MINESTRA - Italian Greens and Beans Soup

Talk about an old fashion Italian soup, well this one is it!  It's hearty, a "sticks to your ribs" kind of soup, a few easy ingredients, some fresh and some canned, and it doesn't take long to make, about half hour. It's a good one if you have to make it when you come home from work.  I had everything on hand but the escarole so I got that the day before I was going to make my soup. Escarole is from the chicory family and has a bit of a bitter taste unless it's cooked.  I also like it in a salad mixed with other greens and  vegetables.  Check it out in your grocery store, if you can't find it or just don't like it you can substitute spinach or arugula. This could also be made vegan/vegetarian by switching out the chicken stock for vegetable stock and omitting the pancetta. ENJOY!

Recipe below.

Simple ingredients for a delicious soup.

Saute onion, garlic and pancetta in olive oil.

Chop up the escarole.

Add to the pan, let it cook down.

Add the cannellini beans

Let it all come together so it tastes really great!

Getting piping hot.

All done and topped with parmesan cheese.  What better way to eat an Italian soup but topping it with cheese!

MINESTRA- Italian Greens and Beans Soup

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

5 cloves of minced garlic, could also use jarred minced garlic

1/2 cup pancetta, chopped

1 large head escarole, cleaned, washed and chopped

2- 14-15 oz cans cannellini beans, do not drain

32 oz. container of chicken stock, I used unsalted

Dash of nutmeg, more if you like, I used fresh ground

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh grated Parmesan or Locatelli cheese

Loaf of crusty warm Italian bread

Directions

In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.  Saute the onion, garlic and pancetta stirring while cooking, until the onions are transparent and pancetta is cooked, be careful not to burn the garlic.

Add the chopped escarole and cook it down until it is wilted.  Add the beans, stock, nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Cook for 10-15 minutes.  Serve piping hot with grated cheese on top and warm crusty bread.

 

Hearty, Healthy, Vegan Italian Tuscan Bean Soup

Soup is what's on the menu alot in my house lately.  With the cold weather in the air, it warms you and fills you up fast.  Soup is one of those dishes you can make out of anything that you already have in your pantry and/or refrigerator, it's that easy, and doesn't take long to cook.  I made Vegan Italian Tuscan Bean Soup yesterday, and the aroma all through the house was fantastic!  This is how I made it, recipe below. 

To print the recipe, click on it, highlight and print.

All of this went into my pot to make my soup.

 Chopped onion and celery, I even use the celery leaves they add great flavor and texture.

Add all the remaining ingredients and let it simmer on the stove.

 What you get when it's done, is a big bowl of flavorful soup for lunch or dinner, that not only tastes good but is good for you.  I topped mine with a few croutons and fresh shaved Parmesan cheese. To keep it totally vegan top with a vegan shredded cheese or cubes of tofu.  Dig in!

Vegan Italian Tuscan Bean Soup

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 large sweet onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

3 large carrots, peeled and diced

4 stalks celery with leaves, diced

1 green zucchini, cubed, leave skin on 

1 yellow zucchini, cubed, leave skin on

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, more if you like heat

2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon, dry

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped or 1 1/2 teaspoons, dry

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley or 2 teaspoons dry 

2 teaspoons kosher salt, or regular salt, omit or lower if watching salt

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

2 - 32 oz. containers vegetable stock, not broth

3 - 14.5 oz. cans diced petite tomatoes with juice

4 - 15.5 oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 bags escarole and radicchio mix, pick through for tough ribs

2 tablespoons raw sugar, optional

Directions

In a large soup pot heat the olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the onion and cook until tender.  Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes just until fragrant but not burnt.  Add the carrots, celery, zucchini, pepper flakes, thyme, rosemary, parsley, salt and pepper.  Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Add the vegetable stock, tomatoes, beans and sugar, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and add the escarole, stir to combine.  Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occassionally.  Just before serving, if you like your soup a little thicker and less chunky, you can use an immersion blender to smooth some of the texture of the soup. If you don't have an immersion blender use a regular blender/Ninja blender, but you will have to let the soup cool before you put it in the glass or plastic container, it will shatter!  Take 2-3 ladles of soup out of the pot and into another pan. Use the immersion blender to partially smooth it out, then pour back into the soup pot.  Top your soup with croutons and cheese before serving. Makes 10 - 12 servings.

