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Thank you for taking the time to stop by and visit! We hope to share with you our journey of raising a child with Achondroplasia, the most common type of dwarfism. If this is your first time here, please start by reading Caitlyn's Story. It will share the beginning of her life with you. Enjoy!

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Recipe of the Week - Minestrone Soup

Minestrone Soup

2 medium onions, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 medium carrots, cut into pieces (or I used baby carrots)
2 medium potatoes, cut into bite size pieces
4 celery stalks, cut into pieces
2 zucchinis, cut into pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup tightly packed fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup chopped basil
2 15oz cans pinto beans drained, puree 3/4 of 1 can in food processor, adding a small amount of water to make the consistency somewhat like refried beans
1 cup dried small pasta
3/4 - 1 cup Parmesan cheese
15 oz can petite diced tomatoes, including juice
dried sage, about 2 tsp, adding more if needed
salt and pepper

Set aside 1/3 of the onions. In a large pot, combine onions, carrots, potatoes, celery and tomatoes. Cover by an inch or so of water. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes. When there is about 15 minutes of cooking time left, saute reserved onions in skillet with a little olive oil for a few minutes. Stir in garlic, sage, parsley and basil. Cook another minute. Add saute to large pot along with the whole beans and pureed beans. Add more water if needed to cover by 1 inch. Simmer slowly, partially covered, another 45 minutes. Add more water, if needed, so consistency is that of watery stew. Season to taste with more salt, pepper and sage. During the last 5 minutes, add the zucchini. Once finished, stir in Parmesan cheese.

As for the pasta noodles - this past time that I made it, I cooked the noodles separately to al dente. I ladle the soup into individual tupperware containers that hold 12 oz, and freeze them. I filled probably 8 tupperware. Instead of filling each one completely full of soup, I left a small amount of space and put about 1/4 c or less of noodles in each one. You can also add the noodles in during the last 8-10 minutes of cooking, but I've noticed that when I do this, they always come out a little over-cooked for me. Then when you defrost the soup and reheat it again it cooked them even farther and they turn to mush. Your choice.

Scott doesn't like soup, so it's all for me. This pot of soup makes A WHOLE BUNCH!!

Let me know what you think.


3 comments:

Destini said...

Sounds great - much better than the Cambell's condensed that I'm used to!

Greene Family said...

Yum - it is a cold snowy day here today, and this would be perfect . . . may have to rethink my dinner plans. :)

Melissa Swartley said...

Yum! I love minestrone soup!!! This one I'll be testing out this week! Thanks Jaime! :)

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