This is the best minestrone soup you will ever eat!

[CTyankee]

I make it every Thanksgiving and everyone raves about it...so much that I had to increase the amount I made this year because everyone wanted seconds! It is very filling but not really fattening...it's veggie dense. Do use low sodium chicken broth; I do out of medical necessity and it's fine.

Here is the recipe:

1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 med. onion thinly sliced
2 cups celery, sliced
2 cups carrots, sliced
2 cups shredded cabbage
16 oz can cannelini beans, rinsed & drained
1 28 oz can Italian plum tomatoes, crush by hand
1 10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach
1/2 tsp dried basil
1TB dried parsley (I used fresh flat leaf last time)
1/4 tsp dried sage
S & P
1/4 cup Ditalini
8 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup parmigian cheese (I just crumbled it)
dash of balsamic vinegar

Serves 10, depending on the size of the soup bowls. You can add extra broth also, if you want to make it go further.

Saute onion, garlic, celery, cabbage and carrots 10 min. Add all but cheese, cover & simmer for 45 minutes.

Add parmigian and simmer 5 more minutes. You can substitute a heel of parmigian but I always have a chunk on hand, just crumbling it and stirring well as it melts in the hot soup.

Serve with crusty bread (I use the French bateau type, not the mushy soft Italian).

This is a good soup to tide people over til dinner when they arrive for the holidays. We tend to eat later in the day. I bring it to my daughter's house and set up the bowls for incoming family. That way, she doesn't have to prepare any lunch for folks.

[Sanity Claws]

1. what is ditalini?

Thanks for the recipe.

[WinkyDink]

3. Uncurved elbow macaroni. :-)

[WinkyDink]

Printed out for this week-end! Thank you!

[CTyankee]

7. It's a lot of chopping...fortunately, with the colder weather, I find the chopping and

creation of this soup to be a creative act. And very comforting...

[WinkyDink]

12. I'm serious; this week I'm making this!

[CTyankee]

16. Please let me know if you like it! nt

[Angry Dragon]

2. google is your friend

Answer A small Italian tubular pasta that is cut so the diameter is roughly the same as the width

[CTyankee]

5. It gets bigger in the soup but doesn't "overwhelm."

I have a friend who uses little elbows but I like this better in the soup.

[Seedersandleechers]

4. Bookmarked!

I've been on a homemade soup kick for the past 3 weeks, and this soup looks good. :hi: :hi: :hi:

[CTyankee]

6. It is the recipe of a friend's grandmother who was from Northern Italy.

My next soup is Italian white bean with rosemary and parmesan. I got it out of the Williams Sonoma Italian Cooking cookbook. You use dried navy beans. Cheap to make, except for the rosemary. The only thing I don't like about it is having to food process some of the beans (not all, you don't want it completely pureed).

I'll post the recipe next week if it comes out as well as it did the first time I made it...

[Seedersandleechers]

22. I made Italian Wedding soup

this weekend and it was wonderful!

[rug]

8. Can you use vegetable stock?

[pacalo]

9. I was wondering the same thing. Was thinking about using a chuck roast for more flavor

This recipe sounds very similar to a vegetable beef soup I make.

[rug]

11. I'm looking for a hearty vegetarian soup for my daughters.

They're vegetarians who hate vegetables.

This recipe sounds delicious and fits the bill, except for the stock.

[CTyankee]

14. You could try. I really don't know...it's so good, tho, I wouldn't doubt that a vegetarian

stock would be wonderful...

[myrna minx]

21. This website has great vegetarian soup ideas and the slow cooker does most of the work!

http://www.vegetarianslowcooker.com/search/label/soups

The mushroom barley is divine. :hi:

[CTyankee]

13. The original recipe called for beef stock but we have semi vegetarians in the family.

So this was good. Actually, I think it is better with chicken stock myself. The only soup I really like with beef stock is French Onion Soup...

[siligut]

10. SO loves minestrone soup

I usually don't so I don't make it, but this looks very good. I think I will cook some up for the cold rainy days ahead.

[CTyankee]

15. Since there's a lot of chopping involved, make a big batch and freeze some.

I really have to be in the mood to do this and when I'm not I can't get up the energy...so I need to do a huge amount and freeze some...
actually I'm giving some to neighbors as a little holiday gift...I know that sounds strange but I need to give back to them for helping me and my husband when he was recovering from back surgery....

[flying rabbit]

17. Thanks

I do believe this will be happening at my casa this weekend.

[one_voice]

18. Well I know what's for dinner this weekend...

thanks. I made minestrone soup about 2 months ago, the recipe was a little different, looking forward to trying yours.

[Lasher]

19. What's a minestrone? Where do you get them?

I don't see any minestrones listed in your ingredients. I've often thought I would try to make some soup like this but when I ask for minestrones at the grocery store they just look at me like I'm stupid or something.

[CTyankee]

20. minestrone is an Italian word. It means vegetable soup. The Italian word "minestra"

means a broth or a brothy soup, as opposed to "zuppa" which is a thicker soup, or sometimes a kind of stew, such as "zuppa di pesce" or a hearty fish/shellfish dish.