Winter Minestrone Soup
This is a great version of the classic Italian minestrone soup, perfect for wintertime! We’ve adapted this recipe from the Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special Cookbook. Theirs is vegetarian, whereas we prefer to use chicken stock. In either manifestation, this soup comes highly recommended!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
- 5 or 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup diced celery
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup peeled and diced carrots
- 1 cup peeled and diced parsnips
- 1 cup chopped fennel bulb
- 1 1/2 cups peeled and cubed sweet potato
- 2 teaspoons ground fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoons dried pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground dried rosemary or 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 3 cups canned tomatoes in juice, chopped or pureed
- 2 to 3 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 can cooked beans (kidney or navy work well)
- 3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
In a large soup pot, saute the onions, celery and garlic in the olive oil until softened. Add the carrots, parsnips, and fennel. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes or so, stirring frequently. Add the sweet potatoes, salt, and herbs and simmer for a few minutes more.
Add the canned tomatoes, chicken stock, and wine and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Add the beans and parsley and mix well. Serve topped with grated Parmesan.
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