Minestrone Soup

Lately, I've been craving a delicious bowl of Minestone Soup. But, I'm picky about my minestrone. It can't be too spicy, must have meat in it (I know, I'm weird), not too many beans, and the list goes on.

I've been looking recently for a recipe online that suits my needs. I finally found one on Skinnytaste, one of my FAV blogs (look it up, you'll love it).

The best part about this recipe? It uses my favorite kitchen appliance.

My crock pot.

Sorry, KitchenAid mixer.

The fact that I can throw this together in the morning and I come home to a house that smells like an Italian villa makes my heart sing. I DID change a couple small things in the recipe, but overall, it was wonderful to begin with.

Rinse and drain a can of white beans (I used cannellini). If you're not too fond of beans, puree them with a cup of chicken broth in a blender.

Chop up carrots, celery, onion, and garlic cloves.

Brown a pound of beef and drain.

In the crock pot, combine the beef, broth, diced tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic.

Add 1/2 cup of Worchestershire sauce and 1 1/2 cup of tomato sauce.

Add in a rosemary sprig, 2 tbsp of basil, a chunk of a parmesan rind, and a couple of bay leaves.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and cook for 8 hours on low.

Your house will smell amazing.

Promise.  :)

10 minutes before serving, cook 2 cups of pasta according to directions, drain, add to soup.

Remove bay leaves, rosemary sprig, parmesan rind and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Top with parmesan cheese when served.

Enjoy!

The one thing about this soup...it make A LOT. Soooo, next time, I think I shall half the recipe. Cuz, I must emphasize, it makes a TON of soup!

Minestrone Soup

(adapted from Skinnytaste blog)

1/2 onion, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb ground beef

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 (15 oz) can white beans, drained, rinsed

3 cups fat free chicken broth

1 1/2 cup tomato sauce (I used garlic seasoned)

1/2 cup Worchestershire sauce

1 oz chunk of Parmesan cheese rind

1 rosemary sprig

2 bay leaves

2 tbsp fresh basil

1 1/2 tbsp oregano

1/4 cup parsley (sounds like a lot, it's okay, I promise)

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups of pasta, macaroni elbows or ditalini (al dente)

extra parmesan cheese to top

Rinse and drain a can of white beans (I used cannellini). If you're not too fond of beans, puree them with a cup of chicken broth in a blender.

 Chop up carrots, celery, onion, and garlic cloves.

Brown the beef and drain.

In the crock pot, combine the beef, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic.

 Add Worchestershire sauce and tomato sauce.

 Add in a rosemary sprig, basil, parmesan rind, and bay leaves.

 Salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and cook for 8 hours on low.

 10 minutes before serving, cook pasta according to directions, drain, add to soup.

Remove bay leaves, rosemary sprig, parmesan rind and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Top with parmesan cheese when served.

Enjoy!