Vegetarian Minestrone Soup(with optional bacon)By: Steve Zaransky
I made several gallons of this soup for Soup & Bread Night, but this recipe is cut down to a more reasonable "home use" size. This should serve 4 - 6 people.
3/4 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
3 cups water
2 cups diced zucchini (1 large)
1 cup diced carrot (1 large or 2 - 3 of the ones in a cello bag)
1 cup cooked or canned cannellini beans (if using canned, be sure to rinse them first)
3/4 cup diced celery (1 large stalk)
1 teaspoon dried basil (dried is better than fresh in this instance, but you could use a handfull of chopped fresh basil instead)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
28 ounce can of diced tomatoes (Choose a brand that packs the tomatoes in tomato juice, not puree, to avoid making the soup too acidic. I use Hunt's)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium to large sized parmesan cheese rind
1/2 lb. Bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled
1 Bottle Peroni or other non-assertive pilsner beer (Completely optional. This was added specifically because of the the beans, bear, bacon theme of Soup & Bread night)
1/4 cup uncooked ditalini
Directions:
1 Chop all veggies to uniform 1/4" or smaller dice.
2 Sauté onions in olive oil until just barely browned.
3 Add water, beer, zucchini, carrots, canellini beans, celery, basil, oregano salt, pepper, tomatoes, cheese rind and garlic.
4 Bring to boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 45 - 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5 Add pasta, cover and cook an additional 10 - 15 minutes.
6 Adjust spices to suit your taste.
7 Serve hot, adding optional bacon and additional grated parmesan (if desired).
Steve Z.
“Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
― Ludwig van Beethoven