes, stirring periodically, until they are slightly browned and definitely golden. Mmmmm. Prep the other vegetables.
- Add the carrots and celery, salt and pepper a bit and stir, then let cook over medium heat until softened a bit, 3-4 minutes. I don't time it, just stir and watch. Add the zucchini and stir, then cook another few minutes. Stir in the cabbage, tomato paste and chicken broth. Add the Parmesan rinds if you have them. (They do add a good taste but once I over did it with the rinds so now I'm of the more is less mindset. I added a piece about 1" long.)
- Stir well and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring now and then, for half an hour or so.
Everyones ovens are different. I always check the filling by inserting a knife into the center of the filling or touching the top to ensure that it has set. If it has not fully set, I reduce the heat and let it bake longer.
I just loved it. I highly recommend this recipe to any soup lover out there.
LC, I’m so sorry it didn’t turn out for you. Did you use this recipe https://cheapcooking.com/Recipes/quiche.htm? I’ve used it multiple times. I do always jiggle the pan a bit to make sure the custard has set. What was wrong with the quiche?
Hi,
I just wanted to let you know that I tried you recipe for quiche that is up on your site (https://cheapcooking.com/index.htm) and it was horrible. The amounts looked off to me but I had never made quiche before so I followed your directions to the letter, or as well as I could since there appears to be some confusion about the baking times. You might want to re-check that one.
I always toss some Italisian seasonings and a small handful of pasta in this soup. Yours looks delish!