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More Soup for You!
Who remembers “The Soup Nazi “ character from the NBC series Seinfeld that ran from 1989 to 1998? The owner of the soup kitchen was not a patient man, but he evidently made a incredible bowl of soup which would cause people to line up around the block to get some. If you didn’t behave exactly as he expected while waiting in line to order his heavenly soups, then you were denied and he would shout “NO SOUP FOR YOU” for everyone to hear. You may even be banned from his amazing concoctions for as long as a year.
Now Pepé makes a good bowl of minestrone soup, but all this talk has gone to his head and now he is yelling “NO SOUP FOR YOU” over and over. He’s even demanding that we pay for it. I think a spoon just flew across the room! Just what we need a one foot tall dictator in the kitchen.
Nobody wants to worry about being denied a delicious bowl of piping hot soup — especially in the middle of winter?
Well, no worry about that here, this soup is delicious and super easy to make. You can modify it to be vegetarian, gluten free or neither. You can add or delete anything you wish. This recipe is not only filling, but comforting and will warm your body down to your soul. Invite friends, make some crusty bread and make an evening of it without all the fuss of a big fancy dinner. Your friends and family will appreciate it and will be impressed that you didn’t just pour it out of a can. Even this bread recipe is really easy… Add a compound butter and you’ll be turning your porch light off to keep people from coming to your place for dinner every night.
Cut up onion, celery and carrots (otherwise known as a mirepoix).
Heat dutch oven or soup pot on medium high. Add olive oil. Sauté onion, celery and carrots until slightly tender (about 8 minutes), add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. (Don’t cook garlic too long or it will taste bitter).
Add broth, water, tomatoes, beans and spices and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Taste. Adjust seasoning if needed. Add spinach or kale and cook for 5 minutes. Add pasta and cook pasta until al dente – about 8 minutes (see cooking time on pasta instructions). If adding cooked meat, add it in the last 5 minutes of total cooking time just to heat it up. You can also cook pasta in a separate pan and just add it to your bowl of soup right before serving.
| Prep Time | 20 Minutes |
| Cook Time | 25 Minutes |
| Servings |
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- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Cup Onions (Chopped)
- 2-3 Stalks Celery (Chopped)
- 1 Cup Carrots (Sliced or Chopped)
- 4 Cloves garlic (Minced)
- 4 Cups Vegetable Stock or Chicken Stock
- 1,1/2-2 Cups water
- 1 Can Diced Tomatoes
- 1 Can Kidney Beans (Drained and Rinsed)
- 1 Can Black Beans (Drained and Rinsed)
- 1 Can Green Beans
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Basil
- 1/3 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 2,1/2 Cups Fresh Baby Spinach Or Kale (remove stems from kale)
- 1 Cup Small Shell Pasta (Optional)
- 1,1/2 Cups Cooked Chicken (Optional)
Ingredients
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- Cut up onion, celery and carrots (otherwise known as a mirepoix). Heat dutch oven or soup pot on medium high. Add olive oil. Sauté onion, celery and carrots until slightly tender (about 8 minutes), add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. (Don’t cook garlic too long or it will taste bitter). Add broth, water, tomatoes, beans and spices and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Taste. Adjust seasoning if needed. Add spinach or kale and cook for 5 minutes. Add pasta and cook pasta until al dente – about 8 minutes (see cooking time on pasta instructions). If adding cooked meat, add it in the last 5 minutes of total cooking time just to heat it up. You can also cook pasta in a separate pan and just add it to your bowl of soup right before serving.
I’ve modified this recipe several times and I hope you feel free to do the same. I used to add pasta, but don’t prefer to anymore because not only is it not necessary, the pasta gets mushy the longer it sits, so leftover soup will have soggy pasta. The original called for zucchini, but It also gets mushy and I feel it has better uses than in a soup. If you like either of those items, then by all means, put them in your soup. I’ve tried cheese filled tortellini and it’s great, just soggy the next day. If you eat it right away, then you don’t have to worry. I tend to cook large portions and like leftovers. You can also cook pasta in a separate pan and just add it to your bowl of soup right before serving. I've also added meatballs or turkey instead of chicken or no meat at all.