Yay! We got a little snow day, well it was more like powdery icy bits but it still counts! Both Mark and I got to stay home from work on Friday thanks to the weather. We used the extra time to snuggle up by the fire, read some books (umm, does looking at cookbooks count?) oh and we finally finished watching making a murderer (I keep going back and forth on whether or not I think he’s guilty. What do y’all think?). I also spent some time geeking out over pizza dough – then I made some, it’s proofing now, we’ll see how it turns out tomorrow! But let’s talk about this soup for a sec. This is the ultimate snow day soup if you ask me. The flavors layer up on each other – kinda like the way us southerns have to do because we don’t own proper winter coats. And this may sound funny but I was honestly amazed that a bowl full of mostly veggies tasted so hearty and delicious. If you have a little parmesan rind this broth is the perfect thing for soaking up those savory, umami, nutty flavors – just drop it in when you add the liquid and let it do it’s thing. So good!
Minestrone Soup
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 small sprig fresh rosemary (about 1 tablespoon chopped)
a few sprigs fresh thyme (about 1 tablespoon)
3 bay leaves
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 leek, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
2 to 3 carrots, finely chopped
2 to 3 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
1 can white beans, like great northern
1/2 cup pasta, like orzo or ditalini or other tiny pasta
12 ounces red skinned potatoes or other small potato, cut into 1/4″ pieces
½ bunch kale (about 8oz)
4 cups of vegetable stock
2 cups of water
Garnish
grated parmesan
fresh parsley
Directions
Add two tablespoons of olive oil to a large pot on medium heat. Finely chop the onion, carrots, leek and celery and place those into the pot. Next, add the salt and pepper, bay leaves, oregano, thyme and minced rosemary. Sauté for 10 minutes or so or until onions are translucent and starting to brown a bit. Next add the tomato paste and minced garlic. Stir the paste into the veggies and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the can of tomatoes to the pot along with the vegetable stock and water, next add the chopped potatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes until potatoes are halfway cooked through. Add the pasta and beans and simmer for 10 to 12 more minutes or until potatoes and pasta are tender. Taste for salt and pepper. Add the chopped kale right before serving, just so it has time to wilt a bit. Serve soup with grated parmesan and fresh parsley as shown.