Minestrone Soup

Wow, I have not added recipes in a long time. I have been pretty busy, but I promise to get caught up soon on my recipes. I have a few more to add, so stay tuned in the next few days.

One reason I was too busy to post recipes was because I went Home to Michigan partly for a historical conference and partly to see family. Due to being busy socializing or learning, I ended up eating out every day. Since Paul and I do not eat out more than once a month, this was a bit too much for me. I came home feeling fat and craving fresh vegetables. So I searched through some potential recipes that I have wanted to try and found this Minestrone Soup at allrecipes.com. Other than a sprinkling of cheese, there is nothing but healthy stuff in this soup.

What I loved: There are SO many veggies in this soup! I felt so healthy and the colors were beautiful. :)


Ingredients:
*Olive oil
*1 onion, diced
*3 cloves of garlic, minced
*3 medium carrots, diced
*3 stalks of celery, diced
*2 yellow squash, diced
*6-8 cups of vegetable broth
*3 potatoes, skinned and diced
*Huge handful of spinach, cut into strips
*1 cup of orzo pasta
*1 can (15oz) of diced tomatoes
*handful of fresh basil leaves, cut into strips or minced
*3/4 cup of parmesan cheese
*salt, pepper, spices of your choice, and extra parmesan for the topping

Directions:
1) Heat up oil in a large soup pot. Saute onion and garlic until tender.
2) Add the carrots, celery, and squash. Saute for approx. 5 minutes.
3) Add the broth, potatoes, spinach, pasta, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil.
4) Lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until potatoes and pasta and tender.
5) Stir in basil and parmesan. Season to taste.
6) Pour into bowls and top with more spices and cheese. Enjoy!


Comments:
*I wrote 6-8 cups of broth because it depends how you like your soup. If you like it more stew-like, only use around 6 cups of broth. If you like a more clear, broth look, add 8 cups. I like my soup to be clear, so I added 8 cups.

*It's hard to say how much spinach to add. What I did was go for equal portions of all of the veggies. I put the carrots, celery and squash on one plate, potatoes on another plate, and spinach on a plate as well. With the display of veggies in front of me, I added enough spinach to make it a good balance with the rest of the veggies. Sorry I cannot be more exact.

*I think next time I make this soup, I will add more tomatoes. I might add one of those cans of diced tomatoes that have spices with it. If anyone does that, let me know what you think!