As much as I enjoy transforming leftovers into bestovers, I love working with quality products. For example, I threw together a batch of easy minestrone soup to utilize a bunch of good ingredients in the fridge and pantry, including:
- House-cured bacon from Belcampo
- Fresh produce from Cal-Organic Farms, County Line Harvest, Eatwell Farm and Green Thumb Organics Farms
- Bianco DiNapoli whole peeled tomatoes
- Zoup! chicken broth
Needless to say, the finished dish was delicious! Despite the warm weather, I’ve been downing a bowl of easy minestrone soup for lunch and dinner.
If you’re trying to up your veggie intake, give this recipe a go. And feel free to customize it to suit your taste or what’s in season. Serve easy minestrone soup with crusty bread for a satisfying meal any time of the day.
Recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver.
Easy Minestrone Soup
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into lardons
- 1 red onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 small leek (white and light green parts only), quartered lengthwise, thinly sliced and rinsed
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 large Yukon Gold potato, diced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup ditalini or other short pasta
- 4 cups packed torn kale leaves
- 8 fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- finely grated Parmesan cheese (for topping)
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until fat renders, 3-5 minutes.
- Add next eight ingredients (onion through dried oregano) and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Add tomatoes with juice, crushing with your hands as you add them, and ⅓ cup water. Add beans, potato and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Cook ditalini 2 minutes less than al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Add kale to pot with soup and simmer for 5 minutes. Add basil and cooked pasta and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with additional basil and Parmesan cheese.
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