Clean out the freezer and veggie drawer! We often harvest and can or freeze veggies from the garden. With gardening season quickly approaching I did a sweep and thought... soup! Soup is a wonderful thing. This recipe is so versatile and it gives you the opportunity to use up all those unused items and turn it into something fabulous! Who doesn't love soup! Be bold... add some ground venison or elk to it and let me know how it turns out!
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Servings: 12
Ingredients
2 Tbsp garlic infused olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
2 medium celery stalks, sliced
¼ cup tomato paste
2 cups chopped seasonal vegetables -or- great time to clean out the freezer! (potatoes, turnips, yellow squash, zucchini, green beans or peas all work)
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried thyme
2 cans stewed diced tomatoes, with their liquid
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 tsp salt
2 bay leaves
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup elbow pasta (or whatever you have in the pantry)
1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups baby spinach or kale
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish (optional)
Parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
-Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat
-Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery and tomato paste
-Stir often, until the vegetables have softened and the onions are turning translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes
-Add the seasonal vegetables, garlic, oregano and thyme, cook until fragrant while stirring frequently, about 2 minutes
-Add diced tomatoes and their juice and broth and water
-Add salt, bay leaves and red pepper flakes and black pepper
-Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot with the lid for steam to escape
-Reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer
-Cook for 15 minutes, then remove the lid and add the pasta, beans and greens
-Continue simmering, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until the pasta is cooked al dente and the greens are tender
-Remove the pot from the heat
-Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed
-Garnish with Parmesan cheese.
Pairs well with a nice cut of steak or an Italian inspired dish
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