Minestrone Soup
This soup is great for all seasons. You can easily adapt it to fit whatever veggies are on sale or growing in your garden. It's also a great "end of the week" soup. Throw in whatever veggies or meats you have left and stretch those leftovers!
Notes- you can use beef stock, but I like to make mine with beef bone broth for the nutrition and because it gives the soup a heartier flavor.
The Parmesan rind is completely optional but gives the soup a lovely Umami taste. I like to store mine in the freezer until I make a soup like this.
Serves- 6-8
Ingredients-
1 T olive oil
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped into half moons
3 stalks celery, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 T Italian herbs blend
1 can tomato paste
1 large can crushed, or diced tomatoes
4 cups beef bone broth
2 cans kidney beans, drained
1 zucchini, chopped into half moons
2 cups baby spinach, chopped
1 bay leaf
Salt and Pepper to taste
Optional- Parmesan rind, or grated Parmesan
Directions-
Brown your ground beef in a large soup pot. Add in your onion, carrots, celery, garlic, zucchini, salt, pepper and Italian herbs. Cook until onions turn clear (about 5-10 min) then add in your tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, broth, beans bay leaf and Parmesan rind. Simmer 30 minutes. Add in your spinach and cook another 5 minutes. Fish out your bay leaf and Parmesan rind. Top with grated Parmesan.