I must admit, we are soup fans in the Baumeister household. Although that’s probably obvious based on the amount of them I post here! There’s so much room for creativity, and they are often extremely economical. Vegetables and carbs like beans, pasta, or rice take a front seat, and it’s easy to use less of the more expensive items, like meat.
This recipe for Minestrone is a great example of this! Abounding in vegetables, traditional minestrone doesn’t often contain meat. Instead, it gets its’ heft from numerous vegetables and kidney beans.
Feel free to try different vegetables with making this. Green beans, peas, and asparagus come to mind as good options. Whatever is fresh and in season would work great here!
Minestrone Soup with Israeli Couscous
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 small zucchini sliced in half moons
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 large carrot
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 15 oz. can of kidney beans
- 1 cup dry israeli couscous or small shell pasta
- 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
- 32 oz chicken stock
- 1 cup fresh spinach packed
- 1 handful fresh basil
- fresh grated parmesan for serving
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, heat olive oil. Add in onions and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add in zucchini, celery, carrots, and salt. Saute for about 8 minutes, until the onions are translucent.
- To the pot, add in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, chicken stock, thyme, and oregano. Stir and cook for 20 minutes.
- Add in couscous and kidney beans, and cook another 15-20 minutes.
- Add spinach and basil, stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes, until spinach and basil have wilted. Serve topped with fresh parmesan.
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