It's a Great Day For Soup - Vegetarian Italian Minestrone Soup

It is freezing in my neck of the woods, it was 5 degrees when I went outside yesterday morning.  I had to drop my son off to get his car inspected, my car would not start, the retractable running boards on my car were jammed because they were frozen, and the lights on my dashboard were all frozen on. I immediately felt the cold as soon as I opened the garage door to go out.  It is dangerously cold weather for this region, it doesn't usually get this bad.  In less than a minute I could feel my hands freezing up and could not wait to get back inside where it was warm.  Today, 3-4 inches of snow already and more to come. UGGGHHH! I'm tired of the snow and cold, I need warmth.

So, on my return trip yesterday from dropping off my son, I decided it was an excellent day for a hot, hearty soup.  Is there any other way, besides alcohol I mean, to warm you up?  So I headed to the kitchen and this is what I made, Vegetarian Italian Minestrone Soup.  I am going to serve it with some grated Parmesan Cheese on top and hot crusty Italian bread on the side. Recipe below, to print the recipe just click, highlight and print.

 Buon Appetito!

To start I pull out all of my ingredients, it's easier that way for me so I am not running all over the kitchen.

 Olive oil, chopped onion and minced garlic.

 Carrots and celery, add to the pot with salt and pepper.  Add the stock and tomatoes.

 Drain the beans and chop that parsley, and add them in with the Italian seasoning.

 Stir it all up and let it simmer.  Then add the chopped kale.......

 and the pasta.  When ready to serve top with grated cheese.  Yummy!

 I can't believe I ate it all, it was sooooo good!

VEGETARIAN ITALIAN MINESTRONE SOUP

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil

4 carrots, chopped

4 ribs celery with leaves, sliced

1/2 large onion, chopped

3 big cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper

2 - 32 oz. boxes vegetable stock

2 - 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes

1 - 15 oz can diced tomatoes

2- 15 oz cans cannelini or kidney beans or one of each, drained

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf Italian parsley

2 cups small shell pasta, ditalini or any other small pasta, cooked

2 cups chopped escarole, kale or spinach

Grated Parmagiano - Reggiano cheese

Directions

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Cook and stir for 5 minutes, be careful not to burn the garlic.  Add the stock, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, beans, Italian seasoning, and parsley.  Reduce heat to medium, bring to a boil, stir occasionally. Start a pot of salted water for the pasta.  When water is boiling add pasta and cook until al dente.  Drain the pasta, then add to the soup along with the kale.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 2 hours. Serve with grated cheese and crusty Italian bread.
Serves 8 - 10.

Browsing The Market

I admit I am a foodie.  I love food, anything that has to do with food, cooking shows, cook books, collecting recipes, cooking and baking for my family, I am over the top.  I clip recipes just to clip them, not necessarily to make them.  It's a crazy obsession of mine.  Another crazy thing I do, I love to go to the market, see what's new, read labels, get good deals and sales.  I can spend hours in the store just looking, and maybe only buy a few items.  I went to Wegman's over the weekend, it's such a wonderful store, my favorite place, and was looking for interesting vegetables, things I have never tried before.  I found chopped escarole,  I didn't know what I was going to do with it, maybe put it in soup or a salad.  Escarole is a hearty green, that is part of the endive family, and is loaded with folic acid, fiber and vitamins A and K.  It can be tossed in a salad, lightly cooked or tossed into a soup.  I used the escarole to make a simple salad.  I used two plum tomatoes, an English cucumber, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.  A simple salad that was tasty, packed with nutrients and was good for me.  

Also while browsing the food market, I found these tasty little buggers and I had a great coupon!  French fries, who doesn't love them?  Well, now you can have them without all that fat attached to them, that would eventually be attached to you!  Check them out in the frozen potato section.