Perfect Vegetarian Minestrone With Optional Sausage Recipes

VEGETARIAN MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, salt, rosemary, black pepper and crushed red pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Stir in the broth, 2 cups water, the cannellini beans, tomatoes, zucchini and vinegar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the zucchini is just tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the collard greens and simmer until the greens are tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in the orzo. Season with salt. Top with the shredded parmesan.
• Photograph Courtesy of Time Inc. Books/Alison Miksch.

VEGGIE-PACKED AUTUMN MINESTRONE

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until no longer pink and just turning brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the celery, carrots and onions and saute until translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the rosemary, tomato paste and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the stock, tomatoes, beans and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 40 minutes.
• Add the sweet potatoes and zucchini and simmer until cooked al dente, about 10 minutes more.
• Place 1/2 cup of baby spinach at the bottom of each serving bowl and ladle on a portion of bubbling hot soup. The heat from the soup will wilt the spinach perfectly. Serve with some freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

MINESTRONE WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the carrots, celery and leek; cook for 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, green beans and garlic; cook 1 minute longer. , Stir in the broth, tomatoes, cabbage, basil, oregano and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45 minutes. , Return to a boil. Stir in the garbanzo beans, pasta and parsley. Cook for 6-9 minutes or until pasta is tender. Serve with cheese.

PERFECT VEGETARIAN MINESTRONE WITH OPTIONAL SAUSAGE

Steps:

• In a large soup pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until soft.
• Add the garlic and saute, stirring, for about 1 minute.
• Add the potatoes, squash, broth, tomatoes, beans, sage, thyme, bay leaves, and Parmesan rind. Continue cooking over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the soup comes to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer soup for 1 to 2 hours (I prefer 2 hours to really get the flavors mingling).
• About 20 minutes before you're ready to serve the soup, cook the pasta to al dente, according to your package directions. Drain add to the soup along with the zucchini and parsley. Continue to simmer for about 20 minutes, then taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired.
• If adding sausage to all or part of the soup, heat the tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saucepan and brown the sausage completely, breaking it up into small pieces. Remove any excess oil.
• If adding sausage to only half of the soup, ladle just under half of the soup into the saucepan, over the drained sausage. This should be about 4 - 5 cups of soup. If you're adding sausage to the entire batch, just stir it directly into your pot of soup.
• Remove bay leaves, taste again, and adjust seasonings if desired.
• Serve sprinkled with shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired.

HEARTY VEGETARIAN MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add carrots and celery; cook and stir until soft, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Stir in green beans, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper; cook for about 5 minutes. Add diced and crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth; bring to a boil. If it looks too thick, add a bit of water.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in kidney beans, cannellini beans, and macaroni; cook until pasta is tender yet firm to the bite, 7 to 10 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper, if needed.
• Ladle into bowls and garnish with Parmesan-style cheese and fresh basil.

VEGETARIAN MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Place onion in saucepan with one tablespoon water and saute until clear.
• Add remaining water and vegetables and bring to the boil.
• Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 25 minutes.
• Add macaroni, cover and cook for another 10 minutes.
• Place in large bowls, sprinkle with cheese, and serve with crusty bread.

SAUSAGE MINESTRONE

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat.
• Saute the sausage until browned, about 8 minutes.
• Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Drain the fat from the pan.
• Add the remaining oil to the pan and saute the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Return the sausage meat to the pan.
• Add the tomatoes, beans and 8 cups of water and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until tender but firm, about 6 minutes.
• Drain and add to the soup.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE MINESTRONE FOR TWO

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain., In the same pan, saute the carrots, celery, onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the broth, beans, tomatoes, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, tomato paste and sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes., Stir in ditalini; return to a boil. Reduce heat and cook, uncovered, for 6-8 minutes or until pasta is tender. Discard bay leaf. Serve with cheese.

HEALTHY VEGGIE MINESTRONE SOUP

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain.
• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; add orange bell pepper, red bell pepper, celery, carrots, and garlic. Cook and stir until slightly tender, about 5 minutes.
• Pour tomato soup plus 1/2 can water into saucepan. Add potatoes, chicken broth, basil, onion powder, salt, and pepper; stir to combine. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until flavors combine, about 1 hour. Serve over cooked pasta.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE & CHEESE TORTELLINI MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Brown Italian turkey sausage, onion, and garlic until meat is cooked through and no longer pink.
• Drain meat well.
• Add the beef broth, undrained tomatoes, carrots, celery, ketchup, and Italian Seasoning.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
• Add zucchini, green pepper and (canned beans or peas, if using) and cook for 5 minutes more.
• Stir in tortellini and Italian parsley.
• Cook until tortellini is tender (5-7 minutes).
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve and ENJOY!

KARI'S VEGETARIAN MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Saute oil and garlic in a large pot over medium-low heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add onion and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add carrots and saute for 3 minutes, followed by zucchini, mushrooms, and finally potato. Add more oil if necessary.
• Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and spinach; cook for 3 minutes. Stir in vegetable broth, water, kidney beans, basil, oregano, thyme, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour; the more simmer time the better.

MINESTRONE WITH WHITE BEANS AND ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• In a lare pot heat the oil over moderately high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon.
• Reduce the heat to moderate. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile combine 2 cups of the beans and 2 cups of the water in a blender and puree until smoooth.
• Add the tomatoes, the bean puree, the remaining 8 cups water, the salt, and the pepper, to the pot. Bring to a boil, skimming any foam that rises to the surface. Stir in the sausage, the remaining 2 cups bean, and the spinach. Simmer until the spinach wilts, about 3 minutes. Serve the soup topped with grated parmesan, and pass more Parmesan at the table.

EASY SLOW COOKER VEGETARIAN MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Heat oil in the bottom of a 4- or 6-quart slow cooker on High. Add zucchini, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper; stir to combine.
• Pour in vegetable stock, chickpeas, undrained tomatoes, and green beans. Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 7 hours.
• Add ditalini and cook for 1 more hour. Stir in pesto and serve.

MINESTRONE WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• In a 5-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over med-high heat.
• Add sausage, onion, carrots, basil, and garlic; cook 5-7 minutes, stirring often, until sausage is no longer pink; drain.
• Stir broth, tomatoes, and great northern beans into sausage mixture.
• Heat to boiling; decrease heat to med-low.
• Cover; cook 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in macaroni, zucchini, and frozen green beans; heat to boiling.
• Cook over med-high heat 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are hot and macaroni is tender; taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.