Thursday, October 9, 2008

Light Minestrone

Blogging is taking a backseat to baby preparations lately. I have about five weeks left until my due date and it's been nine years since my last baby so it's definitely like starting over! We're rearranging bedrooms and trying to finish up projects before we have a new little guy in our home.


In the meantime, here's another recipe for you. I modified a Martha Stewart recipe for vegetable soup one night and came up with a recipe for minestrone that we loved. I like it because it's more broth-y and less tomato sauce-y if you know what I mean...

Light Minestrone

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
coarse salt and black pepper
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) chicken broth
2 large zucchini, halved and sliced
8 ounces fresh green beans, cut into bite sized pieces
1 can (14.5 ounces) kidney beans
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil (or other Italian-flavored tomatoes), pureed
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 cup dried whole wheat or whole grain pasta

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and add the onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook 3 to 5 minutes. Add the broth and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add the vegetables, beans, tomatoes, pasta, and Italian seasoning. Cook about 15 minutes until pasta is tender. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.

16 comments:

aubreyannie said...

five more weeks?! that is so exciting for you! i hope you are feeling okay and able to get things done. this soup looks delicious, thank you for sharing the recipe!

Jingle said...

I'm not usually a minestone fan, but this actually looks really good! I think the lighter ingredients make it more appealing to me!

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Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

YUM! I'm adding this to my must-try list. I love that it lighter.

nichole said...

Thanks for sharing this! My 4yo recently proclaimed his love for minestrone, and I've been meaning to find a recipe. This one sounds great!

BTW, congrats on the baby. So fun!

Anonymous said...

I've tried a handful of Martha's recipes. Have you tried her soup at Costco? It's like gravy..ewww! I'm going to try your recipe because it looks like soup.

Hope your labor is quick.:o)

Mandy said...

Soup looks so yummy! I bookmarked it so I can try it. Plus it's chilly today where I'm at, so it sounds especially good. I'm due in 5 weeks too with a little boy. Fun!

jess said...

Mandy...it's cool we're due about the same time. I hope you enjoy the soup recipe. It's perfect for a chilly day!

Mimi Sue said...

That soup looks delish. Just in time for the cold weather. Mimi

Shannon said...

My boys are 10 years apart almost to the day. It was so different this time around. You'll have a blast. But the sleep thing seems a whole lot harder being 32 vs. 22. I'm so old!! hehehehe!

dogwood said...

Thanks for the recipe! I made this last night and it was fantastic. I added a bit of garlic because we're serious garlic eaters here and the whole fam was happy.

Jennie said...

I just had my 3rd baby in June, and I had been out of the baby making business for 7 years... there are times when I know I have been thru this before (twice), but for the life of me, it all seems so new.... everything you can buy now is sooo different....that last month of preganancy seemed to last FOREVER!!!! my thoughts are with you!

jess said...

Dogwood...glad you enjoyed the soup! Garlic sounds like a great addition.

Jennie and Shannon...thanks for the encouragement!

Anonymous said...

I tried out this recipe today (came across it on the Craftzine blog), and it's really great! Thanks so much!

I doubled it so it could feed me and my roommates for a while, and also in order to use up a bunch of frozen vegetables.

Great comfort meal. I will make it again the next time I'm feeling sad!!

Anonymous said...

I remember seeing this recipe when you posted it, and I was hoping you'd add it to the collection! Thanks!

rachael said...

looks like a lovely recipe...i'm looking forward to trying it. thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

I saw this recipe on craft zine as well and it was delicious! I added a handful of dried mushrooms in the last 5 minutes of cooking and the soup was excellent.