Vegetable Minestrone Soup

We are doing the no grocery shopping challenge and have been enjoying soups these last couple weeks, (perfect for these cold, snowy winter days!), like today’s yummy vegetable minestrone soup. Soup is a fantastic way to use up vegetables from the fridge and is an easy way to extend a few ingredients to feed a hungry family!

My gramma served bread at every meal and we have been doing the same. It’s a simple way to add a filler to the meal — and who doesn’t want to fill up on fresh homemade breads!?! I share one of our favorite easy pizza dough-style herbed breads below! It goes great with this hearty vegetable soup!

Let’s get started!

Add onion and carrot to soup pot along with a splash of oil and seasonings. For seasonings, I am using salt and fresh cracked pepper, garlic powder (although you can use fresh garlic), 3 Onion seasoning (you could also use a combination of onion powder, chives and onion flakes) and Italian seasoning (you could use basil, thyme and oregano).

Saute until onion is tender. I add a splash of water so veggies do not burn.

Add corn and green beans. I chopped the green beans smaller and froze them together with the corn in small bags so I could grab them and toss into soups and stews.

Stir and add some water, about 1 cup. Whenever I make soup, I always just pour and toss in ingredients without measuring! I taste as it cooks and add seasonings accordingly.

The corn and green beans I added were frozen, so I cooked it for a few minutes until tender.

Next, add beans. Today I am using Romano beans, but I’ve used kidney beans as well.

Add a sprinkle more of the same seasonings and stir. I added a sprinkle of fresh cracked salt and pepper, and Italian seasoning. Saute for about 5 minutes.

Add potatoes and stir. Add water or broth. I often use veggie broth, about 2 cups and water, about 4 to 6 cups. I do not measure, I just pour until it covers all of the vegetables and then I add a bit more because some will evaporate during cooking.

Add tomato sauce or pasta sauce, about 1 to 1-1/2 cups. I have also used V8 tomato juice which adds great flavor. I usually just pour the V8 until it looks like it’s enough, usually about 2-3 cups. Cook for 20 minutes. I usually slightly cover the pot with the lid while the potatoes cook.

Once potatoes are cooked, add 1 cup pasta and 1/2 cup peas. Taste for seasonings and add more salt or pepper or Italian seasoning if needed. Bring to a boil and simmer until pasta is cooked, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Soup looks and smells amazing. Once cooked, turn off heat and let sit a few minutes. The soup will be very hot, so I like to let it sit about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Stir cheese in slightly and serve.

Serve with extra parmesan cheese and homemade bread. We made easy pizza dough-style herb focaccia. Essentially it’s pizza dough drizzled with oil and Italian seasonings and cooked in a cast iron pan until golden. It’s so good! And the recipe is below!

Stir cheese into soup and enjoy. Dip the bread into the soup if you like. The bread is amazing! This soup is one of our favorites and it’s so simple to make! It’s also a great way to use up those vegetables!

This soup is even better the next day and freezes well. If the soup becomes too thick (depending upon how much pasta was added), I warm the soup in a pot on the stove and add extra broth or water to thin it out a bit. Still tastes amazing!

Vegetable Minestrone Soup

1 onion, diced
1 to 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 tsp salt
fresh cracked pepper
1/2 tsp, or to taste 3 Onion seasoning
1/2 tsp, or to taste Italian seasoning
1 cup corn
1/2 cup green beans, chopped small
4 to 6 cups water
2 cups vegetable broth
1 can (about 2 cups) Romano beans, drained and rinsed
1 to 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 to 1-1/2 cups tomato sauce or pasta sauce
1 cup pasta
1/2 cup peas
sprinkle parmesan cheese

Add onion and carrot to soup pot along with a splash of oil and seasonings. Once onion is tender, add corn and green beans. Stir and add water, about 1 cup. Add more seasonings if needed and stir. Saute for about 5 minutes. Add potatoes, beans, broth and water. Stir. Add tomato sauce or pasta sauce or even tomato juice like V8. I taste and add more tomato sauce or juice if needed. Cook for 20 minutes. Slightly cover the pot with the lid while the potatoes cook. Once potatoes are cooked, add pasta and peas. Taste for seasonings and add more if needed. Bring to a boil and simmer until pasta is cooked, about 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, stir in slightly and serve with extra parmesan cheese and homemade bread.

“Bread is the epitome of the simple, everyday miracles we take for granted.”

– Stephanie Mills

A meal is not complete without a tasty homemade bread! My gramma served bread at every meal and I now understand why. She had a large family to feed – 11 in total – and bread is an easy way to stretch a meal. Though this is not a traditional loaf of bread, it is still delicious, easy to prepare, and goes great with pasta, or soups like lasagne soup or this veggie minestrone soup. Let’s get to it!

Prepare the dough. Let the dough rest in the bowl 10 minutes while the lightly greased (I use canola oil and butter) cast iron pan heats in the oven. Toss the dough in, let it rest 5 minutes, before punching holes in the dough with your fingers. Lightly drizzle with oil and sprinkle with Italian seasoning or a mixture of basil, thyme, rosemary and garlic. Bake until golden. Remove from cast iron pan carefully and let cool slightly before slicing.

Cast Iron Pizza Dough Herbed Focaccia

1-1/2 cups warm water
1 tsp sugar
1-1/2 tbsp instant yeast
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
3 cups flour
oil for drizzling
Italian seasoning

Combine water, sugar and yeast together. Stir. Let sit 10 minutes. Add salt, oil and 1 cup of flour. Beat well. Add one cup of flour, and stir well before adding remaining flour. Knead dough until dough is no longer sticky but just tacky. Let sit 10 minutes while lightly greased cast iron pan heats in the oven at 350F. Toss the dough into the hot cast iron pan, let it rest 5 minutes, before punching holes in the dough with your fingers. Lightly drizzle with oil and sprinkle with seasoning. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Remove from cast iron pan carefully and let cool slightly before slicing.

enjoy from Our City Homestead to yours