Minestrone Soup

Minestrone soup is a hearty version of vegetable soup with all the goodness from the vegetables plus yummy whole wheat pasta. It’s simple to make, healthy and oh so tasty.

I used hot sausage in my recipe because all my ground beef was frozen. Oh it adds such a delicious flavor. You can use lean ground beef for a low fat option or sausage in your soup. If I use ground beef, I’ll stir in a tablespoon of bacon grease for flavor. You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand for this soup too. I didn’t have celery in this pot of soup but if I have some next time I’ll sauté it when I add my onions. You could add diced potatoes, cabbage, spinach, kale, etc.

Our friend & horseman, Craig Cameron, hauled his horse over to the TY Ranch to go for a ride with Ty. We were going to go to town for lunch but my little girl, Oakley, was getting ready to take a nap. A cranky baby is no fun to take to a restaurant ha ha! I needed something I could fix in 45 minutes or less and that’s how I came up with this recipe. It was a chilly day and tasted perfect. 15 minutes before the cowboys arrived for lunch, I popped my Whole Wheat Rosemary Drop Biscuits in the oven and we enjoyed the most delicious lunch!

Minestrone Soup

Recipe by Paige MurrayCourse: SoupsCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb Jimmy Dean hot sausage or lean ground beef

• 1 onion, diced

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables

• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (with or without basil)

• 1 can kidney beans, drained

• 6-8 cups water

• 2 teaspoons of salt

• 1 teaspoon garlic salt

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

• 2 tablespoons dried parsley or 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley.

• 2 cups whole wheat pasta (elbow or rotini)

• Topping

• Fresh, grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• In a large soup pot over medium high heat, brown sausage or beef until almost done.
• Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add garlic and cook, stirring, one minute longer.
• Add the rest of the ingredients, except the pasta, and bring to a boil.
• Stir in pasta, reduce heat to a low simmer, and cover. Cook for at least 30 minutes but it can simmer longer.