Hearty Minestrone

Hearty Minestrone 

There is nothing like a good hearty soup on a cold day!  This hearty minestrone is great for a dinner the night before a sporting event.  This is also a great dish to make to have plenty of leftovers; which you will definitely have depending on how many people you are serving!  

Minestrone is a wonderful way to add veggies right into your meal!  This dish can be served vegan or vegetarian, fitting many different types of palettes.  You can add in more vegetables to this recipe if you would like! 

2 cups Ditalini pasta

3 Redskin Potatoes, washed and diced

3 carrots, peeled and diced

1/2 white onion, diced

2 cups lima beans (can be split with another type of bean)

5 mushrooms, washed and sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 Tbsp butter (or vegan substitute, such as avocado oil)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 can Tomato Paste

1.5 - 2L Vegetable Stock

Two large fistfulls of spinach

Black Pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese as topping (optional)

Melt butter in a pot on medium - high heat. Afterward, add the oil. Once the oil is simmering, add the garlic, onion, potato, and carrot. Saute until the potatoes are almost cooked. Afterward, add the mushrooms and lima beans.  You can add some black pepper at this point. Once those are cooked to your liking, add the can of tomato paste and stir. Continue sauteing with the tomato paste for about 4 minutes. Now add the vegetable stock and spinach, stir, and put a lid on it. You want enough stock to cover the vegetables by about 1 - 2 inches. Once the soup reaches a boil, add the pasta. Add black pepper to taste.  Once the pasta is fully cooked, server 'er up!

Top with parmesan cheese if you would like!

And Enjoy!

Have leftovers?  Freeze single servings into small pyrex (or similar) glass containers!  Perfect way to take directly out and have for lunch or an easy dinner when you are pressed for time!

Guest recipe by Donnie Halinka