This is our favorite vegetable soup. It makes a wonderful meal with a loaf of fresh bread. It also reheats well and we like to have it for several lunches during the week. (this from John McDougall’s website)
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 hours
Servings: 8
1 1â„4 cups dried red kidney beans
8 cups water
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
6-8 fingerling potatoes, chunked
1â„2 cups fresh green beans, cut into 11â„2 inch pieces
1 cup tomato sauce
1â„4 cup parsley flakes
11â„2 teaspoons basil
11â„2 teaspoons oregano
1â„2 teaspoon marjoram
1â„4 teaspoon celery seed
1â„4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 15 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 zucchini, chopped
1 1â„2 cups shredded cabbage
1â„2 cup uncooked whole wheat elbows
Place the beans in a large pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil, cook for 2 minutes, turn off heat and let rest for 1 hour. (To eliminate this step, soak beans overnight.) Drain off water. Add onion, garlic and 8 cups of fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 1 hour. Add celery, carrot, potatoes, green beans, tomato sauce and all the seasonings. Return to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 45 minutes. Add the garbanzo beans, canned tomatoes and zucchini. Cook for another 30 minutes. Then add the cabbage and pasta and cook for an additional 30 minutes. Hints: I have many varieties of minestrone that I make throughout the fall and winter months, but this one is our favorite. You may use any type of uncooked pasta that you like, we also like spaghetti broken into 2 inch pieces in this soup. To change the flavor of this soup a bit, stir in a tablespoon or two (or more) of oil free pesto. See the next recipe for a delicious version of Pesto
This recipe is from the John McDougall website … a source of great health information and wonderful recipes. I’ve made this soup recipe at least six times now (double batches sometimes) and it is easily modified to include your favourite vegetables. I haven’t once started out with dried beans but just adjust the directions to use thoroughly rinsed canned beans. I am dashing out to buy the missing Pesto recipe ingredients as I want to give that a try.