Reviewed: Nov. 17, 2009

Outstanding One change I did was instead of 4 cups of tomato sauce I used - 15 oz. of tomato sauce and 1 cup of commercial spaghetti sauce.

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Paula

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Nov. 13, 2009

My fiance declared this minestrone 'better than Olive Garden's'. And I agree! What I did differently: crushed tomatoes for tomato sauce; fresh green beans; much more spinach (stemmed and chopped coarse, even tho I did use 'baby'); just two zucchini; ditalini pasta. What I will do differently next time: blanch the green beans; use one zucchini (even two was *plenty* for us); maybe another can of beans; maybe a can of whole tomatoes, broken up. I think keeping the pasta separate is key! I used the ditalini based on another reviewer's suggestion that ditalini holds up better in soups. I did make a second batch using red beans and didn't care for them much. They were smaller and mushier than the kidney beans. And one more note on the prep time: maybe I'm slow, but I spent an hour preparing the vegetables; much more than the thirty-five minutes indicated on the recipe. But, I did stem and chop the spinach and also used the fresh green beans. But the end result was well worth it!

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Thisni Caza

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Hamilton, Kansas, USA

Living In: Topeka, Kansas, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 9, 2009

This was delicious!! I was so excited to try it that I burned my mouth...lol, but it was still good and even my DH, who hates vegetables, finished his bowl and agreed that it was yummy. I love the fact that you can pretty much make it with whatever vegetables your family prefers. A very flexible recipe.

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KELEKE02

Cooking Level: Beginning

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Reviewed: Nov. 7, 2009

I LOVE THIS SOUP! I forgot to add salt and it wasn't bland at all. It's just naturally delicious and flavorful. Yumm!

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don'tcookfromnobook

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Reviewed: Nov. 7, 2009

Really like this...followed recipe exactly. The reason I gave 4 stars is because it needs a little extra kick, something to give the flavor more depth, to make you say, "YUMM!!!"...next time will add more wine and maybe some heat.

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Lizzy

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Nov. 6, 2009

Very good basic minestrone....you can add or subtract whatever veggies you want. Thanks for the recipe.

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TCmofo

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Westminster, Maryland, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 3, 2009

It was okay. Next time I will do equal parts chicken broth & tomato sauce. It was pretty thick. Needs to cook/simmer for a lot longer than stated to get the flavors together and cook the carrots. I liked all the veggies, but it needed tomato pieces too.

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Sarah D.

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Grandville, Michigan, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 1, 2009

LOVE this recipe. very filling yet healthy. instead of zuccini, we added potatos and an extra cup of water. Cant wait to have this again!

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k8tertot

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Reviewed: Oct. 28, 2009

This is an excellent recipe. Doubled it for a big family group and all raved. Instead of canned green beans I used frozen Italian flat beans and used all chicken broth (instead of leaving part of the larger containers unused). don't think either substitution made any difference overall. Thanks for such a good recipe.

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MKEICHEL

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Reviewed: Oct. 26, 2009

So good! I added about ten small red potatoes and it was great! Awesome recipe!Thanks!

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hdnsdwn

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Reviewed: Oct. 26, 2009

This is a great soup recipe. It really does taste like the minestroni soup they used to serve at my favorite Italian restaraunt. I did add the red wine, and I feel it adds a depth that you cannot get with white wine. I also used all the tomato sauce plus one can of drained diced tomatoes. Next time I will add the entire bag of spinach. I know it was said before, but this makes a huge amount of soup. Do not cut down the recipe though, freeze half for later. Delicious. Thank you for posting.

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lindsey

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Torrance, California, USA

Living In: Zushi, Kanagawa, Japan

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Reviewed: Oct. 26, 2009

This was amazing. The only change I made was to add two bay leafs. Thanks

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Michelle

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Reviewed: Oct. 26, 2009

I made this soup for a bridal shower and everyone loved it. I did make a few changes based on what I had/preference - I used white wine instead of red, replaced 1/4 of the tomato sauce with crushed Italian tomatoes and replaced 1/2 of the zucchini with summer squash. I will be making this again!

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Bethy

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Oct. 25, 2009

Amazing!

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Alysia

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Reviewed: Oct. 24, 2009

This was awesome. I've been looking for a good minestrone recipe. This one definetly rivals Olive Garden's. I did add a pound of browned, drained, and rinsed Italian sausage and two bay leaves. Thanks for the wonderful recipe, Jamie!

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Kelle

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Denver, Colorado, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 24, 2009

Love this recipe! It's easy to make and easy to fix to your liking. I used zucchini, corn, and carrots. I also added some mini turkey meatballs. Very hearty and satisfying. Overall something I will be making again.

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PirateCooker

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, USA

Living In: Princeton, Massachusetts, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 23, 2009

Great soup that's really easy to make, you can interchange lots of veggies, and it's still really good. We omitted the pasta and added extra zucchini. Great recipe.

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Valerie007

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Kansas City, Missouri, USA

Living In: Branson, Missouri, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 22, 2009

Best minestrone recipe I've found! I've made this many, many times and my family is always happy when they find out it's on the menu. I play around with ingredients, depending on what I happen to have on hand. Canned italian green beans work in a pinch, and I use arugula rather than spinach. It's key to cook your pasta separately and only add as you dish it out. When storing leftovers, don't add the pasta to the soup - it lets the pasta break down and then you have mush. Also, if I add beans, I always add them near the last 20-30 minutes so they don't get mushy.

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java4me

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Reviewed: Oct. 22, 2009

Excellent recipe! It is hearty and easy to adapt. Although this is a vegetarian recipe; you can add chicken, pork, beef or sausage.

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AKHUMPHRIES

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Reviewed: Oct. 20, 2009

Excellent. Don't omit the wine, even though it says optional. It is key to this hearty soup. It is also excellent if you add 1/2 pound of browned Italian Sausage to it. Yummy, my family loved it!

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