May 18, 2012
Good foundational blueprint for minestrone which, by definition, is simply a vegetable soup (meat optional) that includes making use of the vegetables you have at hand. Every time you make it, it will be a variation of what you made before. I did the same, following the general recipe but with some liberty – added garlic and fresh parsley, mini beef tortellini for the pasta, ceci (garbanzo) beans rather than Great Northern, eliminated the potatoes (not a fan), skipped the zucchini only because I didn’t have any, used my own tomatoes put up from my garden, some leftover mushrooms, and added some leftover spinach at the end, just long enough to wilt it. No need to measure anything; toss in broth, pasta, tomatoes and vegetables as it pleases you. This soup was a lifesaver tonight – after a day of a couple of long mishaps that ate up most of my day, this came together quickly to produce a nutritious, delicious and satisfying meal.
—naples34102