Veggie Minestrone Soup

January is soup month and I love homemade soups.

If you prefer a meat version, you can use chicken stock and add diced cooked chicken.

One thing I like about minestrone is you can add just about any vegetable that you have on hand, I like to roast them first. That roasted flavour just adds something special to soup. My minestrone soup is different every time, it comes with its own personality.

Feel free to adjust quantities and ingredients to your liking. This is truly a guideline. However, the *secret ingredient is a must!

Here is what I had on hand for this one.

1 onion

3 carrots

2 stalks of celery

1 yellow bell pepper

1 zucchini

1 summer squash

2 cloves garlic

1/2 of a small cabbage

Slice, dice, chop, shred all the vegetables and scatter on baking pan(s) (I prefer stoneware, just sayin) drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with oregano, pepper and sea salt, then into the oven at 350 for about ½ hour.

Other stuff you will need

6 cups of vegetable broth

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 can chickpeas – drained and rinsed

A good sprinkling of oregano, dry or fresh, your preference

Fresh ground pepper

Fresh herb sprigs – such as rosemary, thyme, basil, and oregano. Optional but delicious addition.

*Secret ingredient - rind from a Parmesan block, chopped into chunks.

I keep these rinds in my freezer for just this purpose. Once they have been simmering in the soup they become nice and soft and gooey and yummy.

Cooked pasta of your choice – I used penne this time.

Meanwhile, heat the broth and diced tomatoes and chick peas. Add fresh herbs, fresh ground pepper and the parmesan rind.

Get the broth nice and hot and add the roasted vegetables, let it simmer away for an hour or longer. Most soups I find taste better after a longer simmer. This can be done in a big pot on your stove top or in the slow cooker.

To serve:

Ladle the soup over cooked pasta, add a dab of pesto and some shaved parmesan on top. Add some nice crusty bread on the side and enjoy! Yum!

This soup (as with many soups) is even better the next day so make a big pot.

Enjoy!

~ Tracy

This Foodie Friday brought to you by Heartland Cafe a great place for delicious food right here in Olde Towne Okotoks.